The Advantages and Disadvantages of Fabricated Construction

Jordan (2011) defines Prefabricated construction as the construction process in which individual building components are created in a designated factory off-site and then shipped into the plot of land where the different parts are installed to produce a completed structure. This construction method greatly differs from the normal methods of construction and brings in various advantages and disadvantages both for the construction company and the owner of the building.

Prefabricated building processes offer the construction companies and town houseowners the opportunity to improve their bottom line while saving costs. In Vancouver, the housing market has become deflated ever since the 2007 housing crisis. Schoenborn (2012) asserts that the prefabricated construction saves 19% of costs on average. Many people lack the finances to purchase houses, and this has forced construction companies to rely on prefabricated housing because it saves costs. These houses can then be sold at affordable prices to different homeowners.

The major convenience brought about by the construction and assembling of houses using prefabricated components is how this has aided to reduce the number of hours spent on on-onsite labor. This is very important because it reduces the overhead costs, workers compensation, and worksite liability. The table below shows the hours spent to construct two identical homes with a size of 2,600 sq. Ft. (Jordan, 2011). One house is framed on-site using the conventional method while the other is framed using pre-fabricated components.

Table 1

Jordan (2011) has also indicated that prefabricated systems utilize the same amount of materials as on-site building construction. However, prefabricated homes have been seen to provide on-site waste that is far less as compared to conventional home construction. The table below shows a comparison of onsite building construction and prefabricated construction.

Table 2

The study showed that on-site construction led to 60% more panel waste and 55% more waste of lumber than prefabricated building.

Prefabricated construction also ensures that work is safe, efficient, and consistent. This is because there are no weather delays during the building process and all building materials remain clean and dry in the manufacturing premises (Shahzad, Mbachu & Domingo, 2014). Finally, it ensures that quality and consistency in the building process are assured.

Conversely, prefabricated construction has been seen to possess some limitations. Since the fabricated materials are shipped by trailers to their job site, different complications may arise in the transport process. Prefabricated homes on average ship within two hundred and fifty and four hundred miles as the longest tolerable distance from their facilities (Dale, Wendy & Karen, 2013). Any distance beyond this is seen to be impractical due to regional and federal road restrictions. Additionally, the transportation costs may end up being very high due to the number of trailers used, permit allocations, and the transport distance. Finally, it is very challenging to make changes to the structure once the construction process is underway.

References

Dale, S., Wendy, M., & Karen, A. (2013). Reshaping housing the role of prefabricated systems. School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment Science and the Engineering Faculty Queensland University of Technology.

Jordan, R. (2011). The benefits and limitations of prefabricated home manufacturing in North America. The University of British Colombia.

Schoenborn, J. (2012). A Case Study Approach to Identifying the Constraints and Barriers to Design Innovation for Modular Construction.

Shahzad, W., Mbachu, J., & Domingo, N. (2014). Marginal Productivity Gained Through Prefabrication: Case Studies of Building Projects in Auckland. Journal from The School of Engineering and Advanced Technology.