Month: July 2021

Prefab Bathroom Pod Elements

Prefab Bathroom Pod Elements

As offsite construction continues to grow more popular, prefab bathroom pods are becoming an excellent option for multifamily developers, and it’s a perfect choice for homes. These modular bathrooms are often used in large-scale and small building projects due to their convenience and cost savings. A prefabricated bathroom is built offsite, which allows it to be delivered to the job site ready for installation. A modular bathroom is already fitted with fixtures and all MEP hookups, which significantly increases efficiency for the entire job site.

Here are a few of the critical elements with prefab bathroom pods.

Bathroom Plumbing and Wiring

One of the most significant advantages of using a prefabricated bathroom is that everything is produced offsite. Everything is ready to be installed, which is a lot more convenient than spending hours working on the bathroom plumbing or wiring. High-quality modular construction drawings are used throughout the design process, which maximizes accuracy and improves efficiency for bathroom plumbing. All of these time savings improve the bottom line while also making everyone’s job much more manageable.

Drainage Design

Minimizing the number of drainage points is always a top priority while designing a bathroom. This is especially important for modular bathroom plumbing. The drain pipes will need to be turned outward at a 45-degree angle to avoid the studs. A soffit will also need to be used around the pipes if the room is already complete underneath. A manufacturer will keep all of these things in mind while designing a modular bathroom.

Vanity with Sink, Mirror, and Cabinets

Another reason to consider a modular bathroom is that it gives you plenty of styles and features to choose from during the design process. You can select from various bathroom mirrors to find the perfect option that best matches your style. Bathroom cabinets are also available in numerous styles. You can also choose your bathroom vanity with a sink to best meet your needs.

Steel Framing for Superior Strength

Bathroom pods consist of light gauge steel framing for superior strength and accuracy, as they are designed to last for the long term. Moisture-resistant wallboard is also glued to the frame, which provides an added layer of protection. Once delivered to the job site, everything is finished and ready to use, saving everyone time and keeping construction costs to a minimum.

Waterproof Profile Subfloor

Installing modular bathroom pods requires some extra planning, but it’s well worth it. Engineers will look at the building plans in the design process to ensure everything matches up seamlessly with the existing construction. A thin waterproof profile subfloor gives support to the floor finish, and it offers a seamless transition to the adjoining floor. Everything is designed to fit perfectly together, including the bathroom plumbing and electrical wiring.

Building Code Compliant

Meeting local building code regulations is essential for new construction. Each modular bathroom is specifically designed to meet all of the regulations for an area, saving everyone time and increasing efficiency during the construction process. Making sure everything is up to code while meeting all of the safety standards makes the inspector’s job much more manageable while also saving everyone a lot of time.

Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA)

Design for Manufacture and Assembly combines modeling and drawings to create a superior design for a modular bathroom. Using DfMA models simplifies the entire design process while also making it easy to create modules that can be inspected and tested at any time. DfMA models also make it simple to make any modifications or redesigns for prefabricated pods.

Using the DfMA approach also minimizes the need for using interconnecting parts. Keeping these connectors to a minimum helps to avoid misalignment while also making the installation process much easier. Using this innovative technology is especially helpful for bathroom plumbing while keeping construction costs to a minimum.

Here are a few of the main benefits of using a prefabricated bathroom.

Top-Quality Material

Building a bathroom on a job site is often filled with challenges. Trying to coordinate with multiple people can lead to several delays. Inclement weather can also make it difficult to finish out a bathroom on time. However, using a modular bathroom is a great way to avoid many of these issues while improving the finished product quality. Constructing everything offsite in a controlled environment reduces the chance of defects, such as with your bathroom mirrors or your bathroom cabinets.

Eco-Friendly Option

Minimizing waste and finding sustainable, green home construction isn’t always easy. Onsite job construction waste can quickly add up over time, which increases costs, and it’s not good for the environment. One way to limit waste is to install a prefabricated bathroom. Various studies show that waste on the job can be reduced up to 30% by using modular bathroom pods. Ultimately, offsite construction is a much more efficient building process, and it’s more sustainable over the long term.

Perfect for Remote Locations

Constantly traveling back and forth from a job site requires a lot of time and fuel. One way to streamline this entire process is to use offsite construction. These modular bathroom pods are completed in a factory, eliminating the need for workers to travel back and forth from a supplier for building materials. Keeping traveling to a minimum is especially beneficial in remote locations, as everything is readily available, and you don’t have to worry about picking up bathroom mirrors and other accessories.

Closing Thoughts

Bathroom pods are an excellent choice for many building projects due to their convenience while also helping to minimize construction costs. These modular pods are also highly customizable, whether you want to pick out your bathroom mirrors, flooring, shower, faucets, or choose your bathroom cabinets. All of these different options make it easy to create your prefabricated bathroom that best matches your style and meets your needs. Now is a great time to reach out to Walls Up to learn more about using a prefab bathroom pod!

Building With Sustainable, Green Construction

Building With Sustainable, Green Construction

Steel remains one of the most sustainable building materials available. Constructing a green building for your next home has never been easier due to the wide prevalence of steel in the construction industry. Steel is very eco-friendly, as it can easily be recovered and recycled into top-quality products. Over 95% of the water used during the steel-making process is recycled and returned, making it perfect for a green building.

What is a Green Building?

Using steel for a green building offers many other benefits, such as not being susceptible to rot, mold, or termites. The zinc coating on steel also provides it with an added layer of protection against the elements. Building a steel-framed green building is also much more accessible than wood or masonry due to its lighter design. You also won’t have to worry about steel warping or splitting, which is just one more reason why it’s an excellent choice for building a sustainable house.

Here are a few of the top reasons why you need to consider steel for your next eco-friendly home.

Reduced Construction Waste and Energy

One of the benefits of a steel home is that it creates less waste during the construction process. The time it takes to build a steel house is also much shorter than using lumber and other building materials. The entire home construction process is streamlined due to the pre-fabricated framework for a green building. All of this plays a crucial role in reducing the amount of machinery needed for the job while saving the home construction builder a lot of time.

On the other hand, wood always needs to be cut on-site, leaving a lot of construction waste behind. For example, wood construction can result in 20% waste on the job site, while a steel-framed green building will only leave around 2% waste. These numbers can rapidly add up over time, making using steel products the perfect choice for anyone looking for a sustainable building design for their next home.

Greater Energy Efficiency

An additional benefit of using only a green building supply for your home is that it can help you lower your utility bill each month. Steel-framed structures give you more space to add insulation, which plays a key role in keeping your home feeling comfortable. You also don’t have to worry about steel suffering damages over time due to its superior strength compared to wood and other common building materials on the market.

Installing solar panels on your roof is another way to improve energy efficiency. A steel-framed home can easily handle the weight of solar panels, making it a perfect option for creating a sustainable building. Using solar panels is one of the best ways to power your home while improving energy efficiency through sunlight.

Eco-Friendly Production

Steel companies across the globe continue to look at more ways to improve energy efficiency and reach zero emissions. It’s now much more common for steel plants to be more green, and they are continuing to use innovative methods to reduce waste. Water is also used throughout the manufacturing process of steel structures, and it’s completely recyclable. These steel companies will only continue to improve in eliminating emissions, making steel the perfect choice for sustainable building design.

Strength and Durability

Constantly spending time and money renovating a house can quickly get expensive. However, one of the advantages of using steel for creating a green building is that it only requires a small amount of upkeep. Steel can easily handle some of the harshest weather conditions without the need for any repair work.  On the other hand, wood is always susceptible to termites and the risk of fire. The strength and durability of steel homes make them a great choice if you live in high-risk areas prone to seismic activity or hurricanes. These sustainable building materials offer you the best protection against mother nature while benefiting the environment.

Resistant to Mold

Dealing with mold is an all too common issue in many homes. Mold growth can often get worse over time and create a variety of health issues. Using steel framing is one of the best ways to avoid this problem, as it’s much stronger and resilient than wood and other materials. The vast majority of steel is built offsite in a controlled environment, which improves energy efficiency while ensuring that moisture doesn’t get within the steel studs. You will have peace of mind knowing that building a sustainable house with steel construction is mold-resistant.

Conserve Resources

A green building can play a crucial role in limiting construction waste. For example, a standard 2,000-square foot wood-frame house can take nearly an acre of trees before the job is done. However, a steel home will only use scrap metal from roughly six vehicles, which is one of the main reasons steel homes continue to become a more popular trend.

Leader in Green Building Standards

Many cities are passing new laws and regulations for using a green building supply during the home construction process. Meeting these stringent standards isn’t always an easy task while using other building materials. However, a green building advisor often recommends steel construction due to its eco-friendly properties and energy efficiency.

The purpose of the U.S. Green Building Council is to increase sustainable buildings, as steel construction is always a highly recommended option for new construction and renovations. One of the main underlying characteristics of a sustainable green building is the low maintenance and energy efficiency of steel, making it possible to meet ever-evolving building standards.

Conclusion

Learning more about sustainable building design and construction waste management is essential in creating a more eco-friendly future. Steel remains one of the most popular eco-friendly building materials while offering a wide range of benefits for homeowners. Now is one of the best times to consider building a sustainable house and experience the many advantages of steel construction!

Modular Bathroom Pods to Reduce Construction Time and Costs

Modular Bathroom Pods to Reduce Construction Time and Costs

A prefabricated bathroom is an excellent option for many homeowners and businesses. A modular bathroom pod is built in a factory instead of onsite, which reduces construction time and costs. Offsite construction for bathrooms is especially beneficial if you need to meet a tight deadline and you don’t have to worry about weather delays.

Why Bathroom Pods Are Right for Your Project

Looking at ways to streamline construction on a job site is essential in getting a project completed on time without any defects. One of the advantages of installing prefabricated bathroom pods is that they will produce much fewer defects due to them being built in a factory setting instead of on the job. Offsite construction also enables the manufacturer to spend more time finding new ways to improve the quality of the product through functional innovations.

Benefits of Offsite Bathroom Design and Construction

Understanding how to minimize construction costs is critical in today’s work environment. Using a modular bathroom instead of onsite construction is an excellent way to decrease construction time, enhance quality, and eliminate bathroom defects.

Using traditional building methods is a much more time-consuming task due to coordinating schedules with multiple people, whether it’s electricians, plumbers, carpenters, tilers, or a host of other specialists. A modular bathroom eliminates many of these problems, which help reduce waste and improve the overall quality of the finished product. Less construction time is a win-win situation for everyone, whether you are a business owner or a general contractor.

Here are a few more of the benefits of using a modular bathroom pods to reduce construction costs:

Streamline Purchasing Process

One advantage of a prefab bathroom is that it gives you the flexibility to make purchases in bulk, which is especially beneficial for large-scale projects. For example, a contractor can easily install the same bathroom in each room for senior living or student housing, which expedites the entire construction process.

Variety of Design Options

Another benefit of prefabricated bathroom pods is that you can choose from countless different designs. You can modify the size to meet your needs best while also choosing various accessories. A homeowner can easily design a one-of-a-kind bathroom that perfectly matches their style.

Quality Control

The best products are always created in a controlled environment. A prefabricated bathroom is entirely built offsite, which reduces the chance of any defects or delays in building due to inclement weather. These repeatable functions during the manufacturing process are constantly monitored and can easily be adjusted to maintain consistency and quality.

Decrease Construction Time

Offsite construction is a much faster process than building everything onsite. Manufacturers can immediately begin working on a prefabricated bathroom during the early stages of a job site. These modular bathroom pods are also simple to set up, saving time and making everyone’s job much easier.

Less Overhead

Building a bathroom onsite requires the general contractor to work with numerous specialty trades, as each one is dependent on the other in getting their job done. Trying to coordinate everything can quickly get complicated, especially on a large job site. However, using bathroom pods simplifies the entire process and greatly reduces the coordination needed to complete everything.

Overcome Labor Shortage

Finding enough workers to perform a job remains a challenge in many industries. This is especially true in the construction industry, as a labor shortage makes it difficult to complete jobs on time while also increasing the construction cost. One way to overcome the labor shortage is to install bathroom pods instead of relying on multiple workers to build a bathroom on site.

Sustainability

Finding ways to be more eco-friendly is becoming increasingly important in the construction industry. Offsite construction is much less wasteful than traditional construction methods, as the amount of wasted materials can quickly add up on the job site. Recently, a report from the Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP) showed that a 90% waste reduction is possible by further increasing the amount of offsite construction.

Detailed Estimate

Additional expenses are an all too common issue in the construction industry. One way to reduce these surprise costs is to receive a detailed estimate that lists all of the materials used in a bathroom. A manufacturer specializing in modular bathroom pods can quickly provide a detailed estimate to ensure everything matches, and you won’t have to worry about any hidden fees or a higher construction cost.

Consistent Quality

Maintaining consistent quality is key to success in construction. Unfortunately, not all contractors offer the same skill set, which can lead to various results with the finished product. However, a prefab bathroom pod offers consistent quality due to being manufactured offsite in a controlled environment. Factory operations are always more efficient than onsite construction, as it produces top-quality bathrooms while also lowering the construction cost.

Here is an overview of the installation process for prefabricated bathroom pods:

Inspection

The first step is an inspection of the shop drawings and building plans to ensure everything matches up. Delivery and installation logistics are also discussed to ensure everything arrives on schedule.

Manufacturing

The next step is the manufacturing process, as everything is built to meet the specs of the shop drawings. Offsite construction expedites this entire building process while also maintaining superior quality control.

Delivery

A delivery date is set in advance to ensure the prefab bathroom arrives on schedule. A prefabricated bathroom can be shipped on enclosed or open-air trucks. The size of the prefab bathroom pod and any site restrictions will often determine the type of transportation.

Installation

A modular bathroom is often wrapped upon delivery to stay protected from the elements. Cranes are used to offload the bathroom pods and hoist them into the structure to finish the installation process. Many of the prefab bathroom manufacturers provide specialized equipment to assist in installation. Afterward, final connections occur for water, electrical, waste, and mechanical in the prefab bathroom. A final onsite inspection occurs to ensure everything is working and all of the client’s needs were met.

If you have any questions, or want to learn more about modular bathroom pod construction with Walls Up, please contact us at (863) 623-3021 or email info@wallsupusa.com for additional information.

Modular Home Construction – Advantages of Offsite Manufacturing

Modular Home Construction – Advantages of Offsite Manufacturing

Offsite manufacturing construction includes the planning, designing, fabrication, transportation, and assembly of materials for a much faster building process. Modern modular homes are the most complete of all offsite products, as they are transported and assembled in a 2D panelized process that are to be connected on-site. Modular design architecture is divided into two distinct segments, which include re-locatable and permanent modular design.

Re-Locatable Modular

Re-locatable modular is often referred to as “temporary modular,” as these buildings are only used for a short term. Using a re-locatable modular is incredibly cost-effective for many situations. A few of the most popular re-locatable modular constructions include showrooms, job site trailers, communication pods, and temporary classrooms.

Permanent Modular Construction (PMC)

Permanent modular construction (PMC) is an emerging trend in North America, as it’s used for schools, health care facilities, government buildings, hotels, and multi-family structures. PMC only represented around 25% of the market four years ago in the modular industry, as now it represents more than 50% due to its increasing popularity.

Understanding Offsite Manufacturing Construction

The vast majority of modular home builders use an inside-out approach during construction. A modular design usually follows a sequence of framing and building the interior surface before focusing on the plumbing, electrical, mechanical, insulation, and exterior sheathing. On the other hand, this vastly differs from traditional construction that uses an on-site assembly approach of outside-in, which is much less efficient. The offsite manufacturing process of modular home designs avoids many scheduling difficulties, such as bad weather or the constant delays of different trade companies trying to collaborate.

Here are a few more of the top benefits of using offsite construction for modular home designs.

Lower Cost, Higher Productivity at Home Construction Job Site

One of the most significant advantages of using modular homes for residential construction is that it can result in considerable cost savings. These savings can often range anywhere between 15%-50% by using a modular house design. Offsite manufacturing construction is much quicker than traditional methods due to concurrent factory and on-site work. Factory production for residential construction is also much faster than on-site framing, and you will never have to worry about weather delays. Modular homes maximize productivity on the construction job site while also keeping building costs to a minimum.

Less Waste and Eco-Friendly

Another benefit of modular design architecture is that it results in much less waste on the job site. The leftover material is often reused in a factory, while this material is usually thrown into the dumpster during the on-site construction process. Modular home builders also spend less time traveling back and forth from the job site to the supply yards, as nearly everything is constructed at the factory. Ultimately, this creates a much more efficient process while also being more eco-friendly throughout the building phase of a new home.

Perfect for Fast-Pace Projects and Tight Deadlines

Time is always short for home construction companies. Keeping up with tight deadlines and making sure everyone is happy is often an almost impossible task. However, modular home builders can expedite this entire process, making it perfect for houses that need to be built on short notice. Besides homes, modular construction is also an excellent option for schools or dormitories that need to be constructed as soon as possible without dealing with constant delays.

Excellent for Repetitious Projects

Modular design is a great choice for home builders who need to construct many houses with similar layouts. Large-scale modular design architecture can rapidly improve the construction time for homes, making it a perfect option for building homes in subdivisions that need to meet a specific building code and design. Higher productivity benefits everyone, as it helps to keep construction costs down, which lowers the price for home builders.

Consistent Quality

Building a house is a major investment that requires a lot of skill and expertise. Unfortunately, not all home contractors are equal, as some may use sub-par material to cut down on costs or hire unqualified workers. On the other hand, using a home construction company with years of experience building modular homes is always a much safer option. The manufacturing process for modular home designs offers consistent quality to ensure you are more than pleased with the final results.

Enhance Safety

Safety is always a major issue on any construction site. Inclement weather can also create even more dangerous conditions for workers. However, offsite manufacturing construction is a much safer process due to the vast majority of the work being completed inside a factory. Maintaining a safe work environment will ensure everything arrives on schedule while keeping workers much safer.

Popular Option for Remote Sites

Many job sites for home construction are remote, making it more challenging to build due to the distance from supply centers. Using offsite manufacturing construction is an excellent way to overcome this issue, as the vast majority of the home is built offsite at one location. Modular design expedites the home building process for remote areas, which greatly enhances productivity, and it’s much more convenient than traditional construction.

Closing Thoughts

Modular homes offer immense benefits and continue to grow more popular each year. Working with a home construction contractor specializing in modern modular homes is an excellent choice to ensure the entire process works smoothly and everything arrives on time or ahead of schedule. You can also choose from a variety of modular home designs to help you find the perfect home of your dreams. Now is a great time to consider the many benefits of using home construction companies that offer modular homes!

If you have any questions, or want to learn more about modular home construction with Walls Up, please contact us at (863) 623-3021 or email info@wallsupusa.com for additional information.