The Whole-House Building System

Three months in advance of anticipated initial home settlements, a factory is built in the area planned as the final phase of the subdivision. The home assembly plant is typically sized for volume of output, recognizing that some capacity increase is achievable by added labor shifts. The plant layout consists of converging production lines, each specific to a construction process. In this process, factory production paths can operate nonsequentially — mechanical systems can be installed prior to the roof being put on, for example. Safety is enhanced because the assembly and/or workers are not subjected to the elements, weather extremes, or poorly lit work areas. Clear-span bridge cranes and hydraulic dollies perform the heavy work, while computer programs streamline material ordering, cutting, layout, and use within the facility. Continuous training and a quality assurance program result in product uniformity, and optimization of inputs. The elimination of the numerous specialized trades occupied by site construction result in a cohesive systemic approach to the durability of the product. The foundation, sidewalks, driveway, and landscaping activities at the home site can be executed concurrently with the activity in the factory. Placing the home on its foundation and completing the utility connections requires one day. Occupancy can follow immediately. Completed homes as large as 45 by 50 feet are conveyed on a custom-made, patented, running gear that includes hydraulics for platform height adjustment. Homes are elevated to foundation level and moved across steel beams that straddle the distance between the conveyance gear and the foundation. The framework of the home is then secured to the foundation. Note: the description of the Whole-House Building System is provided courtesy of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH), a government/industry partnership based in Washington, DC.