Rough Frame Construction

In the third stage of rough frame construction, after painting and prepping, structural insulated panels (SIPs) are dropped in from above and attached to grooves set within the basic frames in order to form the home’s roof and flooring. “Typically we’ll do two types of floor, either poured concrete or engineered hardwood,” explains Jerry. Both of these are installed at the factory. For concrete, the floors will be poured at this stage in the process and smoothed at the factory. Other materials that need localized weather acclimation will be installed on the homesite. “For the walls, we use a light-gauge steel-stud system,” says Jerry. “We build all the wall panels offline on a table and pop them into place.” This station is also where the rough electrical wiring and plumbing go in. For modules that feature outer decking, the frames are prepped for deck installation. “We basically build wood sleepers on pallets offline, then screw them to the frames from underneath so you don’t see the fasteners,” he continues. “A lot of our design incorporates indoor-outdoor living, so many of our houses have as much deck as interior.”