Has anybody built apartments with Modular/Manufactured units?
Property Manager · San Bernardino, CA · Member since 2014 · 473 posts · 238 votes
I am looking to develop 40+ units on approximately an acre of land in California. In the past two years, I've started to see a lot of new modular construction startups in California. I am considering using a modular construction company to build these apartments, but so far, most of them seem to be focused on ADU or luxury modular builds.
Does anybody have experience building multifamily housing? Was it more cost effective than building on-site? Do you think the future of construction is going to be modular (Built off-site)? Why or why not? Other states can pitch in as well! California has notoriously expensive costs to build.
To answer your last question, modular construction is the future of construction. The benefits of off-site fabrication are plenty: There's no inclement weather to worry about, there's more efficient sourcing and utilization of materials, less material waste in the factory, less site disturbance, less neighborhood disturbance, less soil compaction, less erosion from construction activity, better quality control, larger purchasing power, there are many more.
The modular fabrication market in the United States is disturbingly inadequate compared to what's happening across Europe and Asia with the adoption of robotics and automation in their production. We're even behind in things like building codes that lend themselves better to off-site prefabrication. Things like concealed electrical connections, mechanical waste line ventilation and foundation anchoring mechanisms that are common in those areas simply aren't allowed by the IBC. None of this is any reason not to consider modular building for your project.
I've been working in designing modular buildings for the last 15 years. My parents who founded the firm I work at have been consulting on modular projects since the late 80's. A few years ago we started developing our own projects and built a small 3-unit project. We're currently developing an 18 unit apartment building that will be prefabricated. Here's the basic gist: Your project size at 40 units is probably enough to get a manufacturer interested. Manufacturers generally want a large number of units to produce because repetition and quantity lend themselves well to the manufacturing environment. With a larger amount of mods you may realize some economies of scale where you will see a cost savings. I generally advise folks not to expect much more than a 5% swing in either direction. Where modular construction really shines is in the speed of construction which can lead to less general conditions, less financing and quicker time to market.
I did a write up of my project here if you're interested in reading about it. Good luck.
@Account Closed MY JAW HAS FULLY DROPPED. That manufactured build in San Diego that you accomplished is superb. It looks like a luxury build for a great price. The quality is amazing and I love Ocean Beach. I would love to see more people doing modular builds. For all of the reasons you stated above and the fact that it is better on the environment.
I have a few follow-up questions if you don't mind. I haven't met anybody with your level of expertise.
1. Have you found any cities in California that have adopted building codes that lend themselves better to off-site prefab?
2. Do you mind sharing some more info on where you are at with your 18 unit build? What hiccups did you have with the 3 unit that you are now fixing when building this 18 unit?
3. When your modular unit is sent out of the factory and installed on-site what is usually left over for the contractor to complete the units?
Thank you so much for your time and sharing your experience.
1. Building codes aren't typically a city thing. 35 States in the US have a modular program that dictates how prefabricated buildings are approved. One of the absolute greatest things about modular construction is that the local jurisdiction does none of the approval or inspection of anything built off-site and has no jurisdiction over any of it.
2. I'm still designing the 18 unit project. The biggest issues I had with the 3 unit project were the factory not estimating how much time it would take them to complete the project and shipping it before they were done. It just added a lot to the on-site scope that I didn't intend.
3. Mod to mod connections typically include exterior finishes at marriage lines and between stories, utility connections and foundation anchorage. On-site work that's still needed is utility hookups, trades not typically covered at the manufacturer such as ornamental metalwork, podiums, foundations or garages, prefabricated trusses at times, things like that...