High-Quality Prefabrication made easy
Shear Panels
Shear panels are always built on a bench or layout table. This single component must be well-made, tight fitting and square. Since each panel is 4' wide by 9' or 10' tall they are easy to construct and handle without lifts or larger equipment. Every shear panel is built the same making the prefab setup easy.
1. Top and Bottom plates and studs must be cut to exact dimensions, +/- 1/8".
2. The panel is assembled while being held perfectly square.
3. X-strapping is fastened at one end and pulled tight to the other while holding the panel square. Do not deform the panel in this step.
4. Hold-downs are installed in the field to adjust for tolerances in the anchor bolt placement.
Beams
Beams are 12' long x 11-1/2" to 12" deep x 3-1/2" wide, 5-1/2 " if building with 2x6 walls. Beams are off-the shelf tube steel, cross-laminated wood or solid wood. If you are building with light-gauge steel you can build your own box beams. These are all prefabricated and cut to length prior to shipping to the job site.
The beams carry the floor or roof loads from the center of each structural frame to the shear panels. They must be the same as the exterior wall dimensions and no more than 12" deep.
Floor Trusses
Floor trusses are just under 20' long x 11-1/2" to 12" deep, width is not a critical dimension. Choose a truss that will support your expected loads with a 20' unsupported span. They can be placed at 12", 16" or 24" on center. Off-the-shelf trusses are just fine, wood or metal.
If you choose to have an open-web truss designed your team can prefabricate them to exact dimensions and have them ready to install as soon as the foundations are done.
Exterior Wall Panels
The typical dimensions for an exterior wall panel is 12' wide x 8', 9' or 10' tall. The interior framing of a wall panel is designed with the window and door openings. These panels are easily prefabricated and transported to the job site on a truck and trailer. They can be safely handled with a small fork truck. I don't recommend installing the plywood sheeting to keep the weight down and to allow the sheeting to overlap with the shear panels when installed.
Wall panels must be built to a +/- 1/4" tolerance in each direction and kept square.
Roof Trusses
Roof trusses will be custom made as nearly any roof type is possible. All roof trusses must be made from light-gauge steel regardless of the materials used for the rest of the home. This is a fire-resistance issue. In a wild fire many homes are ignited through the roof, either from the roofing material and debris or embers blown into the attic space.
Light-gauge steel is much lighter to handle as well. Trusses are designed with a good overhang, up to 4' or more in the right locations. Trusses can be built in 1/2 sections for easier transport and installation. They are also a lighter design since they only carry the roof loads down to the structural frame directly below it. Once designed, the roof trusses can, and should, be prefabricated by your own carpenters in the shop or at the site.
Mass Production
Production for whole neighborhoods
By now we've learned that the structural frame is made up of 3 pieces with only the shear panels needing to be custom built but with every panel made the same, production and quality are very high. Exterior wall panels are sized the same but custom designed on the interior of the panel for your doors and windows.
The 3 parts of a structural frame can be prefabricated in large quantities and used in any home no matter what the final design looks like. Exterior wall panel layouts can be pre-designed and if used in a home, they are ready for immediate construction.
For the first time large developers can create entire neighborhoods where no two homes look or are sized the same and do it with a much higher quality and with efficiency. Faster, better builds, custom homes for your homebuyers.
