The Future of Building and Modular Construction with guest Audree Grubesic.
As times change, many industries face new obstacles and innovations which make the process of how we pivot and evolve new practices in business.
Automation in factories has been slowly progressing. Cars are made in factories, HVAC units, phones are made in manufacturing plants and now housing is shifting slowly to factory-driven processes. Offsite construction isn't new. It's been around for decades, but Offsite Dirt founder, Audree Grubesic has been a thought-leader in the industry now for years. Volumetric or more widely known as modular construction means the building product is 85% completely finished in the manufacturing plant, and then shipped to the property to complete the site work.
In this video podcast, "Future of Building" the conversation from Audree with Evan and Shane offers insights into the Offsite construction space, building a home, and transitioning from traditional to other forms of construction.
Audree says, "When builders construct their first house, there is a bit of excitement and fear that takes place. When we shift into this offsite construction space, the fear is real."
Dip Your Toes into New Waters
Audree shares that, for the most part, offsite construction is the same as traditional construction on the site work but, much different in the pre-construction stage. But with anything new, jumping in with a splash is often more difficult. Start dipping your toes into panelization or other forms to keep up with efficiencies and faster build times. Remember, Audree says, "progress is when you take your business into a new direction...which can be scary." By doing so you may be surprised at how well it may work for your construction company to grow, duplicate a build process, and complete projects more quickly, with cost certainty. New Processes Need Education and Awareness People are trying to find more efficiency, new forms, and new systems to build more effectively. With the price of lumber and steel at all-time highs, the push to volumetrics and offsite construction is on the rise. However, there are fewer trade bases available to bring this type of construction to cost efficiency - that's where education and preplanning are key. Educating the trades to understand the process of modular construction is needed. Take baby steps, but do step in, we are finding that Consumers are ready and interested in this form of construction. It may be time to understand a new factory-built design process.