It doesn’t. The only difference is that when you use traditional building methods, the envelope of the house - floor, walls and roof - are constructed on site.

Using panelized methods, the building envelope is constructed in a controlled environment. The construction crew is not affected by weather, lack of materials at hand, or the other obstacles that arise whenever one is building a house on site.

When a house is built on site, workers construct one panel of the house at a time, e.g. a section of a floor or wall, and add each new panel to those already in place. Door and window openings are ‘roughed in’ and the windows and doors are installed after the framing is complete

The method we use is to have the panels built with windows and exterior doors installed under controlled conditions in a production facility just as most roof trusses are. The panels are brought to the site on a flatbed truck and assembled by our skilled framing crew with the assistance of a crane. This process allows us to construct your home more efficiently in a much faster time frame with high quality materials and with reduced labor costs at the home site.

                
      Panelized house 30 work days                        Stick-built house 90 days after
           after construction started                           construction started. Still not
                                                                                 enclosed due to delivery and
                                                                                    weather problems

Panelized construction also reduces waste and the cost of removing it. Click on noted architect Sarah Susanka’s webpage about the efficiency of panelized housing:
http://www.notsobighouse.com/panelization.asp

Once the house is enclosed, it is finished in the same manner as traditional construction: electric, plumbing and HVAC rough-in, insulation, dry wall, paint, trim, cabinets and other built-ins, and electric, plumbing, and HVAC completion. This type of construction provides you with total design flexibility. We can build any home design - stock, custom, or your own - or you can take a stock plan and modify it. We can build an 1800 sq.ft. bungalow, a 3500 sq. ft. cape cod, a 4500 sq. ft. contemporary, or a 6000 sq. ft. mansion.

If you need some architectural assistance modifying a stock plan, we work with architects who will consult with you and make modifications at a reasonable hourly rate. Whatever style or size house you want, it will be constructed to the highest standards.

Click on the photo to see the sequence of steps followed in building a panelized house.