Architects FAQ & Information

What Does DETAILS Provide the Architect?

A relationship of teamwork and support

Opportunities and options to achieve successful projects

Designing with the module

Initiating the design process within a modular framework will greatly simplify the range of options and get the project off to a quick start with the benefit of realistic cost estimates.

A huge envelope of space. Sections can measure up to 16 feet in width by 62 feet in length by 13 feet in height. Sections can be set beside each other to create spacious open rooms (without an obstructing beam) or stacked on top of each other. The possibilities are endless.

Lots of efficient options. Most designers are pleasantly surprised at what can be accomplished architecturally with modern modular housing. Numerous technological advancements have eliminated the design limitations—allowing, for example, long overhangs, steep roof pitches, porches, dormers bays, and other articulated architectural features. In most cases these are easily constructed as part of each module or as a separate piece and put in position on the day of installation.

Thinking inside the box. The really great news is that the standard allowable widths and heights provide for very adequately scaled spaces individually, and when coupled together can create fantastic spaces. Recognizing the design parameters of the module and then working with the module as a basis for schematic design ensures that your design work will achieve the economic efficiencies your client is seeking.

Creating Opportunities

Helping your client to achieve a successful project. For the developer client, each project’s viability is subject to three considerations: the potential profit, the anticipated level of difficulty, and the projected risk involved. If any one of these factors is perceived by the developer as being out of reasonable balance on a particular project, he will lose interest and seek another opportunity elsewhere. DETAILS is able to help you create opportunities for your client and turn an unprofitable, difficult, or risky project to a viable project. Here’s how.

Project Profitability

Saving Money on Soft Costs. By taking advantage of the shorter construction cycle, the developer will save money from each of the soft costs that are a function of time. These costs include, but are not limited to, interim financing for land and construction, property taxes and course-of-construction insurance.

Saving Money on Hard Costs. Saving money on the hard construction costs is naturally an area of great interest. The modular industry is regularly recognized by outside sources – including trade magazines and case studies – for achieving savings of five percent to twenty percent and more. The primary variables to be accounted for in order to conduct a direct comparison of relative costs are: variations in local building costs, a comparable scope of work and transportation.

Variation in Local Building Costs. Construction costs are generally higher along the coast and mountain areas than in areas where the cost of living and real estate values are lower. For example, Marin or Monterey County may have construction costs that are 30% to 50% higher than Fresno or Kern County, even though the specific sites compared may be less than 100 miles from each other.

Similarly, costs tend to be higher in urban markets than in suburban or rural markets, although in remote areas, costs rise again. As a result, projects in higher priced areas will enjoy a greater savings.

Comparable Scope of Included Work and Transportation. The following items must be considered in order to execute a qualified comparison. They include;

Engineering and Plans. These are included in DETAILS’s invoice.

Foundation. A DETAILS home is set on a simple raised foundation (which could be expanded to become a basement) or in the case of a mixed use project, a podium. Foundation work is not included in DETAILS’s price.

Transportation. Costs will vary depending on how far the site is from our facility in Sacramento. The cost to transport a single module will normally average between seven and ten dollars per mile. For example, the cost to move a module (15' x 50' = 750 s.f.) to San Francisco at $9.00 per mile (85 miles) plus a loading and unloading fee of $500 will be approximately $1,260; the cost to San Diego (500 miles) would be approximately $5000; and the cost to Seattle would be approximately $7,250. Freight quotes can be easily obtained in advance of your order. This service can be coordinated by DETAILS and added to our invoice.

Installation. A qualified contractor must place the home onto the foundation and join the sections. In most cases he will coordinate a crane service and make the final connections. This is not included in DETAILS’s price.

Air Conditioning. Heating systems are normally included in our scope of work. If the heating system is forced air, the air conditioning can be pre-plumbed to a specified location from the blower. The actual setting of the condenser is provided by a separate contractor.

Reducing the Difficulty Factor

Your client, the developer, must consider each project in terms of the amount of difficulty he is likely to encounter and the amount of time the difficulties are expected to consume. These typical challenges are composed of numerous and divergent issues such as local agency approvals, projected costs, construction logistics and the likelihood of a healthy market for his homes at the time of completion. All of these issues have a common denominator, uncertainty. We are not suggesting that every project can be adapted to our process. There are some structures that must be built on-site. But we do know that under the majority of normal conditions, the off-site construction method can reduce or eliminate many of the issues that plague site-built projects.

Let’s briefly take the issues mentioned above as examples. I’m sure you can think of many others.

Local Agency Approvals. Whether it is a project that fully complies with the underlying code or a project for which the developer is seeking a variance or zone change, each planning department or other responsible agency wants to know - What is the project and what does it look like?

DETAILS has focused on a typology and style that lends itself to the kind of small in-fill neighborhoods, row housing, mixed use projects and tasteful modern designs that cities are looking for. For example, our off-the-shelf designs can be used to initiate momentum with a minimum of up-front speculation leaving the architect more time to focus on other important aspects of the project such as site planning and urban design.

Projected Costs. DETAILS can supply cost estimates within a few percent and fix costs on orders for our portion of the project. This eliminates the risk of price hikes and cost overruns during the course of construction.

Labor shortages. One of the most pressing problems facing builders is the high cost and availability of qualified labor. Recent polls and research has found that fewer and fewer young people are showing interest in the trades as a long term career path. The erosion of skilled workers seems destined to continue.

Employment at DETAILS has many advantages: excellent working conditions, a fixed location and regular hours with benefits. These conditions are unheard of within the construction industry.

In the same way that an automobile manufacturer does not hire mechanics for the assembly line, the factory constructed process utilizes skilled technicians who are experts at their work. Instead of finishes that very from one subcontractor to the next, methods that are developed by DETAILS for their superior fit and finish can be delivered with consistency.

Construction Logistics. The entire process is greatly simplified when the construction process is taking place within a spacious and well-equipped industrial facility instead of at an infill neighborhood site or dense urban site where the processes of construction are logistically restricted and a nuisance to the neighbors. Instead of months of chaos, imagine a house going from 10 percent to 80 percent complete in one day, or a 20 unit multi-story mixed use project moving from podium to top-out in eight to ten days.

Shifting Market Conditions. The demand for the developer’s offering is in a constant state of flux. The further the delivery date is from the present date the more uncertainty that exists. Six months can often make a significant difference when other projects are in the pipeline that threaten to saturate a local market or when the market at large begins to slow down.

Reducing Risk and the Cost of Standing Inventory

A common dilemma that challenges developers is finding a balance between the requirement to supply subcontractors with enough repetitive work to receive “production” pricing and the threat of building too much and having standing inventory and the financing costs associated with holding those unsold homes.
Working together with DETAILS as a team, the builder/developer is able to provide homes for his on-going sales on a short schedule without the normal losses to the economies of scale that impact site-building so dramatically.

The Technology is Available

Ask us what we can do to help set up a website for your clients’ specific project. Recent surveys show that sophisticated buyers are shopping the web long before they get down on the street. Let interested buyers or renters know that you are coming by making your presence known on the web or with a simple sign on the project site and within other appropriate marketing venues. Once directed to your project’s website, they can find information, including floor plans and elevations for the upcoming project and fill out an Interested Party Contact Form. This valuable profile information is collected and stored allowing the developer to view, download and update the information through an online interface. The information gathered will help the developer gauge interest, take reservations and make presales.