The first sign that assembly of the house was imminent was the far-off sound of a semi truck winding its way down a narrow dirt road through the woods on Cape Cod. The Unity Homes crew had arrived from New Hampshire a day earlier and set mudsills on the foundation. The crane—an absolutely essential part of the assembly operation—was set up and ready. What followed over the next five days was nothing short of incredible to observe.
Crew coordination. The crew of four from Unity Homes worked together like a well-oiled machine. These guys had assembled many Unity homes together. In addition, they alternated their time on assembly crews with time in the factory, so they were able to bring valuable feedback from the field to the factory floor.
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After glulam carrying beams supported by posts tenoned into them…
After glulam carrying beams supported by posts tenoned into them are dropped into place.
The crane sets the firstfloor deck panels.
As each floor panel is set in place, the crew draws the panels t…
As each floor panel is set in place, the crew draws the panels together with specialized ratchets. The panels are then fastened to the sills from below.
Unity Homes often have a timber-frame component, and this house …
Unity Homes often have a timber-frame component, and this house was no exception. After setting the floor deck panels, the crew assembles a timber-frame bent made from glulam lumber that was cut in the factory.
Besides adding a distinctive decorative note to the home’s int…
Besides adding a distinctive decorative note to the home’s interior, the bent supports the main roof. Although cut on CNC machines, all the joints are pegged together in the traditional manner of a timber frame.
Specialized gaskets are attached to the floor panels.
Before the wall panels are dropped into place to air-seal this c…
Before the wall panels are dropped into place to air-seal this critical joint. Note that each panel is fully insulated and comes with an interior 2×3 wall for running utilities.
As each panel is set and braced, the crew attaches the gasket ma…
As each panel is set and braced, the crew attaches the gasket material to the corner of the panel where it meets the adjoining wall panel.
After raising the timber-frame bent, the crew continues to stand…
After raising the timber-frame bent, the crew continues to stand the walls around the house.
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After attaching gasket material to the top plates of the walls, …
After attaching gasket material to the top plates of the walls, the crew sets the gables.
Roof panels have an integral lip that fits into a groove on the …
Roof panels have an integral lip that fits into a groove on the top of the bent beam.
Chainfalls on the lifting straps hold the panels at the proper a…
Chainfalls on the lifting straps hold the panels at the proper angle.
After installing the intersecting roof beam …
… the crew staples gasketing to the roof in preparation for th…
… the crew staples gasketing to the roof in preparation for the next roof panels.
Even the porches are on this house are prefabricated in the fact…
Even the porches are on this house are prefabricated in the factory. Supports for the inner porch walls are part of the foundation pour to avoid the need for a ledger.
The main porch uses a timber frame to support the roof, but preb…
The main porch uses a timber frame to support the roof, but prebuilt gable panels sit on
the frame.
After installing the porch ridge beam, the crew installs the por…
After installing the porch ridge beam, the crew installs the porch roof panels.
Siga Rissan tape seals the lifting holes in the walls.
Then he Zip System tape seals the roof-panel seams.
A crew member layers the various tapes and gaskets for a crucial…
A crew member layers the various tapes and gaskets for a crucial wall–roof–deck intersection.
At the peak, backer rod fills the gap between panels …
… followed by expanding foam …
… and Zip tape.
This also also seals roof-panel holes.
Siga Wigluv tape air-seals the wall-panel intersections.
The crew’s truck is packed up and ready to return home with th…
The crew’s truck is packed up and ready to return home with the shrink-wrap material, extra lumber, food coolers, and luggage. No dumpster was needed, and no trash pile was left on site.
The parts for the house come on big flatbed trailers, shrink-wra…
The parts for the house come on big flatbed trailers, shrink-wrapped, labeled, and numbered for assembly.
Whether unstrapping a load from a trailer, rigging panels for lifting, or nestling a panel into place on the house, they worked quickly, efficiently, and methodically. Every crew member seemed to have a good idea of what was supposed to be done next.
Safety first. It would be easy for an experienced crew to get lax with safety on the jobsite. But these crew members always wore hard hats during crane operations, and their bright yellow shirts were much more for jobsite visibility than for promotion.
Fall protection equipment was used at all times while the roof panels were being set. The lifting-strap anchors on the roof panels worked perfectly as attachment points for the equipment. And the panels even came from the factory with toe boards attached.
Attention to detail. Perhaps the most impressive thing was the crew’s attention to detail when it came to air-sealing the panels. Specialized gaskets were used to seal every connection between the subfloor, walls, and roof panels. They meticulously executed every detail with a complete battery of different tapes and sealants.
