A Holistic Approach
"We use a building system," Romig continues. "It's nothing that another builder couldn't do, but it's a combination of approaches that, when taken together, create an incredibly strong structure.
"First, we start out with precast concrete walls. When the manufacturer pours the walls, the concrete is guaranteed to test a minimum 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi). In comparison, the typical foundation slab is poured using 3,000- to 3,200-psi concrete. The walls themselves have been large-projectile wind-tested to 235 mph. Basically, large 2x4s just bounce off them. At 5,000 psi, concrete is impermeable. So once that wall system goes up — even if you don't put an ounce of paint on it — you still won't get any water penetration through the walls. It eliminated the whole issue of mold build-up that we had after Charley.
"To top that incredibly strong wall system, the roof system consists of 5/8-inch plywood that is both glued and connected with ring-shank nails in the strongest pattern possible. Then the roof itself is strapped to the wall system with hurricane ties to meet the 150-mph wind-zone requirement. Since the wall system is expansion-bolted to the foundation, in the end, you wind up with a single unit."
"We do either metal roofs or 150-mph code shingles. For this particular home, we are using shingles. The metal roof typically adds between $10,000 and $15,000 to the house. Not including the pool and other unique features, this house will cost about $240,000 with the lot, septic and water. That's moderately priced for this region."
Speed = Profit
"We do take less of a profit per home than a typical builder. Building this way requires additional labor and material. Trusses, doors, garage doors, windows and hurricane shutters, hurricane straps, shingles and secondary water barriers are just some of the areas where we incur additional costs over building to code. Add to that standard features like granite counters; ceramic tile; higher grade appliances; bullnose drywall corners; and low-e, double-pane windows that are considered upgrades by most other builders, and it does impact our bottom line.
"It works for us because we build homes much quicker than a typical builder. The precast concrete walls typically go up in one day, with proper coordination with the manufacturer. The manifold PEX plumbing system goes in quickly and virtually never has any installation errors, thereby minimizing time required for plumbing. All of our subcontractors understand the emphasis we put on time and scheduling; they are very helpful in achieving our accelerated construction schedules.
"From the time we pour the slab, we tell buyers they will be in their home in 90 days, which includes a little slack time for us. In the time it takes most builders to complete one home, we can already be starting work on our fourth.
"We are very focused on not wasting any time in each project. This rapid production rate allows us to realistically plan for growth in the coming years. We built 20 homes this past year, plan on doing 50 homes next year, and approach 100 the year after that. To build strong, safe, comfortable homes at an affordable price, it takes very efficient construction methods."
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