The Building Process
History of Component Building
Pre-engineering and component building is what makes it possible to build a house
with efficiency and precision, and then ship it anywhere for final construction.
This is not a new concept. In fact, house components were pre-cut and shipped from
England to the American Colonies in the seventeenth century.
Today, we carry the process several steps further. In addition to pre-cutting some
components, we also preassemble sections of wall that can easily be erected on site.
We also cut and preassemble many of the important architectural elements such as
entrances, cornices, returns, rake overhangs, etc., so that there will be no chance
that these all-important elements will be misinterpreted or incorrectly applied
at the job site.
Advantages of Pre-Engineering
Although the history of pre-engineered houses is a long and successful one, some
misunderstandings still exist. One of the more common is that true custom quality
building can only be done on site. Actually, shop-built components are often of
superior quality, as the designing and pre-engineering are more highly sophisticated.
Also, shop-built components are built with more precision on better quality shop
equipment, by more highly skilled craftsmen, working in a controlled environment
that assures consistent quality. Again, this is not a new idea. Indeed most of the
detail work of yesterday’s architectural classic homes was produced in carpentry
and cabinet making shops and then brought to site for final installation. Some parts
of the building process, however, are still best done at the site. Roofing, siding,
installation of doors and windows and certain trims and mouldings are best applied
at the building location. Unlike other pre-engineering building companies, we have
over 30 years experience in general contracting in our area. This gives us a huge
advantage in knowing what works to make a seamless transition from shop components
to a completed architectural masterpiece.
Building a Connor Home
Our houses begin to take shape with the initial plan design. Once the plan goes
to production, a highly detailed set of shop drawings is produced that not only
contain the information required by our shop team, but also all of the calculation
and design modifications needed to accommodate the many reproduction details that
will take place later at the site. We also draw large-scale details depicting the
exact layout of cornices, rake soffits, entrances, etc, so that nothing is left
to chance in the field. Many of these elements are actually built in our shop. We
build stud frame wall panels sheathed with plywood, with all door and window openings
in place, and interior walls are pre-built in the shop. We cut rafters and rafter
tails to receive our special trim. These materials are then delivered to the job
site.
A local contractor then takes over to erect the shell of the house including interior
partitions, all exterior trim work, and roofing and siding installation. We also
sell our complete package to other builders or directly to the homeowner, who then
assumes the construction of the shell. At all times we have staff on hand to answer
any building questions you may encounter while erecting one of our packages. Our
plans are clear and concise, and we take pride in the fact that our shop builds
a quality product, with great precision and care.
"With such great technical support our builder said
he would build another Connor home in a heartbeat."
- Homeowner