Potential customers often ask us, “What scopes of work are completed in your manufacturing plant verses onsite?”   The answer is not always easy.  The final decision is usually based on what maximizes quality while providing the best price and value to the customer.  Ramtech has two different approaches to permanent modular construction.   For some projects, a traditional modular approach is taken which allows more work to be completed in the plant.  Using a traditional modular approach, a wood or steel floor system is fabricated as part of each six-sided modular building section, then after shipping the modular sections to the site they are usually erected onto a pier and beam type concrete foundation.   For large projects, Ramtech usually recommends that its proprietary Accelerated Building System (ABS) be considered.  The ABS modular sections have wall and roof systems that are fabricated and assembled into a five-sided modular section with no floor in Ramtech’s manufacturing plant.  Each modular section includes the electrical, plumbing and HVAC in the scopes of work, while a traditional concrete slab foundation that is constructed onsite becomes the floor system for the modular building. The sections are then typically crane set and welded onto steel imbed plates installed in the concrete foundation.  The advantages of the ABS process include: the final building is at grade level; building has a concrete floor; and most of the final finishes including the flooring, walls, and ceiling are completed onsite.   While the ABS system can be more expensive than traditional modular construction, it is less expensive, faster, and is superior in quality to site constructed buildings.

Ramtech builds most of its permanent modular buildings over 10,000 square feet using the Accelerated Building System while projects under 5,000 square feet are usually built with traditional modular construction methods.  For projects between 5 to 10 thousand square feet, the decision is usually based on the project’s location as well as the customer’s desired architectural features, finishes, and time frame.  Prior to developing a proposal, Ramtech will ask the customer if they have established a budget for the project.   If they have, then Ramtech will provide the customer with a detailed proposal including a floor-plan, color rendering, and pricing that best fits their budget and desires.  If the customer cannot provide us with a budget, then Ramtech will often provide pricing for both a traditional permanent modular construction approach as well as our ABS method.   This gives the owner two great options, both with the goal of meeting their quality, cost, and schedule requirements.

More information about our approach to permanent modular construction can be seen on our website at permanentmodular.com.

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Gary White is Vice President of Sales & Estimating at Ramtech Building Systems, Inc.  He has been in the commercial modular industry for 33 years and is responsible for the management of all sales and estimating efforts across each of Ramtech’s key market segments: Education, Government, Medical, and Commercial.