What Real Projects Are Revealing About Where Builders Are Headed
April 13, 2026
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photo- Eco-Panels
photo- Eco-Panels
There’s a growing narrative that factory-built housing might be the future. In Vermont, that conversation is getting louder as the housing shortage tightens its grip on families, workers, and entire communities. But here’s the part that gets lost in all the policy talk and media coverage—this isn’t some experimental idea
In my previous article, I introduced what I refer to as the scope gap—the difference between what the modular factory delivers and what must still be completed on site to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy. That gap is not theoretical. I’ve seen it play out on real projects over the
Developers and builders exploring modular construction often begin with a straightforward question: “What will the factory deliver? What will be my cost?” These are reasonable questions, but hardly capture all that needs to be learned. The ultimate list of questions must answer and include this: “What will still need to
Second in a series on improving the Bottom Line by 1% and more (For a list of all the articles, go to the end) Recently, a respected leader in the offsite industry made a comment on LinkedIn that should have stopped every factory owner and GM in their tracks: quality is
Most developers who tour a modular factory for the first time pay attention to the wrong things. They look at the equipment. They ask about engineering capacity. They focus on pricing and maybe even look at production schedules. All of those things matter. But after more than forty years working
First in a series on improving the Bottom Line by 1% and more (For a list of all the articles, go to the end) For many builders and developers, the idea of switching to modular construction sounds straightforward. After all, they already know how to build houses. How different could it be?
How many times a week does someone ask you, “How much per square foot?” No matter how you answer that question, it simply doesn’t matter. By the time most builders and developers begin serious conversations about offsite construction, pricing is already top of mind. What does a module cost?How does
When we were kids, most of us had toys that didn’t come with instructions—or if they did, we ignored them. We just knew how they worked. A toy truck got pushed. A ball got thrown. A set of blocks became a tower, then a pile on the floor. Instinct took
And Why the Smartest Ones Bring in Help at Stage #2—Before It’s Too Late Every failed startup eventually tells a familiar story. They say they ran out of money. They blame the market. They point to interest rates, labor shortages, supply chains, or timing. Sometimes they even blame bad luck.
It’s a strange contradiction. Walk into any robotics-driven micro-factory, watch a crane set a modular box in minutes, or see a digital model render a building before it’s even built — and you’d think construction is racing into the future. Yet, the truth is hard to deny: in a world
Every B2B offsite production GM I talk to is busy. Busy fixing yesterday’s problem. Busy calming today’s customer. Busy worrying about tomorrow’s labor, margins, and schedules. But 2026 isn’t going to reward busyness. It’s going to reward preparation. Here are five actions every offsite production GM should already be planning
Walk into almost any offsite factory and ask who’s really in charge of operations, finance, or long-term strategy, and you’ll usually get a confident answer followed by a quiet reality check. The titles are there, the responsibilities are assigned, but the experience behind them is often still developing. That’s not
Photo – Autovol
Fourth in a series on improving the Bottom Line by 1% and more (For a list of all the articles, go to the end) I’ve talked to more than a few factory owners over the years who all say the same thing in slightly different ways. Sales are steady. Backlogs look decent.
Every month in the offsite construction world, I hear about another promising new idea. Someone has developed an app that will streamline scheduling, a machine that promises faster panel production, or a digital tool that claims to simplify design coordination between factories and builders. The process almost always starts the
The View From My Windshield For years, I’ve driven past empty malls, dark office towers, and logistics buildings that look like they’re waiting for something to happen. In many cities, they sit quietly on valuable land while local leaders hold meetings about the housing shortage. It’s almost surreal. On one
Ribal Zebian
I often hear about someone—or some company—that has a new idea to improve, restart, or outright fix a problem in construction. Every time I hear that word, new, I can’t help but smile. Not because I’m cynical (well, not entirely), but because “new” has become one of the most overused
Watching my 14-year-old grandson — a Gen Alpha kid who somehow squeezes four lifetimes into one — has completely changed the way I look at the future of our industry. This is a young man who taught himself to weld in his garage, sketches plans and builds backyard structures for
Why climate-smart design is the next big shift for modular and tract builders For decades, homebuilding has followed a simple pattern: design the house, then make it comfortable by adding heating, cooling, and insulation. But today’s builders — especially in modular and prefabricated housing — are flipping that logic upside
What would really happen if you ask your entire team how they’d restart your offsite construction company from scratch — and then tell them you’re ready to do it. Picture this.You gather everyone in your offsite construction company—managers, drafters, production crews, even the guy who somehow always fixes the nail
After thirty years of walking into a modular factory, I ask myself the same question: Is this place truly a small business, or is it more like a hobby that just happens to produce a few homes? The answer isn’t always as obvious as it seems. Production volume, financial planning,
The hum of saws, the clatter of hammers, and the laughter of young voices filled the Whitbeck Construction Education Center in Gansevoort, New York this summer. What might sound like just another week in the life of a bustling construction shop was, in fact, something far more extraordinary: the Northeast
photo- Eco-Panels
There’s a growing narrative that factory-built housing might be the future. In Vermont, that conversation is getting louder as the housing shortage tightens its grip
In my previous article, I introduced what I refer to as the scope gap—the difference between what the modular factory delivers and what must still
Developers and builders exploring modular construction often begin with a straightforward question: “What will the factory deliver? What will be my cost?” These are reasonable
Second in a series on improving the Bottom Line by 1% and more (For a list of all the articles, go to the end) Recently, a
Most developers who tour a modular factory for the first time pay attention to the wrong things. They look at the equipment. They ask about
First in a series on improving the Bottom Line by 1% and more (For a list of all the articles, go to the end) For many builders
How many times a week does someone ask you, “How much per square foot?” No matter how you answer that question, it simply doesn’t matter.
When we were kids, most of us had toys that didn’t come with instructions—or if they did, we ignored them. We just knew how they
And Why the Smartest Ones Bring in Help at Stage #2—Before It’s Too Late Every failed startup eventually tells a familiar story. They say they
It’s a strange contradiction. Walk into any robotics-driven micro-factory, watch a crane set a modular box in minutes, or see a digital model render a
Every B2B offsite production GM I talk to is busy. Busy fixing yesterday’s problem. Busy calming today’s customer. Busy worrying about tomorrow’s labor, margins, and
Walk into almost any offsite factory and ask who’s really in charge of operations, finance, or long-term strategy, and you’ll usually get a confident answer
Photo – Autovol
Fourth in a series on improving the Bottom Line by 1% and more (For a list of all the articles, go to the end) I’ve talked to
Every month in the offsite construction world, I hear about another promising new idea. Someone has developed an app that will streamline scheduling, a machine
The View From My Windshield For years, I’ve driven past empty malls, dark office towers, and logistics buildings that look like they’re waiting for something
Ribal Zebian
I often hear about someone—or some company—that has a new idea to improve, restart, or outright fix a problem in construction. Every time I hear
Watching my 14-year-old grandson — a Gen Alpha kid who somehow squeezes four lifetimes into one — has completely changed the way I look at
Why climate-smart design is the next big shift for modular and tract builders For decades, homebuilding has followed a simple pattern: design the house, then
What would really happen if you ask your entire team how they’d restart your offsite construction company from scratch — and then tell them you’re
After thirty years of walking into a modular factory, I ask myself the same question: Is this place truly a small business, or is it
The hum of saws, the clatter of hammers, and the laughter of young voices filled the Whitbeck Construction Education Center in Gansevoort, New York this