The Wausau-based company also has added truss machines, which are tied directly into a CAD system and build the trusses automatically. There's just a person there feeding in the lumber. Home sizes can range from less than 1,000 to more than 2,000 square feet and can be single-family houses or condominiums. Between 11 percent and 12 percent of homes built in the United States use at least some panelized construction, according to the National Association of Home Builders . Advantage Homes builds about 12 to 15 homes a year, and Schauder builds 25 to 30 homes a year in Rock County and an equal number in Walworth County.
Panelized homes consist of walls, tresses and floorboards that are built at a factory.
Walls have the sheeting on them, and windows can be added inside the factory. The pieces are trucked to the home site, where a standard foundation awaits. Cranes lower the pieces onto the foundation, and workers guide them into place. Roof sheathing is placed over the trusses once they're positioned. People who choose panelized homes pick out everything, from cabinets to flooring to doors, before the house is built.