I visited a modular build site in Austin and I think we're overcomplicating the quality debate

Went to check out a 4-story modular apartment project last Tuesday, like 40 units going up in 3 weeks. Everyone in the trade keeps saying modular means cheap materials and bad finishes, but I walked the units and honestly the tolerances were tighter than most stick builds I've done. The drywall seams were clean, the MEP rough-ins were laid out like a diagram. The big GC on site admitted their crew now spends more time on custom punch lists than they do on the panelized floors. My question: has anyone else been on a modular site that changed their mind, or did I just get lucky with a builder who actually cares?

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aaron19719d ago

The drywall seams and MEP rough-ins being laid out like a diagram is exactly what I saw on a modular job in Phoenix last year. I was fully expecting to hate it, walking in with that whole "cheap boxes stacked up" mindset. But the crew there told me the same thing, their punch lists were mostly for custom touches, not fixing screwups. I've been on enough stick builds where the framers are fighting the plans, and this was the opposite. Might just be that the good shops are the ones taking on modular now, but it sure changed my opinion.