Predictability may not be desirable in books or movies or sports, but when it comes to building a house, predictability is a tremendous benefit. It’s also uncommon. In fact, building a new home can be fraught with unpredictability. Schedules slip. Costs balloon. Quality suffers. And the appearance, function
Building on the 50 year heritage of our sibling company Bensonwood, Unity has developed processes and systems designed to maximize predictability, and minimize unpleasant surprises. This predictability translates into greater peace of mind and lower stress for our clients.
Predictable Processes Yield Predictable Results
A client’s journey with Unity typically starts with the design process. Unity’s design system allows for choice and predictability, because it is based on standard platforms and pre-designed components. As the home design is configured from components in our system, we are able to provide accurate estimates of the costs, because we know how the home will go together and how long it will take to build. These cost estimates help to guide refinements to the design and specifications. At the conclusion of the design process, we provide a fixed-price construction contract that defines the cost for a large portion of the project.
Unity’s off-site construction methods bring a degree of predictability to the quality and schedule that is rare when a home is built entirely on site. The 3D digital model developed during the design process feeds instructions to the computer-controlled machines in our shop. These machines cut the many parts and pieces of the home, which we then assemble into large components such as wall and roof panels.
Building the components in the controlled conditions of our shop frees us from having to worry about variables such as the weather, the season or the schedules of busy subcontractors. When we provide our clients with firm delivery dates, we can be confident of hitting them.
The assembly of our homes on site happens predictably and quickly—typically in a matter of days—because we craft the panels and structural members precisely, and our connection details are highly evolved.
Unity places a high priority on the shell of the home because the benefits our clients appreciate—comfortable temperatures, healthy indoor air, low operating costs—are determined by how the walls, roofs
With the growing interest in high performance, healthy homes, Unity has been experiencing a significant increase in demand. We are responding to this interest by expanding our team and honing our processes, but nevertheless our lead times are currently longer than we would like. These challenges are not unique to Unity; in fact, builders throughout the northeast are struggling to keep up with demand.
Project schedules depend on many factors, including the length and complexity of the design process, features of the building site, financing, and the availability of local builder partners. Unity is committed to providing our clients with the best possible information about their building schedule throughout the design-build process.
