Ryan Homes Framing - Good To Know, and Some Perspective.

I am the type of person that loves to know how things work and how things are put together.  I also like to share that information. Some people criticize Ryan Homes for being is a cookie cutter builder. That is absolutely correct.  That is what Ryan Homes does, that is their business model.  There are plenty of builders who will custom design a home for you, draw up the blueprints and work with you on every aspect of design and function.  If that is what you want, then Ryan Homes is not for you.  Period.  If you want a new home, and don't mind that in your neighborhood that there are about 4 or 5 different designs and the land is already purchased, then Ryan Homes might be for you.  But understand, there is a myriad of communities that exist today that has been built by builders who came into that community with the same premise.  But for some reason, Ryan Homes seems to take the biggest criticism.

Think of it this way.  The car you are driving.  How many other drivers are driving the same exact car as you are?  Did you go to the dealership with your own body design, your features, engine type?  Let that sink in for one second.  Now, Ryan Homes is using almost the same business model as the auto industry.  Here is a model.  Here are the different options.  The more options you want the more you will pay.  It's a pretty standard practice and it is what it has been for decades and decades.  

I think it is "Good to Know" how RH constructs their homes.  For most builders, they order lumber and have it shipped to the lot.  Framers grab each 2x4, piece by piece, and begin framing the house based on the blueprints.  The difference with RH is they construct and do much of the framing off-site in a controlled environment.  Your "cookie cutter" house is being built by men and women who use modern day technology to precisely cut and assemble the components of your home.  Those components are then shipped to the site.  A friend of mine, who built in the same allotment said, "You can't tell me that there is an advantage to building a house piece by piece onsite verses doing all that work in a controlled environment".  And he is right.

Each Milan, Venice, Florence, Ravenna, model has a specific amount of wood required to build it.  The off-site framers know the exact measurements and tolerances required for each section of frame.  What does this mean?  This means that when your home is at the point of framing, it will go up much faster (or should) than a house where they are building the walls piece by piece.

Here are a couple of videos from Ryan Homes showing their process.  

Framing & Weekly PM Call

I had our weekly PM call this past week.  So far we are on track.  Framing has begun, but the cold and snow in Ohio has slowed down the framers just a bit.  PM said that we are still on schedule as there is always room to make up time.  Also, the weather in Northeast Ohio is warming up a bit for this week.  The PM said that we should be under roof by Wednesday!  My wife was home over the weekend but flew home yesterday and drove by the lot.  It was dark by the time she got to the lot, but she did send me a pic.

As you can see, not a whole lot of progress.  But if you saw my previous posts, they deliver a lot of wood and I don't know if the wood is bundled in order of the framing process, or if the framers have to pillage through the wood to find the pre-assembled parts they need.