Panelized construction, answered

Panelized construction is conventional wood framing built in a factory. MBS cuts wall panels and floor cassettes on CNC equipment in St. Louis, closes them with insulation, windows, doors, cladding and MEP rough-in, ships them flat on standard trucks and sets them on your foundation. The finished building is stick-built, not a modular box or a manufactured home.

No. Modular builders ship finished 3D boxes. MBS ships flat wall panels and floor cassettes that form a conventional wood-framed building on site. There is no chassis, no HUD-code unit and no volumetric box, and no wide-load transport.

No, though many people use the words the same way. Manufactured homes are built to the federal HUD Code, traditionally on a permanent steel chassis used to move them. Modular and panelized buildings are built to the state and local building codes that govern site-built construction, and they sit on permanent foundations. MBS builds panelized: no chassis, no HUD-code unit, no volumetric box.

Any wood-framed project from one to six stories: single-family homes from 1,200 ft², townhomes and rowhomes, ADUs and carriage houses, multifamily and mixed-use, affordable housing, and temporary or disaster-relief buildings.

No. Every project is modeled in BIM and cut to your drawings, so there is no fixed catalog or box size. Bring your plans, start from an MBS catalog design, or have our in-house architectural designer work from a survey and lot dimensions.

Yes. The MBS Standard Wall is our baseline, not a limit. We build to client specifications based on your project's needs, the quality of materials you want and your build requirements, including builder-grade options. We engineer and price your spec, and the final materials and assemblies are set in your written quote and approved drawings.

Up to 30% lower project cost. Savings come from factory efficiency, CNC material planning, fewer weather delays and less site waste. Your fixed factory price is prepared from permit-ready drawings and is valid for 30 days.

MBS delivers a 50% quicker construction schedule. Panels are manufactured while your foundation goes in, then arrive closed, so the building is weather-tight in days, not weeks. Your production slot, delivery date and install sequence are confirmed at contract.

Freight within the 1,000-mile service area is included in your estimate. Cost depends on the project, the truck count and the distance. Send the site address with your plans.

Yes. The factory panel price is fixed from contract through delivery, regardless of movements in material or labor costs. The scope is set out in your quote.

Yes. MBS builds to the adopted code of your jurisdiction. In Missouri our panels are inspected as conventional wood framing. In St. Louis the City inspects them in our factory and again on site, and drywall stays off at panel edges, tops and bottoms so inspectors can see every connection. Some states, Illinois among them, run their own factory-built programs with plan approval, third-party plant inspection and a state seal. We confirm the pathway for your state before scheduling.

No. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide (B2-3-02) says panelized housing "is not considered manufactured housing" and receives "the same treatment as site-built housing." The home must conform to local building codes and sit on a permanent foundation. MBS panels form a conventional wood-framed building with no chassis or HUD-code unit. Use the word panelized with your lender and appraiser, and ask your construction lender early how it funds factory-built components.

The MBS Standard Wall is a seven-layer, R-23 above-grade assembly with 2×6 framing, mineral wool insulation and Rothoblaas air and vapor control. Published targets: air leakage under 0.25 ACH50, STC 50+ with 5/8 in. gypsum and a one-hour fire rating with Type X gypsum. An MBS home achieved HERS 42. That is a project result, not a rating for every design.

Homeowner's insurance after completion is a standard policy, the same as for a site-built home. During construction, our contract language covers panels at the factory and in transit, and we walk your insurance agent through builder's risk.

Yes. Keep your crew and have them set our panels. MBS can coordinate installation with your GC, and an installer training program is in development.

You choose framing only (subcomponents and open framed walls for your framer), sheathed panels, standard closed panels or turnkey. Unless your agreement is turnkey, the owner or GC provides foundations, site work, utilities and interior finishes.

MBS follows the new-home warranty guidelines of the delivery state. Ask for the written warranty with your estimate so coverage and responsibilities are clear.

Any conventional foundation your engineer specifies: slab on grade, crawl space or full basement. Your GC pours it while the panels are in production. We size the panels from the survey and the permit set, and the foundation is finished and inspected before the delivery date is locked.

Within 1,000 miles of St. Louis, across the Midwest, Mid-South and Plains, on standard flatbed and step-deck trucks.

Yes. Tours run Monday through Friday at 921 N 20th Street in St. Louis. Plan on 60 minutes: about 30 on the floor and 30 for discussion. Bring your construction manager or board members.