Is It Good to Use Prefabricated Panels for Housing?

There are certain drawbacks to using prefabricated panels for housing, and whether to use them should be determined based on the actual situation.

Advantages:

• Low cost: Prefabricated panels are about 100 yuan cheaper per square meter than cast-in-place floor slabs. For home builders with limited budgets, this can save a certain amount of construction costs. If the requirements for other properties of the house are not particularly high and the economic situation is limited, choosing prefabricated panels can reduce the total investment in house construction.
• Fast construction speed: Before 20 years ago, prefabricated cement panels were commonly used for roof covering in rural self-built houses, and they could be hoisted and installed in one day or half a day. The fast construction speed can shorten the house construction cycle, allowing the house to be put into use more quickly and reducing the consumption of labor and materials during the construction period.

Disadvantages:

• Prominent waterproofing issues: There is a high probability of rain leakage during waterproofing work. Among rural houses using prefabricated panels as roofs, 8 out of 10 experience rain leakage. The waterproofing industry cannot guarantee 100% leak-proofness. Moreover, there are gaps between prefabricated panels, and the possibility of cracking and water leakage is relatively high. This will bring a lot of inconvenience to the occupants, requiring frequent waterproofing repairs and increasing the later maintenance costs.
• Poor seismic performance: The seismic coefficient is low, and they cannot be used in earthquake-prone areas as they are prone to collapse. During an earthquake, the structural stability of houses with prefabricated panels is poor, and they cannot effectively resist the seismic forces, posing a serious threat to the life safety of the occupants.
• Poor thermal insulation: The thermal insulation is poor. The indoor temperature is high in summer and low in winter. Generally, secondary roofing material covering is required on the floor slabs to make up for it. This not only increases the cost and construction complexity of house construction but also the effect of the secondary covering may not be satisfactory, and it cannot completely solve the thermal insulation problem.
• Poor overall integrity: The two ends of the prefabricated panels are placed on the walls. Even with ring beams and anchoring, the overall integrity is still poor. This will affect the structural safety and durability of the house. When subjected to external forces or after long-term use, structural damage and other problems are prone to occur.