Prefabricated House Construction Process
The construction process of prefabricated houses mainly includes four core steps: factory-prefabricated modules, on-site foundation construction, module assembly and connection, and detail finishing and acceptance.
Factory-prefabricated modules are the fundamental part of prefabricated house construction. The building is disassembled into individual modules, which are manufactured on automated production lines in the factory, covering structural components such as ceilings, walls, floors, and water and electricity pipelines. The prefabrication accuracy of some modules controls errors in millimeters. For example, the CSCEC Hailong Intelligent Construction Industrial Park in Shenzhen, Guangdong, can deliver 20,000 to 30,000 modules annually through standardized processes, significantly improving production efficiency. Factory-based production also enables the embedding of water and electricity pipelines and the integration of interior decoration, reducing the complexity of on-site construction.
On-site foundation construction requires designing a foundation plan according to geological conditions. After leveling the foundation, a concrete cushion is poured. In some cases, after the concrete sets, sole plates are installed, fixed with expansion screws through drilling with a drill, and then prefabricated foundation piles weighing about 5 tons are hoisted to the designated positions. For example, in a rural case in South Korea, although no steel bars were used in the foundation, a white plastic sheet was laid to prevent moisture loss from the concrete, ensuring structural stability. The accuracy of foundation construction directly affects the efficiency of subsequent module assembly.
Module assembly and connection are the core of on-site operations. Prefabricated modules are transported to the designated positions using cranes and assembled and connected through pre-reserved holes. The beams and foundation piles are fixed with nuts, and the gaps are sealed with expanding foam. Some projects also use cast-in-place concrete connections to enhance the overall structural integrity. For example, a real estate project in Shanghai installed prefabricated modules with 'ID cards' (including project name, model, and production date) using tower cranes, enabling precise traceability and quality management. During assembly, the levelness and perpendicularity of the modules must be strictly calibrated to ensure building structural safety.
Detail finishing and acceptance determine the final living quality. After grouting the component gaps and applying anti-rust treatment to the nuts, doors and windows are installed, and waterproofing and thermal insulation performance are tested. For example, a public housing project in Shenzhen, Guangdong, combined factory prefabrication with on-site assembly, shortening the completion period from 2.5 - 3 years in the traditional model to 1 year and reducing on-site labor by about 50%. During the acceptance stage, the water and electricity systems, structural tightness, and decoration details must be inspected to ensure compliance with design standards and living requirements.
The prefabricated house model combines industrial production with on-site assembly, offering advantages such as a short construction period, controllable quality, and energy conservation and environmental protection. However, it has high requirements for the industrial base and needs a complete technical system, production system, and industrial cluster support.
