“We’ve been visiting, trying to get into the wood modular space for a while,” Wise said. “We began a relationship with this developer two or three years ago really, and we’ve just been working our way into this space. He had this site in Greenville, and it worked out for both parties, so here we are.”
The company has already launched site development for a 190-apartment wooden complex constructed at 561 Wofford St. in Spartanburg from prefabricated jigs crafted in BMarko’s Georgia facility. The 325 roughly 1,000-square-foot modules used for the project will be assembled and finished at a “pop-up” warehouse on 3309 Laurens Road in Greenville before on-site installation.
BMarko will mud, paint and insulate all modules at the warehouse, located near the ongoing project.
“Once you get it out on site, all you have to do is do the exterior siding, and connect the plumbing and electrical, and then they’re ready to occupy,” Silewicz said. The product can be delivered as far as 500 to 1,000 miles, but the closer the plant, the cheaper it is to deliver. Better production lead time from indoor construction also shrinks the price tag for developers.
“We don’t have rain days or anything like that, so we’re able to build seven days a week if we wanted to,” he said. “And the other advantage is, while we’re building inside the factory, the site is getting the foundation right, so that the minute that the foundation is ready, if everyone’s in sync, we can start delivering modules. ... You’re saving months and months on a project.”
The company’s warehouse team has hit the ground running and is now seeking experienced and novice construction teams to fill an expected 80 positions, according to a news release, especially carpenters, drywall hangers, electricians, plumbers, flooring and cabinet installers, painters, caulkers and other laborers in preparation for the project’s slated October completion.
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