A prefab-framed project has the same cast as a conventional one: an owner, a designer, an engineer, a general contractor or builder and a set of trades. What changes is that a new link appears in the chain. Panels are manufactured by one party and installed by another, and responsibility for each step has to be explicit. This article lays out how it typically divides, and why it is worth writing down.
The Builder or General Contractor's Role
The builder holds the contract with the owner and is responsible for the project as a whole. On a prefab-framed build that typically includes:
- ✓Permits, inspections and coordination with the building department
- ✓The master schedule, including foundation, framing, dry-in and following trades
- ✓Hiring and coordinating the trades, including the panel supplier and the crane
- ✓Making sure drawings and revisions are controlled and distributed
- ✓Site safety, access and the conditions panels will arrive into
- ✓Final decisions on changes, and keeping the owner informed
The Designer and Engineer
The designer produces the architectural drawings and the engineer produces the structural drawings that the panel layout is built from. They answer questions about intent, approve changes that affect the structure, and review anything that departs from the drawings. A panel shop builds to their drawings; it does not redesign the structure.
The Panel Shop and the Framers
A panel shop takes responsibility for the scope in its contract. Depending on that scope it can include layout and shop drawings, fabricating panels, delivery, and in some cases setting and bracing them. A framing crew installs floors, roofs and panels to the structural drawings. Each works to the drawings and schedule provided, raises questions and conflicts, and reports status to the builder. Neither holds the permit or sets the master schedule.
Where Panels Add a Handoff
| Step | Typical owner of the step |
|---|---|
| Supplying approved drawings and revisions | Builder and design team |
| Panel layout and shop drawings | Panel shop, approved by the builder |
| Fabrication | Panel shop |
| Foundation and floor deck accuracy | Foundation and floor framing contractors, verified by the builder |
| Transport and delivery | As agreed in contract: shop or carrier |
| Crane and site access | Builder, unless the contract assigns it |
| Setting and bracing panels | Framing crew, as contracted |
| Air sealing, wrap and later envelope trades | As contracted by the builder |
This table is a starting point, not a contract. The assignments differ from project to project and the contract documents decide them. The value is in having the conversation, because the failures happen where nobody thought a step belonged to them.
Plan In, Panels Out
Some builders have their own crew and want a supplier for the panels. That is the plan-in, panels-out model: the builder supplies drawings, the shop supplies a layout and fabricated panels, and the builder's crew installs. In this model the builder is the one who verifies the foundation, books the crane and manages the installation. See how to order prefab wall panels for the steps, or go straight to the order page.
Questions to Settle in Writing
- ✓Who approves the panel layout, and what does approval cover?
- ✓Who verifies foundation dimensions before delivery?
- ✓Who books and pays for the crane, and who decides to stand down for weather?
- ✓Who is responsible for temporary bracing, and until when?
- ✓What happens if a design change arrives after fabrication begins?
- ✓Who coordinates with the engineer and the building inspector on framing questions?
You can read more about our framing and panel scope on the framing and prefab wall systems pages, and about the hiring side in our guide to choosing a framing contractor.
Why Written Scope Beats Goodwill
Good working relationships between a builder and a framing crew paper over a lot of ambiguity, until a schedule slips or a drawing changes. Prefab adds more places for that to happen, because a revision that arrives after fabrication starts has a cost that a revision during site framing does not. Writing down who approves layouts, who owns the dimensions, and how changes are priced and communicated protects everyone, including the owner. It also makes it easier to compare suppliers on equal terms, because you are asking each of them the same questions.
If you are new to panelized framing, start with a single building or a repeatable part of one, learn how the handoffs feel on your own sites, and then expand if it suits you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OG Prefab a general contractor?
No. OG Prefab is a prefab wall panel, framing and foundation company. We serve builders, developers and homeowners directly.
If I order panels from you, do you take over my project?
No. On a panel order you remain the builder or general contractor and we supply panels from your plans.
Who is responsible for a panel that does not fit the foundation?
It depends on your contracts and on whether the shop built to the drawing. Agree the controlling dimensions and the checking responsibilities before work starts.
Can one company handle both foundation and framing?
It can, if the contract is written that way. OG Prefab does foundation work, framing and prefab panels, and the scope for a given project is agreed in writing.
Do I need a framing crew if I order panels?
Not necessarily. If your own crew can install them, you can order panels only. If you would like help with installation, ask us what is available for your project.
Not sure which arrangement fits your project? Tell us about it and we will talk through options.
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