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| Genesis® Overview |
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THE SUNDAY SUN
August 23rd, 1998Genesis Steel Frames get on top of the pops
Fast, Efficient Construction: An Idea whose time has come
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By: PATRICK TIVY
He's the head of construction management at KML in Cambridge, Ont. where the Genesis steel-framing system is manufactured. It's part of his job to make nail pops - and a whole lot of other things that annoy new home owners -obsolete.
That's why he loves the story about the woman in Mississauga who didn't know what a nail pop was. "She lives in the first Genesis steel home that we did," Fogolin says. "It's five years old now. We went back there earlier this year, and asked her if she'd had any problems with the house - for example, with nail pops or shrinkage cracks - and she didn't know what a nail pop was.
"So she called her neighbor and went into their place to see what nail pops look like. "She had to go look because she didn't know! Her house didn't have any nail pops because there was no shrinkage of the material.
"That's the best advertisement for Genesis I know," he says.
For many new home buyers, nail pops are an irritating fact of life. They're little dimples in plasterboard walls caused by shifting nails and screws. Nail pops appear as wooden stud walls dry out and settle into place. Usually, these small flaws are quickly fixed as part of the home builder's after-sales service - but nail pops are not a problem for the increasing number of buyers who live in homes built with the Genesis steel-frame construction system. The Genesis system is designed to make it easier to build better homes - and do it more efficiently and economically.
"I believe it's the wave of the future," says Fogolin. "It's an idea whose time has come."
Intensive program
After their prototype project in Mississauga five years ago, the Genesis crew launched into an intensive five-year program using leading-edge computer technology to work out ways to streamline the engineering and manufacturing process.
They were all veterans of the new homes industry and knew the advantages of steel-frame construction. Steel has strength and fire resistance. Unlike wood, steel won't warp or shrink or rot - and galvanized steel won't rust.
Steel has been used for years in commercial buildings and in luxury homes. The Genesis crew wanted to make it available to the average home buyer.
Fogolin joined the team three years ago. His first job was.to build a state-of-the-art factory in Cambridge.
The Genesis system was refined through a lengthy process of trial and error. They even built complete model homes in the factory. The result is an assembly line that works as efficiently as an automobile assembly plant.
The engineering department plots out every detail on sophisticated computers beforehand. In effect, they "build" the home in the computer. Modifications are made to suit the needs of the home buyer and the builder. Then precise specifications are sent out to the suppliers. The building materials meet, or exceed, building code requirements. All the steel components are galvanized so there's no risk of rust or rot. Everything is designed to fit snugly - that way there's very little material wasted at the factory or at the home site.
Steel studs and most other parts arrive at the factory ready for assembly. Sturdy tongue-and-groove insulation boards are mounted on the steel frame for the exterior walls. Then, the completed panels are loaded onto trucks and taken to the building site.
A Genesis crew sets up the panels an entire wall at a time, so the time spent is less than conventional methods.
The work goes fast. For example, the openings for the doors and windows are cut precisely, so the installer doesn't have to waste time making the door frame fit with shims. Clear channels are left in the walls for pipes and wires, making it easier for the plumber and the electrician.
In the end, the completed home will have floors that are more level, walls and ceilings that are straighter, and insulation that is warmer than homes built with conventional construction methods.
Even the basement is better. The Genesis system uses steel support beams, so there is no need for basement posts and pillars that might interfere with future finishing plans.
Today, four major home companies - Aspen Ridge, Daniels, Remington and Urbancorp - are building homes with Genesis panels. So far, more than 100 homes in the GTA have been built with the Genesis steel-frame system, says Fogolin, but he expects they'll ship another 400 by Christmas.
"We were walking," he says. "Now we're starting to jog."
Soon, the Genesis factory may start running full-tilt.
Eventually, the plant could be making panels for as many as 5,000 or 6,000 homes a year - and not' a single one will have a nail pop.
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