Every builder needs to remain up to date and in the know on new products or practices that can save time and maximise profits.
One tactic used by builder and developer duo, Robert Ostojic (Xpress Wall Systems) and Scott Giannuzzi (Hardyn Property Group), is the benefit of pre-fabricated cassette flooring, manufactured by Dahlsens. It’s a move that has proven highly successful in their recent multi-unit build and illustrates how this product can help you build faster and smarter while boosting project profits.
Weighing up the decision
When the savvy duo considered pre-fab cassettes for their five, two storey units on a 700m2 corner block in Melbourne’s Oakleigh, it was a numbers game. The cost of the cassette flooring was more than the raw materials and crane hire had to be factored in. On the other hand, on-site labour would be drastically reduced. The bottom line? The cassettes came out cheaper. Furthermore, the pre-fab solution saved a considerable amount of time and reduced the potential for delays.
Slashing the install time
“Using Dahlsens’ cassettes for the first floor saw us complete the installation in a day,” explains Scott, “compared to the five days or more it would normally require. The first-floor wall frames were also delivered and loaded onto the installed cassettes the very same day. This meant that the teams were able to start installing them the following morning, ensuring the swift continuation of the build.”
Simple, no-stress scheduling
The use of prefab cassettes eliminated the hassle of scheduling the second-floor wall frames and roof trusses to suit the onsite construction of the floors. It reduced the call-up time to essentially zero plus minimised costly delays. The risk of hold-ups due to inclement weather were also substantially reduced, with installation being completed in a day (a feature that makes cassettes an ideal solution in the winter months).
Stepping up to the on-site challenges
Facing onto a busy road, the Oakleigh site had powerlines on two sides of the block and houses on the other. The cassettes were craned in under the powerlines with relative ease, while traffic controllers maintained safety on the road.
Quality assured first time, every time
Dahlsens manufactures floor cassettes using industry-leading, Pryda software, preprogramed to ensure the cassettes are configured in compliance with Australian Standards.
With the cassette floors, it is preferable that the frames are also prefabricated rather than stick-built, eliminating the need and potential delay of a site measure. It’s also important that the concrete slab and the top plates of the frames are level to ensure cassettes fit correctly.
Suitable for both ground and upper levels, prefabricated cassettes, along with wall frames and roof trusses, help to reduce the time taken to get to the all-important lock-up stage, meaning builders get paid faster and free up cash flow.
The benefits of prefabricated cassette flooring
- Save on labour and potentially the total flooring cost, compared to onsite construction
- Speed up build time–four days saved for level one floors on the Oakleigh case study
- Get to lock-up and progress payments faster
- Reduce site wastage (including damage and theft)
- Decrease manual handling risk and subsequent safety implications
- Reduce the impact and potential delays of inclement weather
- Start upper level wall frames the next day (if delivered together)