Orren Pickell Building Group, a custom luxury home builder known for innovative, beautiful designs, had the opportunity to build a home in an upscale community on the shores of Lake Michigan. With such a breathtaking location, they wanted to build a property that would complement the beauty of its surroundings. Features like a covered porch, picture windows to frame the stunning lake views, and fine finishes were just as essential as indoor comfort and energy efficiency.
Along with its unique beauty, the location also brought unique challenges. Orren Pickell knew the home would have to withstand the extreme temperatures, rain, and winds of Lake Michigan. To protect against the elements and remain energy-efficient through all seasons, they needed a weathertight design and high-performance materials.
Project: Custom luxury home on Lake Michigan
Home Living Space: 3,200 square feet
Builder/Developer: Orren Pickell Building Group
Solution Provider: CertainTeed
Solution: ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES™
The Challenge: Build Quickly without Compromise
The elements were not only a concern for the future homeowners but could also cause serious issues on the jobsite as the home was being built. Materials stored at the site and partially built structures could be compromised by exposure to wind and rain. To reduce this risk, they needed to build efficiently with minimal time on the jobsite.
Another aspect of the location made efficiency paramount to the project: the housing community had limited and strictly enforced hours for construction. Orren Pickell wanted to build quickly with as little disturbance to the community as possible.
Despite the demands and limitations of the site, Orren Pickell was determined to maintain their high standards for design. They needed a streamlined solution that they could customize to deliver a home that is both durable and beautiful.
The Solution: Factory Precision with Flexibility
Orren Pickell chose to partner with CertainTeed’s ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES™ (OPA)— a prefabricated building system that can deliver high quality homes on much shorter construction timelines. OPA offers insulated and sealed wall, floor, and roof panels factory-built to the client’s design and performance specifications. The panels come together quickly and precisely on site to achieve energy-efficient homes capable of passive house-level airtightness.
Orren Pickell decided OPA was right for the project because the solution would enable them to solve for the unique challenges of the location while meeting their high standards for quality and beauty.
An accelerated build with less time on-site.
By leveraging the efficiency of precision-built OPA panels, Orren Pickell not only streamlined construction and trade management but also minimized disturbance to the neighborhood and limited the amount of time materials would be exposed to the elements.
Made with exacting precision.
Panels are manufactured with incredible accuracy—within 1/16th of an inch—to ensure a perfect fit on-site. This reduces errors and helps to ensure speedy on-site installation. Plus, OPA uses software to optimize material usage, reducing waste and simplifying jobsite cleanup.
Lasting performance and protection.
OPA utilizes high-quality materials with proven performance. The wall, floor, and roof panels incorporate CertainTeed’s industry-leading building solutions, including insulation, vapor and weather membranes, flashing, and more. Every solution is engineered to work together as a system to increase durability and intelligently control air and moisture.
Airtight efficiency that meets—or exceeds—code.
The insulated and sealed panels feature air and vapor control layers to ensure year-round energy efficiency and meet or surpass thermal performance standards. An innovative service layer is isolated from the building envelope to preserve the weathertight construction.
Customizable design for one-of-a-kind curb appeal.
Customization is a core feature of OPA. Panels can be adapted to different specifications and support a range of American, Canadian, and European window and door brands.
The Result: Lasting Luxury, Built with Precision and Efficiency
Orren Pickell’s custom panels were precision built by CertainTeed in-factory and an experienced crew managed by CertainTeed then quickly raised the panels, minimizing on-site work and disturbance to the quiet community.
“We partnered with CertainTeed Offsite Solutions to construct a custom home, seeking enhancements in construction speed, quality control, and cost efficiency,” says Thomas Pins, president of Orren Pickell. “CertainTeed exceeded our expectations, not only delivering on these fronts, but also providing a sustainable, low-waste build with exceptional energy efficiency—surpassing code requirements—and a tightly sealed structure.”
Even with heavy rain and hurricane-level winds off Lake Michigan affecting working conditions, the panels were free of damage and assembled with ease. Careful planning, preparation, and precision enabled the crew to work efficiently to raise the 3,200 square-foot home, complete with a high-ceilinged stairwell, covered porch, and beautiful windows.
OPA enabled Orren Pickell to seize their unique opportunity and deliver a timeless, upscale, energy-efficient design faster and with fewer on-site complications. The result is a low-maintenance, high-performance home worthy of its extraordinary location.
Realizing the Potential of Panelized Construction
Since partnering with OPA, Orren Pickell is inspired by the possibilities of panelized construction and its potential to help developers meet rising demand for durable, efficient, and beautiful homes. The gorgeous lake-side dwelling offers an example of the beauty and performance that can be achieved with OPA’s adaptable system.
With OPA, Orren Pickell was able to leverage CertainTeed’s industry-leading solutions and decades of building science research to build a long-lasting dream home, down to the elegant custom finishes.
“CertainTeed Offsite Solutions helped us achieve the speed, performance, and efficiency we needed, all without sacrificing our unique design vision,” notes Pins. “Their team worked diligently from start to finish to ensure our complete satisfaction with the final result. We’re eager to collaborate with them again on future projects."