Room Kitting 101: Revolutionize Your Construction Efficiency!

Welcome to this blog, where I’ll introduce you to the transformative process of room kitting—a concept I like to call the “magic art” of construction efficiency. While prefabrication often brings to mind spools, assemblies, pods, or modular construction, there’s another powerful option: pre-cutting and pre-packaging materials to streamline installation and eliminate the waste and inefficiency of traditional stick-building methods.

Room kitting has been a game-changer for me on multiple projects throughout my career as a superintendent. Today, I’m excited to share how it works and why it’s a strategy worth considering.

The Story Behind Room Kitting:

The idea of room kitting emerged for me on a $120 million research laboratory project. This high-end, complex build featured a basement, multiple adjoining buildings, and laboratory systems—all in a remote location. During a prior proposal for an emergency department expansion, my competitors pitched prefabricated pods for bathrooms and exam rooms. However, budget constraints ruled out pods, leaving me searching for a creative alternative.

Drawing from lean construction practices, we developed the concept of room kitting. The self-perform team already excelled at ordering pre-cut drywall and assembling headers. We expanded this approach by having electricians, plumbers, and other trades pre-kit components, complete with instructions, to bring directly into each room. This method drastically reduced waste and sped up installation times.

Although we lost the emergency department project, the idea was too good to leave behind. On the research lab, we embedded room kitting into the contract and collaborated with trade partners to make it a reality. The results were astonishing.

The Results of Room Kitting:

The benefits of room kitting on the research lab project were undeniable. Coordination was so precise that we had just one incident where a fixture had to be moved—a far cry from the typical chaos of “drywall Gremlins” cutting unnecessary holes. We avoided costly rework, completed the project on schedule, and delivered a polished final product.

Trade partners later took the concept even further, incorporating barcoding and advanced tracking for kits, which enabled even faster assembly. This process has since become a go-to strategy for many of the teams involved.

The Room Kitting Process:

Implementing room kitting starts with thorough planning and coordination:

1. Collaborative Discussions with Trade Partners:
   Early meetings ensured all trade partners understood and agreed to the room kitting approach.
2. Incorporating Room Kitting into Contracts:
   It’s crucial to include room kitting in contracts to ensure accurate pricing and buy-in from all stakeholders.
3. Full Building Information Modeling (BIM) Process:
   We used BIM tools to model priority walls, prefabricated spools, and other components. This ensured accurate plans for rough-ins and minimized conflicts.
4. Creating Wall Elevation Packages:
   Using the Revit model, we produced detailed wall elevation sheets for critical rooms. These sheets provided clear layouts for every wall, including fixtures, electrical points, and piping.
5. Phased Reviews with Trade Partners:
   Instead of tackling everything at once, we reviewed each floor in phases. Trade partners collaborated to identify conflicts, mark adjustments, and finalize coordinated plans without generating dozens of RFIs.
6. Finalizing Plans with Architects and End Users:
   Architects addressed outstanding questions, and end users reviewed final layouts to confirm alignment with their needs.
7. Laminating and Posting Drawings On-Site:
   Laminated coordination drawings were posted on walls at the construction site. Inspectors signed off on these drawings, which later became part of the as-built documentation.

This process required a modest investment of time and resources but paid off by reducing rework, minimizing waste, and ensuring a smoother construction timeline.

Why Room Kitting Works:

Room kitting integrates seamlessly into existing workflows. BIM modeling, trade coordination, and layout reviews are already standard practices on many projects. The added steps of creating detailed wall sheets and pre-kitted components are relatively simple but yield significant returns.

If modular construction or prefabricated pods aren’t feasible for your project, room kitting is an innovative and effective solution to improve efficiency.