What It Actually Takes to Assemble: Crew, Tools and Time per Module
Updated 2026-11-01 · JIUJIAN GLOBAL technical team
A four to six person crew with a telehandler assembles a knock-down flat pack module in roughly four to eight hours; an expandable unit takes half a day with a crane or telehandler; a capsule needs a crane and a day including services connections.
Assembly time is quoted in brochures as "two hours" or "one day". Both are true under specific conditions and misleading outside them. What determines the real number is the crew, the lifting equipment, the foundation readiness and how much of the fit-out was completed in the factory.
Crew composition
| Role | Number | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Site supervisor | 1 | Sequence, lifting plan, safety and the snag list |
| Erectors / fixers | 3–4 | Panels are two-person lifts at minimum; corner posts need two people plus a spotter |
| Electrician | 1 (shared across units) | Final connections, testing, certification |
| Plumber | 1 (shared across units) | Supply and waste connections, pressure test |
| Plant operator | 1 | Telehandler or crane; can be contracted locally |
Tools that must be on site before the first panel
- Cordless impact drivers with spare batteries — the dominant tool on a flat pack build
- Torque wrench for structural bolting, with the specified torque value written down
- Laser level or rotary level, spirit levels, string line
- Telehandler with forks and a jib, or a mobile crane for capsule and expandable lifts
- Slings, spreader beam, shackles — rated, inspected, with certificates
- Sealant guns, foam, vapour-barrier tape, touch-up paint
- Access: scaffold towers or mobile platforms, not ladders, for roof work
Hours per module, realistically
| Unit type | Typical assembly | Main variable |
|---|---|---|
| Knock-down flat pack, 20ft | 4–8 hours for a 4–6 person crew | Whether the bathroom pod and kitchenette are pre-fitted |
| Folding / Z-type | 1–2 hours once positioned | Ground bearing capacity and forklift access |
| Expandable, 20–40ft | Half a day including wing deployment and sealing | Crane or telehandler availability and wind |
| Apple cabin / capsule | Half to one day including services | Foundation accuracy and crane reach |
| Two-storey block | 1.5–2× the single-storey time | Staircase, walkway and inter-module connections |
These are erection hours. Add foundation, service trenching, commissioning and the snag list. A first-time crew on a new site typically runs 30 to 50 percent over the second-time figure, which is worth planning for on the schedule rather than discovering on the invoice.
The day before assembly
- Foundation level checked within tolerance, anchor positions marked and drilled
- Access route surveyed for the delivery vehicle and the lifting plant — turning circle, overhead lines, ground bearing
- Units staged in erection order, not in delivery order
- Lifting plan briefed, with exclusion zones marked and the wind limit agreed
- Power and water available for tools and testing
Wind is a hard stop
Panel lifts and wing deployment stop at the manufacturer's wind limit — commonly around 10 m/s for large panels, lower for the glazed capsule units. A crew that ignores this loses the panel and possibly a person. Build weather days into the schedule for coastal and monsoon sites instead of arguing with them on the day.
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