ROMTEC vs. Prefab Buildings and Precast Concrete Buildings

Romtec designs, manufactures and installs pre-engineered buildings, including: public restrooms, restroom-shower buildings, concession and multi-use facilities, shelters and pavilions, kiosks, ticket booths and secure equipment/control buildings.

Each Romtec building can be designed for the individual project. Customers can specify building design features – hardware, fixtures, interior and exterior finishes, windows and doors – and they can choose from dozens of standard building models, too.

Romtec’s permanent structures have reinforced concrete foundations. They are designed by architects and engineers to meet building codes in every state, including ADA accessibility, health and safety, and structural requirements for seismic, wind and snow loads.

Romtec	Prefab	Precast	Comments
			Your Romtec building can be custom designed to your specifications. Choose building dimensions, roof structure and style, locations of doors and windows, interior and exterior finishes, fixtures and hardware, virtually every part of the building can be designed for you. Prefabricated buildings and precast buildings can’t offer this hands-on architectural design.
			Romtec buildings have continuous reinforced concrete foundations with footings built in place to local frost depth. The building is bonded to the foundation with steel rebar. Romtec’s permanent foundations are sized to meet local building code and are rated for Seismic Zone 4. Foundations can be insulated in buildings with radiant floor heat. Prefab buildings and precast concrete buildings are just set on a gravel bed on the ground, without a permanent foundation to frost depth and without any permanent anchoring of the building.
			Romtec restroom buildings have a 6”-thick reinforced concrete slab floor that is sealed from both ground moisture penetration and interior moisture/odor penetration. Primed floor drain traps prevent sewer gas from entering the building. Available options include: slab insulation, radiant floor heat, epoxy floor finish, decorative ceramic tile. The concrete slab floors of prefabricated restroom buildings and precast restroom buildings are not sealed from ground moisture penetration. They do not have primed floor drain traps. Slab insulation and radiant floor heat are not available options.
			Romtec concrete buildings have steel reinforced structural concrete block (CMU) walls that are fully grouted with solid concrete. The building’s walls are bonded to the foundation with grade 60 (#5) steel rebar every 32” and double rebar at corners and door openings. The typical precast concrete building has panel walls just 4” thick. A prefabricated building’s walls could be constructed of anything from 2×4 lumber to thin 4” cement blocks.
			Romtec building exteriors of split-face or smooth concrete are available in a variety of attractive shades that can be combined in various patterns. Optional exterior finishes include: stucco, cedar siding, Hardie plank composite lap siding and masonry surfaces such as native and cultured stone, brick and architectural block. You can specify exterior materials and colors to match other buildings or a specific architectural style. Romtec’s designers will assist in the design process with photo-realistic 3D CAD drawings plus materials and color samples to ensure your buildings are just right. Prefab buildings can offer only limited variety and customization. For example, the exterior wall finish of a precast concrete building is limited to the mold used in the casting process and the colors applied to the formed concrete.
			The standard interior wall finish of a Romtec concrete restroom building is a glossy epoxy finish over waterproof concrete. Optional interior finishes include: FRP (fiberglass reinforced polymer) paneling and decorative ceramic tile in unlimited styles and colors. A typical prefabricated restroom building or precast concrete restroom building is available with an epoxy finish on the walls. NOTE: Some other wall finishes, such as tile, are usually applied in the field, after the prefab or precast building is taken off the truck.
			Romtec buildings have roofs made from structural insulated panels, SIPs, for superior insulation, moisture control, structural integrity and fire resistance. SIPs are factory built panels composed of two sheets of oriented strand board (OSB) structurally laminated and pressure-cured to a rigid core of foam insulation. Romtec’s energy efficient panelized roof system ensures the building interior will be comfortable. The vaulted ceilings made possible by our roof system provide for bright and roomy interiors unmatched by any other type of roof construction. Most prefabricated buildings have truss or frame roofs made of wood or steel framing. Their fiberglass blanket insulation can compress over time, reducing its effectiveness. The roofs of most precast concrete buildings are made of concrete panels that have almost no insulation value, so the building interior can “sweat” with condensation as temperatures vary. These roofs are painted inside and out, but have no permanent moisture barriers.
			Only Romtec buildings offer a choice of roof slope, from a flat 1/12 pitch to as steep as 9/12. One example of this advantage: in mountain areas with heavy snow, Romtec customers often choose a steeper roof for additional load bearing, up to 250 lbs.-per-square-foot, and better shedding of snow and ice. Prefab structures and precast buildings offer only limited roof slope and snow load choices. To be transported by truck, these buildings must be limited in height, thus flattening the roof slope.
			Romtec buildings can have virtually any type of roofing. Metal, composition and tile roofs are popular. Customers can choose roofing color and style to match other buildings or local architectural design requirements. Some prefabricated building manufacturers offer limited roofing options. Most precast concrete buildings have the shape of the roofing formed into the concrete, but no real roofing.
			Nothing illuminates the interior of a building with natural light like a skylight. Both rectangular and tubular skylights are available in all Romtec buildings. Some prefabricated restroom buildings offer skylights as optional equipment. Precast concrete restroom buildings do not offer skylights.
			You can add shelter and shade to almost any Romtec building with a roof extension supported by a post and beam structure. Roof extensions are available from 6 feet to 24 feet and even longer, depending on your need. Posts, beams and trusses can be built of powder-coated steel in a variety of colors, dimensional lumber in smooth or rough-cut finish or hand-hewn Douglas Fir logs expertly joined by Romtec’s craftsmen. Prefab restroom buildings and precast concrete structures offer only limited roof extensions. Remember: the prefab/precast building must fit on a truck.
			Romtec has developed numerous features for customers wanting sustainable restrooms and other building designs. Some examples are ultra-low-flow plumbing fixtures, super-efficient lighting, solar electric and water heating systems, recycled and recyclable materials. Our research and development continues to spur development of green technologies. Prefabricated buildings and precast concrete restrooms offer limited “green” products and services.
			Romtec buildings are designed to the worst-case earthquake specification required by the State of California. A Zone 4 rating is for an area experiencing the most severe earthquake. Prefabricated buildings and precast concrete buildings do not meet Zone 4 seismic rating.
			Romtec restrooms and other buildings are designed to withstand the worst-case sustained winds that might be experienced in the area in which the building is located. In places like Miami, Florida, that means the building is designed for 150 mph hurricanes. Other localities require lower wind load ratings. Prefabricated restrooms and precast restrooms are not rated for up to 150 mph hurricane wind loads.
			Romtec restrooms and other buildings can be delivered virtually anywhere, without having to use a crane for unloading the truck. Even remote trailheads and campsites can have Romtec restrooms. Positioning a crane and large semi-truck and trailer can be very disruptive and destructive, requiring removal of trees, earthmoving and other expensive measures. All precast restroom buildings and all other prefabricated buildings require a large semi-truck and trailer delivering the building to the site and a large crane for unloading the truck.