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Modular Homes the Wave of the Future
Maybe you have seen a portion of a pre-built house moving — hopefully slowly — along a highway to a site that a family will one day call home. It likely was part of a modular home, which offers builders and home buyers advantages about which you should know.
For years, modular homes have been confused with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development code homes, also known as “manufactured housing.” Unlike HUD code homes, which have a permanent chassis to allow towing to the home site, modular homes usually comprise several sections assembled on the home site. And like a site-built home, modular homes must meet local code requirements.
A product of systems building, modular homes are constructed on an assembly line in a climate-controlled factory setting. Despite a lingering misperception of factory-built housing as inferior, these homes account for a growing percentage of new construction.
According to a recent study by The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industrial market research firm, the amount of factory- or systems-built housing will grow 1.2% annually through 2005.
Modular homes account for one of every 10 homes built in the Northeast, according to the NAHB’s Building Systems Council. That region ac-counted for 29% of the nation’s modular activity in 2001. The South Atlantic region was a close second with 26%, and the Great Lakes region ranked third at 24%.
The most popular states for modular construction in 2001 were North Carolina, Michigan and New York.
A good many of the homes you see today — perhaps some of your competitors’ — are modular homes. In 2001, modular homes accounted for 3% of all single-family homes constructed, the BSC says. Outside of metropolitan areas, that figure jumped to 11%.
How They’re Made
In a highly engineered manufacturing process, modular homes are built in sections called modules. Once built, the modules undergo a series of quality-control checks in the factory.After the manufacturing process is complete — typically with interior finish on the floors, walls and ceilings — trucks transport the home to its site, place the modules on a prepared foundation with a crane and join them to the foundation and each other.While critics have charged that modular homes are too boxy, that refrain is beginning to fade with growing flexibility in design and customization options. Also, the emerging trend of hybrid modular panelized construction — adding site-built garages, porches and other custom add-ons — gives modular housing a fresh face.
Fast Construction
Some factories can build modular homes in as little as one to two weeks. The home’s arrival at its site and placement on its permanent foundation can be even more astonishing. In another two to four weeks, a local builder or contractor can connect the utilities and complete the home. “It takes approximately 90 to 120 days for the entire process, from the time the customer places an order until it’s ready for the family to move in,” McLendon says.
Saving Time and Money
Modular homes usually cost less per square foot — 5% to 25% less, one manufacturer estimates — than site-built homes, thanks to shorter, more organized and more predictable construction schedules. Aside from cost savings, buyers of modular homes also benefit from the accelerated on-site assembly time. The associated advantages — reduced chance of weather damage or home-site vandalism — make modular construction a smart choice for infill development.
The Comfort Factor
Modular homes are “overbuilt” to withstand travel from the factory to the home site, so they often are sturdier and tighter than conventional homes. They also make it easier to insulate areas hard to access in a home constructed with conventional building techniques. Reduced air infiltration and more complete insulation often make modular homes more comfortable than site-built homes while lowering heating and cooling costs.Increasingly, modular construction offers builders a competitive alternative that might be worth a departure from traditional construction methods.
Contact Building Systems Network for more detailed information at www.buildingsystemsnetwork.com or call them at 770-888-2761
About the Author
Building Systems Network Awards
2003 Excellence in Marketing & Model Home
DESIGN AWARDS – Grant Smereczynsky takes home 3 First Place Awards!
The Building Systems Council presented the 2003 Excellence in Marketing & Model Home Design Awards on November 3, 2003 at the annual convention held in Hot Springs, Virginia at The Homestead.
Grant Smereczynsky, former builder with Cougar and currently CEO/Builder of the Building Systems Network, LLC accepted three first place awards for his contribution and commitment to the Systems Built industry:
Awards received:
Winner – Associate Member Web Site
Winner – NAHB Builder Member Consumer Publication Print Ad
Winner – NAHB Builder Member CD-Rom/DVD
On October 3, 2003, Grant Smereczynsky officially launched The Building Systems Network, LLC
Smereczynsky says, “As a builder, I believe the systems built home is the best built home in the industry. Period. I’m continuing to market and promote the systems built industry to the homebuyer in a clean, consistent and easy to use manner. Our tagline indicates that “construction is improved through technology” and that is the message we want to promote to site builders and to the homebuyer”.
My generator can't keep up with my air conditioner (marine), power factor cap?
I have a little honda eu2000i generator which overload-protects at 13.3 amps. I have a Polar Bay 7000btu 120v/9amp (reported) air conditioner on my sailboat. The AC works great when plugged into shore power but the generator overload-protects within 10 seconds of the compressor kicking on. I'm pretty sure this is because of the power factor. How do I add a capacitor to the 120v line to help the generator stay online? Is there a better (more modular) way to solve this?
These particular type of gennies don't have any headroom when it comes to their power ratings - the 2000 watts is the maximum output, the normal long-term output is closer to 1600 watts.
The electronics are conservative, but remember too that the output is from an inverter - not direct off the alternator. Turn off the eco-throttle.
The next size up unit may be required. This Honda model is very good - I have friends that use then in RAP systems in remote areas.
Power factor corrections are complicated, and require a lot of measured info - calculations based on the math make a lot of assumptions.
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