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The world of prefab and modular homes. |
We're still catching up on news from last month. Here's a story worth covering:
Homes for Our Troops is a non-profit organization that provides homes to military personnel with severe injuries or disabilities sustained in active-duty wartime. Tidewater Modular Homes of Virginia Beach teamed up with Nationwide to provide the house for Bartlett, which will be set on its foundation in Chesapeake on Veteran’s Day Nov. 11.
Bartlett, who lives in Norfolk, came to Martinsville on Wednesday for a reception at Nationwide. He toured his future home in progress, stepping through the rooms on a $110,000 pair of prosthetic legs.
His new modular home is 1,475 sf and handicapped-accessible.
Some links:
- more details
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Tidewater Custom Modular Homes is the local builder
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Nationwide Custom Homes in Martinsville, VA is a systems-built manufacturer
- Homes For Our Troops accepts donations
(Hat tip: Charles Bevier of Building Systems on October 24, 2008)
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| http://www.rdamodularhomes.com/model.htm |
If you are considering a modular home and live near Boston, MA or Providence, RI:
- Learn What A Full Service Builder Does For You.
- Discover The Benefits Of Modular Construction.
- Understand The True Cost Of "Drop Ship" Homes.
- Permitting Process
- Tear Downs & Rebuilds
- Popularity of in-law-additions
- Free Mortgage & Financial Information.
A little more info on the company:
RDA Inc. offers full real estate, permitting, financing and construction services to handle the new home building process from concept through completion.
Interesting to note, they build only Westchester Modular Homes.
Their site offers additional information:
- homes offered
- "All In One Day" - photos of installing the modules by crane
- an overview of modular construction
- company background
(Hat tip: Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA)
Update: fixed the city in the title.
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| http://media.www.bsudailynews.com |
An interesting story from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana:
Michael Gibson recently finished a building prototype that utilizes prefabrication techniques in a way that has never been done before....
Gibson's plan included two standard prefab walls and two experimental walls he called lattice walls that were made of plywood instead of the standard dimensional lumber, which he said wastes materials. The lattice walls also used less material because of an assembly form called nesting, in which several lightweight boards nest together in a V-shaped fashion.
"The beautiful thing about the lattice walls and how they nested together was that they used less nuts and bolts," Gibson said. "They were also very lightweight, and the pressure from the roof was pretty evenly distributed, which prevented the structure from racking."
Most of the companies we track use a small number of accepted framing techniques. Some use SIPs:
Others use traditional framing (whether wood or steel):
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Rocio Romero
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Marmol Radziner
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LivingHomes
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Alchemy Architects
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Empyrean International
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Hive Modular
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Michelle Kaufmann Designs
And a few use unique metal framing systems:
Worth noting: the plywood framing system used in the BURST* model, currently on view at MoMA's Home Delivery show, used a similar plywood framing system.
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| www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_9365484 |
The Denver Post reports on a modular homeowner near Denver:
Jill Warner is having a new home built in Salida that's as green as possible without "going overboard," she said....
Warner wanted to buy a prefab home from the beginning, but her early research revealed a stiff price tag — about $320 per square foot using an out-of-state builder.
Then she dug deeper and found companies closer to home. That cut the price by more than half.
Warner found Northstar Homes, based in Loveland, Colorado. According to Hollis Hunt of Northstar:
...people incorrectly assume going green means a sizable price tag. He says homebuyers can make choices that won't break the bank.
Their site features some helpful resources, including a list of modular home myths.
Read the full article for other tips on how to build prefab and meet your budget. The article also updates readers on the MKD development in Denver that we've reported on previously.
This is a great video from New England's NECN:
A little context:
One year ago, the Lee family was unhappy with their home.... They decided to take their old house down to the ground and build a modular home on the land....The Lees ordered their modular home from a Pennsylvania company. They went modular not because of money, but because of time. The house was assembled like a puzzle - piece by piece.
Each box was about 85% complete on the inside when it was put together....
Modular was clearly the way to go.
Also featured: Sean Sweeney of Heritage Modular.
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| boston.com |
From last month's Boston Globe:
...a three-bedroom, 2-bath home built in pieces in a factory and assembled onsite in less than a day - opens to the public today...It is the latest output from PowerHouse Enterprises, a Lawrence company out to extend the conventions of "eco-friendly" to include economical as well as ecological aspects....
The full article has the details.
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| hivemodular.com |
Hive Modular invites the public to "experience the set process" of one of their B-Line homes in St. Paul, Minnesota later this week. Details below.
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| walkerart.org |
The Some Assembly Required show organized earlier this year by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, is now on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art at the Pacific Design Center in LA:
"...the exhibition features eight modern modular house projects that have recently been realized. The designs address a range of approaches to prefabrication, including off-site construction, customized sections that are assembled on-site, and kits with plans and parts from which a house can be constructed."
Ecorazzi says "...you can see scale models of prefab homes, pictures, and samples of materials. Architects Marmol Radziner Prefab, Lazor, and Alchemy Architects are showcased..."
On Blogcritics, LX.TV files a video report about the show, featuring an interview with Leo Marmol of Marmol Radziner.
