WE ARE NOT ALONE; THERE'S HUF HAUS

If you listen to the news on TV, radio, the newspapers or on the Internet, you start to think that the US is the only country important enough to warrant any attention.  But when it comes to modular home and commercial construction and factories, most of our factories are behind the rest of the world.

Here is an example of how a German modular factory is marketing and selling their products throughout the world including at least one builder in the US. Huf Haus is a modular company that has the capacity to build just about anything a client or builder would need.

Take a few minutes or maybe an hour and go through their website.  You just might find some interesting things you can use.  Also, look at their homes.  Can you say "Alpine" looking?  There's even a blog dedicated to all things Huf Haus by a fellow named Bob.

 

SPOKESWOMAN RETIRES AT SIGNATURE BUILDING SYSTEMS

I know I getting older when the young woman that has adorned the opening page at Signature Homes' website retires after only 2 years on the job.  Every time I visited their site, I found myself staying a few extra moments just to hear her voice. 

But that's the way things happen on the Internet.  Here today, gone tomorrow. Think MySpace!

Over the weekend, Signature Homes has launched a completely new and exciting website that looks very nice and informative.  Visit it and leave a comment with your thoughts on their new site.

I'm just sorry I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to her or get her name before they retired her to wherever digitally created people go.

EPOCH HOMES AND MASS TEAM READY FOR SOLAR DECATHLON

This year's Solar Decathlon will feature a modular home designed by Team Massachusetts and built by Epoch Homes, a New England based modular home factory.  Modular homes have been creeping into every corner of new home construction and are even becoming a regular on Extreme Makeover, Home Edition with a custom modular log home being furnished by Blue Ridge Log Cabins featured on this year's premier of the show.

The 2011 Solar Decathlon is featured on the National Mall in Washington, DC from September 23rd to October 2nd.  I'm planning on visiting the show and checking out the Mass Team home.

Members of Team Massachusetts

CLICK HERE to visit to their blog

ECO-OFFSITE DELIVERS GOOD LOOKING MODULAR HOME

In California lives a boutique modular factory quietly building some very nice LEED homes.  Kathleen Liston, the president of ECO-Offsite, just unveiled her latest creation, a unique home in Menlo Park, CA. 

Kathleen Liston

As most of you know, I do not have a warm place in my heart for most west coast modular designers (think Michelle Kaufmann, etc), so imagine my surprise when I saw ECO-Offisite's home that would fit into any neighborhood in the US.

Enjoy the pictures and visit her website.

MODULAR GOES EXTREMELY SMALL

Here’s a great idea…buy some 40’ x 8’ storage containers and put 10 of these apartments in each one.

Tiny rooms, called "capsules", which measure just 7ft 10in long, 6ft 6in tall and 4ft wide, are now being offered on the outskirts of Beijing for as little as $30 a month.  

House prices in China's 70 major cities rose 11.7 percent year-on-year in March, the steepest gain in almost five years according to data published on Wednesday by China's National Bureau of Statistics.

The apartments, which come equipped with a bed and a desk, were opened by Huang Rixin, a 78-year-old retired engineer.

Mr Huang said his capsules were aimed what is known colloquially in China as the "ant tribe" – students and migrant workers who are crammed into dormitory rooms on the outskirts of major cities.

"I found there were six graduates living in three bunk beds in a room smaller than 10 square metres. My idea was to help these graduates live much comfortably than they do in the 'ant nest'," he said.

At the capsule apartments in the northwestern suburb of Haidian, Mr Huang's first tenant has already settled in, putting posters up on her wall and decorating her desk.  "I was not very adjusted on the first day" 25-year-old Zhang Qi said, adding that her failure to bring a thick enough blanket had given her a sleepless first night.

However Ms Zhang, who earns about $525 a month working at an advertising agency, said she was happy to be saving money after giving up her previous apartment that cost $120 a month.

"This is my own space; you can put up your own photos, feels kind of successful. People are born equal; living here does not mean the future will not be good," she added.

4th TIME THE CHARM FOR NATIONWIDE HOMES

For the fourth time in two years, Nationwide Homes has been selected to participate in ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Martinsville, VA-based Nationwide Homes will work with lead builders, The Fusion Companies of Annapolis, Maryland on the modular home project. This project will be assembled in Salisbury, MD on Maryland’s Eastern Shore between Sept. 28th and Oct. 5th.  I lived Salisbury for years and I know that getting modular homes to this area can be an adventure. 

Brothers Wes, left, and Josh Sims, co-founders along with Mike Sponseller of Annapolis-based builder The Fusion Cos.,  celebrate their firm being chosen to do renovation work for the ABC show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.”

“Nationwide is proud to support Fusion as they take on the challenge of building a high-performance, environmentally friendly modular home for a very deserving family,” said Dan Goodin, Nationwide’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We look forward to once again showing millions of Americans the precision, efficiency and green attributes of modular homes.”

Nationwide Homes was the first modular builder to be used in ABC’s Extreme Makeover program, in which a deserving person or family is provided with a new house donated by volunteers. The winner is notified and immediately sent away on vacation, while volunteers build the new house on the recipient's lot within the tight time frame of 106 hours.

GOOD NEWS FOR BLUE RIDGE LOG CABINS

I sat and watched the entire Extreme Makeover Home  Edition show on ABC last night.

Chip Smith, the President of Blue Ridge Log Cabins, was very much in the camera for his company and for the modular housing industry and that was a good thing.  Chip is an excellent spokesman for modular housing and he is always working hard to improve his homes.

Chip Smith

The sad part was that outside of 55 seconds of filming inside his factory and a shot of the first of 13 trucks delivering the modules, you would be hard pressed to know that Chip runs one of the most unique modular factories in the world. 

Blue Ridge builds modular log homes.  Not just log clad homes, but real honest to God log homes in a factory.

DOUGLAS CUTLER'S MULTIFAMILY DESIGNS LOOK GREAT

If you've never visited the Modular Architecture website of Douglas Cutler, now might be a great chance to do it.  You will see what a good Architect can do with modular construction and get an idea of how far we come as an industry.

I just learned that they have designed multifamily buildings for the White's Bay Resort in Collingwood, Canada.  What makes this project interesting is that a Canadian developer is shopping these units in the US because it will save them about 35% over having them manufactured in Canada.

Each building will have 4 units, 2,400 sq ft each featuring 3-4 bedrooms. 

The project is slated to begin later this year or early next.  A factory has not been chosen yet but you can bet that there will be plenty of competition for a factory to put their name on this beautiful project.

EXPRESS MODULAR SHOWS YOU HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEW HOME

I have been writing about the benefits of modular housing for many years, talking about how eco-friendly and energy efficient modular homes are and why you should really consider buying one.  There are many factories to choose from as well as many great modular home builders serving the area where you want to build.

Now there is another reason to build a modular home.  There is a company that I found that just might be the way for you to build your next home.  It isn’t a factory.  It isn’t a builder with an office in your town.  Rather, it’s a national company with sales professionals that work with many factories to help you find the perfect home for you and your family.  

Over the years, Express Modular has used their system to help tons of home buyers become home owners.  They have established a network of builders and factories throughout the US to provide great modular homes and save you money as well.  They are NOT a “drop and set” company that is just there to sell you a house and then leave after the modules are delivered to your foundation.

Rather, they work with home buyers from first contact to move-in to insure that even if you do a lot of your own work on the house, every step is taken together.  They even offer a free e-book to help you take the first steps.

I know, I sound like an advertisement for them but I truly think that if you would like to save money and get a great new home, they just might be the key.

I-HOUSE STILL TRYING TO FIND AN AUDIENCE

A ribbon cutting will be held Aug. 12 at 10:30 a.m. for a Clayton i-house at Green Bridge Farm, a subdivision near Rincon, GA.

The home, which is a manufactured home and being offered as a real modular home, will be one of the first places where people can see, tour and buy Clayton Home’s new i-house.   

It looks like two single wides built on a huge deck.

The i-house is a net zero energy residence, meaning the combination of energy-efficient appliances, geothermal, solar panels and the innovative time-of-use rate from Georgia Power will result in a net zero energy cost over the year. The owner of the i-house will also charge his new Chevy Volt — one of only a few in the entire state— through the home’s solar panels.

The i-house does have a lot of neat features including roof that boasts both solar panels and a rainwater collection system for use in irrigation, bamboo floors, a tankless water heater and low-E energy-efficient windows. 

To make it look more like a tree hugger’s wet dream, the home’s design includes furnishings from IKEA, optional flex room and rooftop patio.

NATIONWIDE BUILDS 35,000th HOME

Nationwide Custom Homes, Martinsville, VA is beating the bad economy, in Virginia's highest unemployment rate area.   

The company finished building its 35,000th house Wednesday.

Nationwide Homes was part of Palm Harbor Homes and was sold to Cavco's Fleetwood Homes after Palm Harbor filed bankruptcy.  CLICK HERE to read about the sale.

"We're really excited.  It's a big milestone for our company,” said Nationwide’s’ Vice President Robert McHugh.  "It's exciting, it's exciting.  Especially in the housing business, because it's taken a little bit of down turn, and actually our business is up.” 

At the plant, 140 workers crank out about one and a half modular homes per day.

This was Nationwide's first Extreme Makeover show for ABC TV

The company shows no signs of slowing down.  Nationwide Custom Homes has orders in to keep these workers busy through the end of November.

ZARRILLI HOMES OPENS SECOND RETAIL OFFICE

Zarrilli Homes, LLC in Brick, NJ recently celebrated the Grand Opening of its second office and design center in Manasquan, NJ on Route 70 West in Manasquan.

Anthony Zarrilli and family opening their newest office/design center

“When selecting a location for this new facility, our top priority was to make it convenient for the client,” said Anthony Zarrilli, founder of Zarrilli Homes.  “With an increasing number of customers from Monmouth County, it only made sense to open a second location closer to their properties due to the amount of one-on-one consulting time required to design a truly custom home.”

Not unlike their home office in Brick, the new location provides “3D Walk-throughs” that shows buyers what their homes will look like on a 42-inch flat-screen television before construction begins.

“This makes it easy for the buyers to visualize their new home and make changes early in the process to ensure customer satisfaction,” added Zarrilli.

With the increasing popularity of Modular homes for teardown-rebuild projects along the Jersey Shore, Zarrilli modular homes are particularly attractive to homeowners because they are distinctly custom designs while still offering the benefits of high-quality modular construction.

“We’re probably as custom a modular builder as you get in the business,” notes Zarrilli.  "Each of our homes is extremely complex in its design. We set ourselves worlds apart from our competition using innovation that allows for wide open floor plans not often seen in modular construction. We also offer custom kitchens, three story designs, elevators, and some forward-thinking ‘green’ features such as geothermal heating systems, solar panels and Energy Star ratings. We give the customer an alternative to the basic ‘out of the book’ designs that anyone can build, and provide more options, room for changes and attention to details.”

What has impressed me about Zarrilli Homes is their marketing.  Anthony Zarrilli understands the importance of getting his name and reputation out there during this housing downturn.  I'm sure that when things turn around for the housing industry, Anthony will be poised to reap the harvest because of all the hard work and effort he has put into making his company one the strongest modular builders in the Mid-Atlantic region.

BLU HOMES EXPANDS MANUFACTURING TO CALIFORNIA

A massive Mare Island industrial building near Vallejo, CA soon may emerge from years of dormancy with the help of Blu Homes, the MA modular home company that is a rising star in the Eco-friendly home building business.

The Building 680 on Nimitz Ave., a glassy-walled former submarine machine shop, is being eyed by a Massachusetts-based modular home manufacturer, according to officials for Mare Island's developer.  The 250,000-square-foot property underwent some $4.5 million of environmental remediation to return the building to manufacturing use. 

Building 680 in Vallejo, CA

Blu Homes is looking to expand its operations to meet a reportedly growing need for its products on the West Coast and Canada. The company, founded in 2007, has maintained a sales office in San Francisco since last year.  A Blu Homes spokeswoman did not specify how many jobs would be created with the company's arrival. 

I find it interesting that Blu Homes is coming to CA to build modular homes with designs they purchased from Michelle Kaufmann’s defunct modular home factory.  They sued MK Designs over the plans but I have never heard the outcome of the lawsuit.  If anyone knows what happened to it, please leave a comment.

"The company has been growing very fast and there would certainly be new jobs created," Dana Smith, Blu Homes'

The company advertises itself as certifiable under the environment-friendly Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard. Blu Homes aims to be "green" with foldable home components for easier shipping and setup, and energy-efficient final products.

Lennar Mare Island officials are in the process of seeking permits from city departments and commissions in order to prepare Building 680 for use by the home builder.

KEISER HOMES PRESIDENT UPSET ABOUT LACK OF FED HELP

Keiser Industries President David Cutler told Rep. Mike Michaud on Monday that the inability of people to get financing is what is hurting the manufactured home industry the most.  Keiser Industries builds modular homes in Oxford, Maine.

Keiser Industries President David Cutler told Rep. Mike Michaud on Monday that the inability of people to get financing is what is hurting the manufactured home industry the most.

“The financing is what kills the housing industry. People with good credit just can't get the loans,” Cutler told Michaud during a 45-minute tour of the plant on Route 121.

Despite a recent $2 million contract with Maine Housing Authority and the state's attempt to make Maine a better place for businesses, Cutler told the congressman that “it's the private investor we survive on and the homeowner. It's tough. We see federal programs that come through but for us they've done little.”

Cutler said that until people feel confident in the economy they will not make capital investments in homes. Instead, they will pay rent to ensure they don't invest a large amount of money only to lose it.

“They know they can stop tomorrow if they have to,” he said of people's decision to pay high monthly rents rather than risk losing their home if they lose their job.

Although the company recently landed a multimillion dollar contract in Massachusetts to build a 53-unit apartment complex, Cutler said in order for the company to continue keeping its workforce going the it must have people who are willing to buy.

BOB VILA GIVES A TOUR OF THE SIMPLEX HOMES FACTORY

SIMPLEX HOMES SHOWCASES THEIR FACTORY WITH BOB VILA

You gotta love Bob Vila.  He loves modular homes and shows it off as much as he can on his shows.  Here is one of the best examples of the advantages of modular housing I've seen in quite some time.  Bob is touring the Simplex Homes factory in Scranton, PA and you can see the quality that goes into each home as well as the recycling procedures in the plant.

DROP AND SET - BUYER BEWARE!

Joe and Betty are caught in a dilemma, they have enough money to build the house they've always dreamed about but with the recession, they are trying to conserve money.  One way they've found is to buy a modular home.

They figure they can do the rest since the "industry" has been telling the consumer that 85-90% of their home is complete in the factory.  Sounds great to them and they look around locally, they find that the authorized dealer/builder wants to turnkey the house.  After Googling for modular homes on the Internet however, they decide they are going to buy a home from a dealer that promises great prices and fast turnaround time.  Having the dealer order the house and set it on the foundation and weather sealed is called a "Drop and Set".  You are your own General Contractor!

After checking out the dealer and finding that they sell homes from several of the biggest modular manufacturers in the country, they begin the process of buying a new home from them.  Everything goes well during the preliminary stages through to signed contract.  The dealer accepts their deposit and orders the stamped home plans.  Meanwhile Joe and Betty finalize their construction loan and get bids on the foundation and excavation since the dealer is several states away. 

The house arrives after the foundation is in, the loan is complete and all building permits have been issued.  This is a great day and everything is going just like the dealer said it would.  There is a representative from the dealer on site to meet the trucks and go through each module to make sure all the "ship loose" material is there, nothing is missing and that all the options were installed.  Still everything looks great.

Joe and Betty are ready to start completing their new home.

The dealer has offered to answer any question they have about completing the home and has even given them a guide to completing and finishing the home.  But no matter how much the dealer, who is several states away, tries to help, things go wrong and Joe and Betty are on the phone a lot.
Starting with interior, the plumber came in to connect all the modules together and install the water lines and toilets.  They also changed out some of the faucets.  First problem...the DWV pipes can't be connected without cutting through some of the joists and if they leave and have to come back later after the factory sends someone to fix them, they won't be back for a month...they have other jobs!  So they call the dealer who calls the factory and FINALLY gets the OK to have the plumbers fix the pipes.  Now the plumbers drop one of the toilets and break it.  Joe and Betty call the dealer again.  This time they tell the dealer that it was broken during shipment.  Since the dealer had somebody check it when it was delivered, this issue turns into a major confrontation because the plumber said "it was like that when I opened the box". 

Then the electrician moves in and Joe and Betty want him to add more lights to some of the rooms.  While walking across the joists in the attic, his foot breaks though the ceiling and damages the sheetrock.  Again, Joe and Betty call the dealer but he tells them that they didn't hire the electrician, Joe and Betty did.  Suck it up!
After these "minor" problems, the drywaller moves in and starts doing his thing.  It's a nice day and he wants all the mud to dry overnight so he leaves the windows open slightly and you guessed it....rain!   And did I forget to tell you, the carpet was factory installed!  By the time the dry wall was finished and the trimmer and painters completed their work, more problems arose.  Add the problems from the siding crew who said there was not enough siding and you've got Joe and Betty on the phone to the dealer just about every day.  The factory is getting calls about siding, mold in the rooms, water damage from leaking water lines and much more.  Most of these items are NOT THE FACTORY'S FAULT!  They are the subcontractors fault, which normally would be handled by the modular home BUILDER, who in this case is NOT the dealer, but rather Joe and Betty!

I've seen "Drop and Set" houses turn into disasters with the homeowners never moving into the home.  Lawsuits are started against the dealer and the factory.  And every time something new happens, Joe and Betty tell everybody what shoddy workmanship the factory did. 

Modular homes are prime for this type of "dealer"  Drop and Set.  A lot of manufacturers say that they don't allow this type of home sale, but when there's a recession on and people try to save money any way they can, are the modular home companies turning a blind eye?

If you are a buyer, you should go with a local builder/dealer who actually does the work and is responsible for giving you a finished and complete home.  Remember, if you do your own home finishing, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROBLEMS CREATED BY YOUR SUBCONTRACTORS, NOT THE FACTORY OR THE DEALER!

MANUFACTURED HOUSING IS SO YESTERDAY

They average about half the cost of a regular house, yet "manufactured housing" -- called mobile homes or trailers in the 1970s -- is on the downswing amid the downturn. 

Single Wide Manufactured Home

According to MHI, a trade group representing the factory-built-housing industry, in 2003, there were 130,937 units sold; in 2010, only 50,046 units were sold. Thayer Long, president of MHI, however, said manufactured housing as a percentage of new single-family houses is up slightly from 11.7% in 2009 to 13.5% in 2010.

Andy Gallagher, executive director of West Virginia Housing Institute, blames a lack of industrywide marketing. "MHI went through a big discussion recently, but the manufacturers defeated the proposal because they believed it would drive up the prices," he said. "We need to attract political leaders, get them into the lots, help them understand that our industry is not about the old tinny mobile homes of the '70s but about spacious and affordable living." 

One problem has been that with falling prices on site-built homes, the perceived price gap is lessening. According to Mr. Long, in 2009, manufactured homes were available at $41 a square foot and site-built homes at $83 a square foot. 

Who's buying? Mr. Long said the industry has a specific market with which it is very popular.

"We have the 55-years-and-older market, the retiree market. We've also done well on the entry-level market and particularly the rural market. Then there are the millennials -- these people are coming into home-buying age [25 to 34] and are more discerning and educated consumers" who look to buy rather than rent.

Some manufacturers have targeted other demographics and seem to have bucked the trend. Joe Stegmayer, president-CEO of Cavco Industries, a Phoenix-based marketer, reported a $1.6 million profit last quarter.  Cavco, through their Fleetwood Homes division, recently purchased Palm Harbor Homes, a manufactured housing company and its real modular home division, Nationwide Homes.

"We made an effort to reduce overheads, increase market shares and have also been doing some heavy marketing," said Mr. Stegmayer. "With our advertising, we've tried to go for a number of different niches rather than universal campaigns. We're trying to address the immigrant population, the baby boomers, the echo boomers. The echo boomers are potential first-time home buyers ... we want them to know they can have a place of their own."

IS GOING GREEN A TOUGH SELL TO NEW HOME OWNERS?

Green costs more, and today's already-skittish potential home buyers are not willing to shell out more cash for a greener standard of living.

"I believe that buyers appreciate 'green' features, but they are not yet ready to pay extra for them," Bob Parris, broker/owner of Manchester Realty in the Chicago area.

There is no question that Americans are more aware of and more receptive to the green movement than ever before, but green home features are still extremely costly, and while some can, over time, lower energy costs, it's often over a long period of time, and to many, not worth the up front cash right now.

I know of several modular home factories that have Energy Star programs in place with everything from design to final home rating and everything in between but even here the new home buyer is starting to question why they need to spend thousands of dollars to save a couple of hundred a year, knowing that they might not be in the house long enough to see any rewards or savings.

There are a lot of products used in homes today that are more energy efficient right out of the box than there ever has been before and some of these are now standard features with modular home factories, like windows, doors, insulation and roofing.

Will the new home buyer embrace eco-friendly homes if the price is too high?  I doubt it.

EXTREME MAKEOVER UPDATE

I saw this article on the Fayette Observer's blog and thought I would share it with my readers.  Blue Ridge Log Cabins, the factory that provided the modular home, is really promoting it and doing a great job.

Blue Ridge Log Cabins has kindly put up an online video stream so you can watch the house be built from the comfort of home. Blue Ridge, who is based in South Carolina, specializes in log cabin modular homes, so the pieces are being brought to the Langdon Street site now. Go here to watch this architectural feat happen. Remember, this whole thing must be done by Thursday!

Brian Dukes, who has been at the site today, says the camera normally has been in the VIP tent, but it's brought out tonight so we can watch the house being put down on the foundation. Pretty nifty, huh? Let's hope that the camera stays outside. No offense, VIPs, but we want to see some action!

MICHELLE OBAMA TO ATTEND EXTREME MAKEOVER HOUSE

First lady Michelle Obama is expected to be in Fayetteville, NC, the home of Fort Bragg and Pope AFB, on Thursday to be part of the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" episode.

The ABC reality series has been in Fayetteville since last week filming the construction of a home for Barbara Marshall, a 15-year Navy veteran who is working to end homelessness among female veterans. Marshall created The Steps-N-Stages Jubilee House which provides homeless female veterans with housing and support services.  The home is a modular log home built by Blue Ridge Log Cabins.  This is a real modular log home unlike other factories that build a standard modular home and cover it with split lag siding.  It will be awesome!

Obama's visit will be closed to the media, according to a news release. The episode featuring Marshall and the First Lady will air in October.

Construction workers and volunteers have been working around the clock since July 14 to build a second-story home for Marshall and the women she helps at the Jubilee House.