Why Build Modular Why Modular? As a builder of modular or "system built" homes, this is the question that I hear often. As a traditional custom “site built” homebuilder for over 20 years, I find that there are many misconceptions about factory-built or “system built” housing. Many people, unfortunately, make uninformed decisions when buying or building a new home because of these misconceptions. Most importantly, modular homes are in terms of construction materials and methods, better in many ways and in no way are they inferior to a typical site built home from a local builder. It is not only necessary for Builder 1 that we meet and maintain certain expectations from existing and potential homeowners, but we must meet local, state and federal building codes. It is our goal to not only meet the requirements ... but to exceed them. It is certainly true that the quality of fixtures and amenities can vary widely. It’s true for a home that is built outdoors, and it’s true of a home built in a factory under ideal conditions. Our custom line of home has over a thousand options available ranging from 9' ceilings, high pitch roofs to whirlpool tubs and stone front fireplaces. In our research, we found a type of home that, without question, exceeds the building standards set by our governing agencies as well as exceeds any expectations of a homeowner. The quality of home we were looking for is and has been in a form of development for over 100 years. Industrialized, factory built homes are not a recent trend. Their design and development started as early as the 1800's. Since the 1890's Americans began buying industrialized housing out of mail-order catalogues as soon as they could ship the materials cross-country by railroad. And over the past 100 years technological advancement has only improved on the structural integrity of these homes. There are many reasons why system built homes are considered superior to the vast majority of stick framed homes built entirely on-site. We would like to tell you those reasons. We feel it is important that you have an understanding of the structure and manufacturing process of these homes in order to make an informed decision about the type of development you would like to see in your neighborhood. We feel that we will be able to alleviate any concerns or misconceptions you may have by describing to you the process in which these homes are built and their superior quality.   System Built Homes Are Quicker to Build... Typically a system built home is delivered to the site in eight to ten weeks and in another four to eight weeks, is ready to move in. In contrast, it is common for a homeowner to wait six to ten months for the completion of a stick built home. What Makes a System Built a Better Built Home... System Built Homes are Manufactured In A Climate Controlled Environment Better Equipment Better Materials Tighter Construction System Built Homes are Manufactured In A Climate Controlled Environment: Building in a modem system building factory means building under climate controlled conditions. The home is built in its entirety under roof and wrapped with protective weather proof material for shipping. This enables manufacturers to eliminate two problems which are inevitable to contractors building a home in its entirety on site. First, all materials including lumber, drywall, insulation, flooring and ceiling materials are stored and used only indoors protecting these materials from weather-related defects such as warping or bending, swelling, splintering, freezing and cracking, as well as preventing mold or mildew to settle and grow within the sub-structure caused by moisture saturation from exposure to outdoor elements. Secondly, a factory environment enables the manufacturers to avoid weather related delays that prolong the completion of the project and in turn prolong any inconveniences that you as an existing homeowner may experience during the on-site construction process. Better Equipment: By design, system built factories are able to use larger, more powerful and more sophisticated equipment. Because all main components are assembled with jigs, precision control is ensured. This means that every home is built exactly as it was designed, with all comers square and all walls and ceilings plumb. Quality is invariably superior to what can be done on a job-site. Parts cut with a hand saw or circular saw at a job-site cannot possibly be as precise as those cut with a $10,000 mounted/stabilized radial arm saw or $100,000 component cutter in a factory. Better Materials: Due to manufacturing techniques only the highest quality, kiln dried lumber can be used in a system built home. Because warped, swelled, badly knotted or splintered pieces would jam the precisely tuned assembly line jigs, all lumber is stored inside to prevent such damage. This means that better materials with tighter specifications go into system built homes. In contrast, lumber delivered to an on-site building location is constantly exposed to weather and subject to inevitable warping and /or splintering. As a result, the homeowner inherits problems for years to come initiated during the construction process due to the unavoidable weathering of the materials before the home is under roof. Tighter Construction: System built homes are literally built from the inside-out, ensuring tighter construction, something that cannot be duplicated on the job site. The engineered construction techniques increase the energy efficiency of these homes. For example, insulation around the electrical fixtures and caulking along the exterior sheathing seams as well as the additional bonding adhesive used on the walls, floors and ceilings helps eliminate infiltration of cold air in the winter and hot air in the summer. Another advantage to using adhesive to secure the walls, floors and ceilings is that nail pops and squeaks are less likely to occur. Quality Control Is Constant In The Factory... A quality control process provides 100% assurance that the homes have been inspected to meet or exceed the federal, state and local building codes for compliance and workmanship. Once construction begins, system built homes are subject to far more inspections than stick built homes that may undergo only five separate inspections from the start of framing to completion in its entirely. Even the most efficient contractor is limited to a 3-5 man crew which often works at several different job sites during a given week, opposed to the 150 man crew working on a system built home in a factory who always work at the same location. As well as a small crew by comparison, delays due to material back orders, no-show sub-contractors, poor weather and other unforeseen delays make it hard for even the most conscientious contractor to maintain his schedule. This is not only something that can be a serious problem for a potential homeowner, but it can also be a nuisance to the existing homeowners in the neighborhood/development. With a system built home ready to move in to between 4-8 weeks once secured on its foundation, the existing residents do not have to cope with or experience the inconveniences of conventional construction such as the unavoidable sounds of air compressors or constant running generators, hammers, pneumatic nailers, saws and loud radios. There will be less cars taking up parking and recreational space on your neighborhood streets, less of a mess on the building lots, less mud and quicker cleanup. The faster the lots are developed, the faster your neighborhood can develop into the aesthetically pleasing, very appealing and inviting environment in which existing and potential homeowners would like to be a part of, thus creating and providing the type of neighborhood/development existing and potential homeowners will appreciate. During the construction of a system built home, at each stage, from framing to finishing, there are quality control stations set up to monitor for code compliance and the quality of the workmanship. A full time, in plant especially trained/licensed quality control inspector travels from station to station with an extensive checklist of performance standards. In addition, a specially trained/licensed independent or third party inspector from the state/local inspection agency inspects every home as it moves down the line certifying that the house does meet the most stringent local, state and federal construction guidelines. Thus ensuring a system built of only the highest quality and standards. A System Built Home Is Environmentally Friendly... Floor trusses use approximately 35% less wood fiber than solid lumber Raw materials come from small diameter, fast growth trees and are extracted from renewable forests. No steel must be is used in the floor system. Its superior strength comes from the design and engineering methods used during assembly; therefore the expenditure of nonrenewable resources is avoided. Because all materials used in a system built home are stored inside and not subject to weather damage, mold or mildew, it is not necessary to treat the lumber or the insulation with chemicals. Because materials used during on-site construction must be stored outdoors, chemicals such as sulfur is added to the lumber and formaldehyde to the insulation to help preserve it and to prevent mildew A system built home is tightly sealed and extremely energy efficient System Built Homes Appreciate In Value The Same As Site-Built Homes... With all other variables being equal, primarily location, system built homes appreciates in value exactly as a site-built home. Because a system built home is placed on a permanent foundation, it becomes residential real-estate therefore appreciation and values keep pace with the economy. As with traditional site-built homes, there are no building or zoning restrictions. Thus, there is no distinction between a system built home and a site-built home as far as appraisal, financing or homeowners insurance is concerned. Banks and lending institutions treat both types of construction the same. System Built Homes Help Sustain Property Value... Although a system built home looks just like a normal house from the outside, over the years the superior quality of the home is evident. Because they are built in a modem controlled environment using only the best quality of materials, they are precision engineered for a lifetime of trouble free structural durability, a system built home is less costly to maintain. With less need to make major household repairs, the homes win not only appear well kept, it will maintain its structural integrity thus increasing the long term value of the home. Furthermore, because of the additional factory insulation and precision building techniques, a system built home is super energy efficient. These factors not only help the resale value of the home but they help to sustain the value of the home in general for years to come. Thus sustaining and contributing to the property value of the entire neighborhood. Superior Quality Is Gained Without Sacrificing Amenities... Without sacrificing any amenities such as open floor plans, steeply pitched roofs, bay windows, custom stairways, vaulted and cathedral ceilings, skylights, reversed gables, multiple gables, whirlpool tubs, hardwood kitchen and bath cabinets, Moen faucets, porches and decks, a system built home exhibits a level of superior quality construction and design inside and out. At the same time appealing to potential homeowners, a home of this quality can only positively contribute to the highest standards and expectations set forth by the type/style of home already existing in a partially established development. The distinction between factory built and on-site stick built homes is not very clear. Fewer than 12% of all new homes technically qualify as stick built. Almost every house today uses mass produced, factory built components such as pre-hung doors, double hung windows, roof trusses, floor joists, baseboard trim, sheet rock and kitchen/bath cabinets. More and more aspects of home construction are being completed in factories because the factory environment helps to organize the construction process. By using automatic assembly equipment and repetitive assembly line techniques factories assemble component parts with greater consistency in product quality whether the components are assembled to make a window or an entire house. Furthermore the use of modern technology and factory production systems is only part of the workforce behind a system-building factory. All system built homes require the hands-on effort of experienced carpenters, electricians, roofers, and plumbers who take pride in the quality of their work. Each individual is trained and licensed to do very specific tasks. They are specialists who have a high degree of skiff to carry out these designated tasks essentially using similar methods as on site construction only with better equipment, better materials and in a controlled environment to ensure a home built of superior quality. Just as there are good system built homes, better system built homes and the best system built homes, there are good, better and best on-site stick built homes. However, the best-built system built homes are not just as good as the vast majority of stick built homes, they are better built. The difference in quality and amenities is substantial. There are many advantages from the well organized quality controlled environment facilitated by the factory, to better materials, to state of the art construction technology, to the time saved during the entire construction process, to their superior finished quality. As a result of all the factors involved in the manufacturing techniques used to design and develop one of these homes, the best-built system built homes are better built homes. System built home construction has become the construction method of choice for the quality conscious real estate investor/house buyer. It has established a firm foothold throughout the United States. And in many states has become the traditional and preferred form of construction. In our research to provide only the highest quality of homes exhibiting only the highest expectations and standards in their design and development exceeding the guidelines mandated by city, state and federal agencies, and exceeding the expectations of existing and potential homeowners, we have found that our ancestors' insight to innovative home improvement provided us a means to attain superior quality in the design and construction of our homes today.