As a way to deliver quality housing faster, communities are embracing modular options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There have never been more options available in home building than there are today, and yet site-built construction remains the predominant method of building single-family homes. According to analysis from the Urban Institute, site-built (also known as stick-built) construction accounts for 97% of new single-family homes. In fact, over the last two decades, factory-built homes fell from 5% to 3% of single-family home production, peaking just before 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite this trend, factory-built homes\u2014also referred to as prefabricated, or \u201cprefab,\u201d homes\u2014offer unique opportunities to address the nation\u2019s housing supply challenges. \u201cFactory-built has the potential to not only increase supply but also solve the implied mismatch,\u201d says Michael Neal, principal research associate and equity scholar at the Urban Institute. The mismatch Neal refers to is the difference between what\u2019s being built and what area households can afford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPrefabricated houses are the best-kept secret in America,\u201d says Sheri Koones, a prolific writer on the variety and value of prefab homes. Koones regularly encounters a general lack of knowledge and prevalent misconceptions among consumers. Prefabricated homes encompass several different types of factory-built housing, including modular, panelized and pre-cut. A distinguishing factor among prefab methods is the degree of assembly before the pieces arrive on site. Panelized and pre-cut packages require more assembly, whereas modular units are nearly complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One common confusion is the difference between modular and manufactured homes. While both modular and manufactured homes are assembled in factories, they are built to two different codes. Manufactured homes, previously called \u201cmobile homes,\u201d are built on permanent metal chassis in compliance with the federal Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards, also called the HUD code, which preempts state and local codes. Modular homes are built to the same International Residential Code, or IRC, as site-built homes and must conform to state and local regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modular homes are being built and delivered across America. \u201cWe\u2019re designing houses for literally all around the country,\u201d says Geoffrey Warner, principal architect and owner of Alchemy, based in St. Paul, Minn. In Chicago, Joshua Braun, founder and CEO of Kinexx Modular Construction, observes that \u201cmodular has been very popular on the West Coast. Primarily what has been driving modular is really the cost of land and the cost of construction. I think that people are starting to realize that modular makes sense because we\u2019re experiencing labor shortages across the country.\u201d Koones shares similar data: \u201cIt\u2019s very popular in Washington, Oregon, California. A lot in New England … not so much in the South, where there is cheap labor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a surprising diversity in modular\u2019s suitability for different sites. The suburban environment is an obvious application, but builders have had success with narrow urban in-fill and large commercial developments. Modular construction offers advantages for rural and remote sites, too, including islands, and has found a niche in off-grid designer dwellings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Santa Rosa, Calif., home is essentially two boxes. A public box includes a living room, dining room, and kitchen. A private box, not shown, includes two bedrooms and two baths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modular housing\u2019s defining characteristic begins with design, Warner says. \u201cIt\u2019s box space as opposed to, say, barn space. Modular is basically saying, I\u2019m going to build all these rooms, finish everything outside and inside as much as possible and stick that on a truck\u2014a small house made either from one box or multiple boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consumer demand for prefabricated homes is hampered by stigma about quality and customization. \u201cPeople assume that because it shows up in pieces, the quality is less than\u201d a site-built home, Braun says, \u201cand that\u2019s actually completely the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost of my colleagues would agree that modular homes are actually a superior product because you\u2019re getting an engineered house,\u201d Braun adds. \u201cImagine your home. Now attach a crane to it, pick it up, shake it around, and then put the whole thing back down. That\u2019s essentially what a modular home has to endure. Every modular builder makes some semblance of a box, and the box has to move around the shop, be put onto a truck, driven down the road, and then be put onto the foundation by a crane. In order to maintain the rigidity of the box, it has to be engineered to withstand the rigors of transport. We build a two-story home, and our same material could be used to build a 15-story building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working in a factory has its advantages. Builders can control variables that could compromise and delay site-built construction. \u201cBecause we\u2019re building in a controlled environment, our material, our homes, don\u2019t see a drop of rain on the inside,\u201d Braun said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A tight building envelope is critical for energy efficiency. \u201cWhen a house is being built on-site, it\u2019s built from the outside in because it needs to be closed up,\u201d says Koones. \u201cYou have a chance that the wood could get wet, and at some point, it\u2019s going to turn and twist. That makes a place where air can infiltrate. Modular houses are built from the inside out and all of the components are kept dry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modular construction, by process and design, lends itself to greater sustainability than site-built construction, Koones says. In addition to a tight building envelope, the factory-floor environment allows for more insulation to be packed into walls, roofs, and everywhere in between. \u201cWhen you build from the inside out, you have an opportunity to put in more insulation, around all the outlets and everything,\u201d Koones said. A highly insulated home is a passive strategy to save on energy costs over a lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proponents say precision building on an assembly line also reduces waste during construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The three-bedroom Harrison Row townhomes showcase Kinexx\u2019s mission to help developers deliver affordable housing with good design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The primary benefit of factory-built construction is efficiency. \u201cYour workforce is all going to this one place every day,\u201d Warner says. \u201cYour kit is right there, and you can take advantage of industrial machinery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur goal is 90 days or less,\u201d says Braun. \u201cWe build a home in about 7 days; our homes are 10 modules each; we deliver each in typically about 6 hours. Then it typically takes us 45 to 60 days to finish it on-site.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While a custom modular home isn\u2019t necessarily cheaper than a stick-built one, the opportunities for savings multiply with volume-based building. \u201cIn our first full year of operation, we delivered 43 affordable homes in the city of Chicago,\u201d says Braun. \u201cThese are neighborhoods that desperately need housing on the South and West sides.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kinexx was tapped by Structure Development and Fain\u2019s Development to complete the Harrison Row Townhomes project on Chicago\u2019s West Side after the first seven stick-built townhomes were mired by delays and cost increases. In quick time, Kinexx delivered 28 duplexes with three to four bedrooms each at a sale price of about $245,000, compared to Chicago\u2019s median $315,000 home price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n