I went on a tour last week of the Deltec Homes factory, where they put together their prefabricated home systems. It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot.
One of the first questions asked by a participant in the tour was if these were considered modular homes, since they were prefabricated. The answer was no. The difference, our tour guide said, was that they put up walls with the outside completed, in other words in a closed in state, but that the inside was completely unfinished. In modular homes they arrive with the plumbing, electrical and other mechanical innards already completed, as well as the finished floors and walls, ceilings and even appliances. Deltec allows the the owner and their contractor to complete the inside as they like. There are local inspections per state rules. So they are considered stick built.
It was fascinating to see how all of the components were made. The homes are circular, or rather octagon shaped. Each flat wall is completely built with windows, wrap, and the finished siding. The flooring systems and ceiling rafters are put together there as well. We watched as wood was cut to specs, pieces were placed to make the flooring and roofing systems and walls.
The lumber they get is a very expensive top quality yellow pine, very different from the standard pine you see in the big box stores. It has very tight grain as well, making it much harder than even red fir. I was amazed at how much harder and heavier the pieces were than the standard lumber.
The lobby was filled with images of finished homes and they were so stunning. I love the open concept and the extra mile they go for being very green and energy efficient for an end result. And did I mention that they have one of the largest solar panel arrays in the state? They generate almost all of their own energy! They are truly committed to the green movement, and energy efficiency. They walk the talk.
Deltec offers tours of their facilities as well as classes. You can visit their Deltec website to see more about the company and what they do.
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