modular construction: Modules and Panels and Components, Oh My!
- 01/23/23 05:17 AM
Building technology is changing, but it is only changing incrementally. In the U.S., builders have used what is called light-frame wood construction as the primary method of building homes since the 1830s. Light-frame wood construction is a method of construction using many small and closely spaced members that can be assembled by nailing. These members are typically dimensional lumber that is bundled in stacks. These stacks are then dropped off outdoors at the homesite and each 2×4, 2×6, 2×8, or 2×10 is then pulled from the stack and individually cut outside and nailed together with other boards… in the mud, sun, … (2 comments)
modular construction: Think Again, The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
- 01/16/23 03:58 AM
Many homebuyers don’t even ask how their home will be built. Or, when they discuss it with a builder, they hear things like, “I have to,” or, “That’s the way we build; there isn’t a choice.” But that’s simply not true. It’s a victim mentality that says I HAVE to do something. Reality says that we CHOOSE what we do. Don’t be a victim by letting your builder choose to use outdated building techniques to build your new home. You can choose to have your home built a better way. With modular construction, your home is built indoors and away from the sun’s … (5 comments)
modular construction: The Magic of Misdirection that Site Builders Use
- 01/09/23 04:25 AM
What Is Misdirection in Magic? Misdirection—or direction, as some magicians prefer to call it—is the subtle, deceptive art of directing an audience’s attention towards one thing (a magical effect) so it does not notice another (the method or mechanics of a trick). It can refer to both the impact of a spectator’s mind being focused on an unimportant thing or the action that causes it. The audience plays a big role. In this way, the audience is actually complicit in its own deception. As Teller of the comedy magic duo Penn & Teller likes to say, “the strongest lie is the … (7 comments)
modular construction: Building with Modular Construction - Fact Checked
- 06/13/21 05:11 AM
The home construction industry is changing. The way we have built homes in the past won’t continue to be the way we build homes in the future. With the shrinking construction labor force, the constant improvements in construction technology, and the constant march towards zero energy homes that are healthy to live in – something has to give. For most, everything you purchase is built in a factory today… except for one thing, your home. Modular is a method of construction, not a type of home. Over the years modular construction has become the superior way to build a new home. … (2 comments)
modular construction: Sometimes the Grass IS Greener on the Other Side
- 04/19/21 04:21 AM
Today, many are discovering the process of offsite modular construction. While they study and research it, they haven’t made the leap to it… yet. It’s hard for many homebuyers and homebuilders to believe that a different way is a better way. They are still stuck on traditional construction methods as a tried-and-true way. It's much like the early 1900s when Henry Ford is attributed with the quote, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. While he probably never actually said it, the point is still made. Humans find it hard to change or think differently. … (4 comments)
modular construction: Building to a Label
- 03/01/21 04:05 AM
Labels are just another way to say a standard. There is information overload for homebuyers in today’s marketplace – smart homes, construction standards, appliances, color selections, building materials, etc. When you build a home, there is a lot coming at you and many decisions to be made. How do you make sense of it? Most people care about how their home will look, how comfortable it will be to live in, is the home safe, and how much it will cost to live in. And then there is its location. There are many labels out there that try to bring sense to … (3 comments)
modular construction: When Good News Can Mean Bad News: 2021 and Increasing Interest Rates
- 01/25/21 04:02 AM
It was a tough 2020 for most people across the country. Jobs were lost or changed. Budgets were stretched. Kids are being taught at home, changing our lives and the way we live in our home. The good news is we have a vaccine. 2021 is showing lots of promise that we may get COVID-19 under control. That’s the good news! But the bad news is that when the pandemic subsides, the economy is expected to take off again. That can mean inflation. When that happens, interest rates will rise to keep the economy in check. That means bad news for … (2 comments)
modular construction: The Night and Day Difference
- 12/14/20 04:34 AM
In life, we use the term night and day difference to refer to opposites, things that are completely different. We also use terms such as left or right, in or out, up or down, etc. All of these can also characterize the choices you make. You can either go left or right. Just as when you build your new home, you have choices. Many home buyers let someone else make those choices for them because they don’t know any better or any different. In most cases, homeowners are letting their home builder choose how their new home is built, so that … (3 comments)
modular construction: The Gift that Keeps on Giving: A Tight Thermal Envelope
- 10/05/20 04:23 AM
We hear terms such as energy-efficient, green, resilient, zero-energy ready (ZER), along with many others every day. When you are a builder, or if you are into building science, you know (or should know) what they all mean. However, as a home buyer that just wants a home that is safe, comfortable, and has the lowest monthly utility bills possible, these terms can sound foreign. The common denominator that plays a role in each of these areas is something called the “thermal envelope”. It’s most basic definition is the line that is drawn between the outside of the house and the inside of the … (3 comments)
modular construction: Modular Brain: Rewiring the Brain for a Better Way to Build
- 09/28/20 04:27 AM
When a home buyer first discovers modular construction as an option to build their new home, they get excited. They begin to Google more about the construction method and learn more about it and its advantages. However, as an industry, many contractors don’t know anything about it. It’s different. They have been building for 10, 20, or even 30 years or more and doing it the exact same way. In fact, the construction industry overall lags every other industry in productivity growth. In a report by McKinsey & Company, the construction industry has only seen a 1% increase in productivity in … (2 comments)
modular construction: Clearing the Haze that Surrounds the Construction Loan Process
- 09/25/20 04:41 AM
Most homebuyers that are building a home will need a construction loan. And the typical homebuyer will only have built 1 to 3 homes over their entire lifetime. That means getting a construction loan is an entirely new process. Even if they have done it before, it has been 5 to 20 years in between new home projects and everything has changed since they did it the last time. A construction loan is one unique loan in the lending world. The bank is lending money on an asset that hasn’t been completely built. Banks don’t like risk and to them a … (4 comments)
modular construction: Modular Gives Homebuyers Exactly What They are Looking for in a Home
- 09/14/20 04:36 AM
Home sales today are off the charts. Interest rates are now at historic lows! Realtors and home builders are all busy. Homebuyers are doing their research and looking at homes on the internet. Four items seem to be at the top of the search list for those investigating building their new home. They are sustainability, durability, affordability, and the timeframe for construction. The internet is a great tool to do home construction research. What many are discovering is that modular construction is at the top of the list in each category. But what is modular construction, and how is it better? … (2 comments)
modular construction: Is There a Coronavirus Impact on Home Building?
- 03/17/20 06:08 AM
For home buyers that plan on building a new custom home this year, now is the time they are in full swing. Depending on the target move-in date, there is a lot to do between now and the end of summer or fall. But in just a few short weeks, the coronavirus outbreak has impacted many aspects of everyday life. For those building a home this year, it has sprung up right in the heart of the planning season. There are many ways to navigate the unknowns at this time. By many accounts, the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. … (0 comments)
modular construction: 2020: The Inflection Point Year for Modular Construction
- 01/20/20 06:53 AM
Residential construction in the U.S. has changed. While getting skilled and trained labor in many industries is hard, getting it in the construction industry has gotten more difficult than ever with no end in sight. Material prices continue to rise. Taxes and tariffs have added to the cost of construction. Updates to building codes are adding requirements which are adding even more mandatory costs to every home. And… we have a housing shortage in the U.S. We have reached the inflection point for modular construction. We are breaking free of the shackles of traditional construction. Home buyers and home builders are … (1 comments)
modular construction: Modular Construction for Your Next 55+ Housing Project
- 01/09/20 04:49 AM
If you are going to the International Builder Show? Come hear me talk about the benefits modular can offer on your next 55+ project, including onsite labor reductions, shorter construction timelines and reduced dependency on subcontractors.
Constructed in an off-site controlled manufacturing facility, and assembled together at the final building site, modular construction is a growing trend in the home building industry. In fact, according to a recent study by the Home Innovation Research Labs, 15% of all regional and national builders plan on using modular construction in the next five years. An advantageous construction method for accessory dwelling units, multifamily projects and … (3 comments)
modular construction: The ABCDE's of Modular Construction
- 12/23/19 03:57 AM
Off-site modular construction is the planning, design, fabrication and assembly of building elements at a location, other than the final location where they will be installed, to support the rapid and efficient construction of a finished structure. There are several different types of off-site construction known as building systems. The modular building system takes a home plan, divides it into modules, and then constructs those modules to a level of finish that can be up to 85% complete in a factory. No other building system has the ability to maximize the advantage that building in a factory can provide. Let’s explore … (4 comments)
modular construction: Modular Construction is a Hurricane, Not a Tornado
- 08/26/19 04:15 AM
Modular construction is not a new concept. The first documented prefabricated home was the Manning Portable Cottage built in the 1830’s by a carpenter in London. Fast forward to the present day. Disruption in construction by the off-site modular method has been coming. Modular construction’s impact on today’s home building industry is more like a hurricane than a tornado. We have seen it coming. But now it is happening more rapidly. It is a great time for today’s home buyer to learn about the advantages and act now. What typically happens is that those familiar with the old methods fail to … (1 comments)
modular construction: The 20 Year Regret
- 07/01/19 02:51 AM
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb This is a great quote because… everyone wishes they started something earlier. I wish I had started exercising back in my 20s. I wish I had discovered being a YouTuber before it got saturated. I wish I had invested $1,000 in Amazon in 1997. You get the idea. But here’s the thing. You DIDN’T do those things 20 years ago. Opportunities that are lost seldom present themselves again. But, you have the chance right now to change the way you will live for … (1 comments)
modular construction: Don't Be a Lemming!
- 06/17/19 03:27 AM
Lemmings are small rodents that have been known to follow each other as they charge to their deaths off the edge of cliffs. This is actually an unsubstantiated myth about Lemmings, but they’ve become a metaphor for people who go along unquestioningly with a group with potentially dangerous consequences. Buying a home has become much the same way over the years. There are lots of homes built using the traditional method of construction; that means building outside, using the cheapest products available, rushing to get the job done, and using unskilled labor in skilled positions because of the current labor shortage. … (2 comments)
modular construction: Off-site Construction-Are You in the Know? Take this Quiz to find Out!
- 05/28/19 03:53 AM
Off-site construction is in the news! For residential construction, you may hear terms like modular, prefabricated, panelized, ICF’s, etc. The need to find a better way to build is being driven by severe labor shortages in the construction industry, a housing affordability crisis, and a lack of new home availability in the market. Off-site construction offers an opportunity to address all of these issues. The U.S. home construction industry is in transition. It is transforming itself from residential construction methods that have been in place for almost 200 years to automated, manufacturing processes to build the next generation of homes. During this transition, … (11 comments)
Building technology is changing, but it is only changing incrementally. In the U.S., builders have used what is called light-frame wood construction as the primary method of building homes since the 1830s. Light-frame wood construction is a method of construction using many small and closely spaced members that can be assembled by nailing. These members are typically dimensional lumber that is bundled in stacks. These stacks are then dropped off outdoors at the homesite and each 2×4, 2×6, 2×8, or 2×10 is then pulled from the stack and individually cut outside and nailed together with other boards… in the mud, sun, … (2 comments)
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