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September 18, 2006

Prefab construction: Don't call it mobile

By Jeff Lavery

Rigorous requirements make for solid structures

Enhancements in manufacturing over the last 10 years have made modular homes as customizable as site built houses, but for fewer dollars. Although the industry still suffers from the perception that modulars are no different from mobile homes, area manufacturers say that attitude is changing and the industry is poised for a takeoff.

 

"It’s a different way to build a home, not just a cheaper option," says Steve Snyder, president of the Modular Building Systems Association.

President Ken Kosla of Pullman Modular Industries in Worcester says that the modular industry no longer carries the stigma it used to, and its ease of construction helps lure new customers in. Prefab construction firms also aim to build units more quickly than site-built homes, says Kosla.

Empyrean International builds panelized homes with modernist flare, such as this rendering to be built in North Carolina.
Kosla recalls one recent project where a builder bought a modular home that he later unloaded and built in less than eight hours. By selling directly to builders, modulars simplify the build process for customers who can move right in "instead of chasing contractors for six months," says Kosla.

Flexibility in modular homes is also an attractive option, says Cliff Cort, president of Triumph Modular Leasing in Littleton. Cambridge Health Alliance recently tapped the firm to build a custom mammography center sandwiched between four existing structures. Triumph used cranes to place the modular building on the site.

Another growing market for modular structures is green buildings, says Cort, who recently installed green classrooms at the Carroll School in Lincoln.

Patrick Gilrane, CEO of Acton-based Empyrean International says that more customers look for a hybrid approach to building, pairing prefab and site-built structures. Panelized construction – building panels made in a factory and connected on site – have become a popular option for upscale homebuyers.

Modular homes are born in factories such as Pullman Modular Industries in Worcester, where they undergo heavy inspection.
Many of the structures feature unusual contemporary styles designed by Empyrean’s on-site design staff of 30 architects, an anomaly in an industry commonly associated with cookie cutter shapes. Gilrane notes that the prefab customer has evolved to one with discerning tastes and demands for high-quality construction.

"Customers primarily look for the style," says Gilrane. "The construction method plays into it, but they’re looking at the end product."

At a Glance: Modular construction in Central Mass.

2000: 1,350 units

2001: 1,220 units

2002: 1412 units

2003: 1,140 units

2004: 1,212 units

2005: 1,320 units

Source: Hallahan Associates

Although they differ greatly in style, all manufactured buildings face tough quality control standards. In Massachusetts, modular building plans get sent to a third party that verifies the plans meet standards, and visits the factory to inspect the build process. Manufacturers also build to the standards of internal quality assurance programs.

While panelized structures don’t face the same level of inspection at the factory, the components of all manufactured homes are over-engineered to deal with the rigors of transport.

The popularity of modular building is growing quickly in Worcester County. In 2004, the region accounted for 17 percent growth in the total number of modular building projects in the Bay State, says Fred Hallahan, principal of Baltimore-based modular industry consultant Hallahan Associates.

 

Another trend in Massachusetts: modulars aren’t just for vacation homes in the Berkshires, says Hallahan. A significant part of the region’s modular houses are going to suburban communities, a market commonly dominated by site-built homes.

 

Jeffrey T. Lavery can be reached at

jlavery@wbjournal.com

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