Remember that scene from The Wizard of Oz? Dorothy, The Scarecrow, Tin Man and every other character in the movie had been DUPED! The Wizard of Oz was supposedly a magical solution for all their problems. And, it turned out… It was all a lie. Home building is changing. Home builders are busy; a shortage of skilled construction labor, rising interest rates, rising material costs, and a booming economy means there is a shortage of homes available. Most builders only know how to build the way they have always done it. They haven’t learned about the better ways to build and are afraid to try newer and better building technologies. That doesn’t make them bad builders, but it does mean that they aren’t providing you with the best options for building your new home. You need a home building expert. Forget about the curtain… let’s talk about a better way to build your new home.

Why Settle for a Site Built Home?

As you do your research into the best way to build a new home for you and your family no doubt you will talk to a home builder that only builds onsite. You may even hear them say, “Why Settle for Modular?” They are frantically throwing switches and flipping levers behind that curtain in an effort to distract you. They are trying to imply that a modular home is inferior to site built. However, their ploys are misleading. First, all modular homes ARE stick-built homes. They are built one board at a time, they are just built offsite and then transported to the site in modules and assembled on your building lot. What they don’t say is that a modular home has to be built much stronger than a home constructed onsite because otherwise, it couldn’t take the stresses of being transported on the highway and lifted safely onto your foundation.

Why don’t all builders convert to using modular construction for their homes? That is actually a very good question. Today many contractors are struggling to hire, keep, and train employees. The best craftsmen are retiring or have already left the construction field. This means that those builders either can’t do as many projects or that the quality of what they do provide suffers. In most cases today, it is both. It is their fear of change that keeps them from adopting a newer and better building method.

Modular: The Most Complete Method of Off-site Construction

A “systems-built” home describes a home built using some form of the systemized construction process. A building system automates the processes of cutting, placing, and fastening each “stick”. All of this is done offsite and indoors allowing homes constructed using a building system to achieve precision and efficiency beyond what is possible when “stick building” onsite. So, which building system produces the best home?

The National Association of Home Builders recognizes four types of construction using building systems: Modular Home Building, Panelized Home Building, Concrete Home Building, and Log and Timber Home Building. The term “modular home” is really a misnomer. It is not a type of home but rather a term for a home that is built using modular construction. Modular construction consists of many modular subassemblies built and assembled in an environmentally controlled factory that are assembled into a larger component, or module. That module is then delivered to a building site, combined with other modules, and assembled into a finished product.

RELATED: BRINGING CUSTOM BACK TO NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION

Most homes built using modular construction are delivered to the site 75-85% complete. The impact of weather as a factor in home construction is virtually eliminated. By keeping rain and moisture out of the home during construction, a healthy living environment is promoted by keeping floors and walls dry during construction, unlike with traditional site-built homes. This reduces the risk of mold and mildew growth.

Impresa Modular takes a hybrid approach to building our new homes. There are advantages to be gained by combining methods. Modular provides the most complete method meaning your home can be delivered to the site and be 75% complete (or more) in as little as a single day. Panelized construction provides us with a fast way to add custom touches and quickly weatherproof the home. The hybrid modular approach means we can cost-effectively provide a unique design that allows most of the home to be completed at the factory, reducing onsite time to completion and building custom homes at a great value.

Hybrid Modular means Custom Home Building

Custom homes are just that, custom. Most home buyers start their journey to build a new home by first looking at home plans on the internet to get inspiration. They want to see if there is a plan that is close to what they are looking for in a new home. Once a plan is chosen, the user then has to find a builder, modify the plan to meet their exact requirements, and then begin the long custom home building process that can easily take 12-18 months. Modern modular construction is a healthier, more cost-effective, and more energy-efficient way to build than using traditional onsite construction. Not to mention… faster! Impresa Modular’s hybrid modular method means design flexibility.

Modular Means More

When it comes to choosing the way you build your new home, please do the research. Perform your own evaluation. The home construction industry has already determined that off-site construction is the only way homes will be built in the future. The industry itself is transforming. We did that evaluation years ago. While there are several methods of off-site construction, we determined that modular construction offered the best way to deliver quality custom homes to our customers. Don’t let some man behind a curtain distract you from the facts. Modern modular construction offers a healthier and more energy-efficient way to build a new home for you and your family!