Modular homes are making a unique comeback

This modular home by Cornerstone Architects in Austin shows the advancement in modular construction - modular design is not like kit homes of the past or double wides, it is simply a construction method with amazing results.

Modular Homes have come a very long way

Back in the day, when most people heard the term prefabricated home or modular home, the image of a double-wide sitting in the midst of an RV park with an awning and AstroTurf may have been the first thing to come to mind. If not that, then possibly half of a home barreling down the highway with plastic wrap flapping in the breeze while a pick up with a yellow blinking light that illuminated the “over-sized load” that blocked your path may have flipped through your idea bubble overhead.

The thing is, modular homes may have gotten a bad rap, but things have changed. Things have really, really changed and there are some folks out there who are taking that change even further.

Realtors should be educated on trends

As this change has shifted from double-wide style modular homes to a more sleek and sophisticated product, we have to wonder what brought us to this. How does one get to the point where they decide that modular is that way to go? As Realtors, we have to understand that building science has come a very, very long way and that builders, even those who have been doing it the same way for thirty and forty years are finding that in order to stay a part of the ever changing game, they have to change with the times – roll with the punches – and stay on the forefront of technology in construction science.

This may even mean going in a different direction that they never thought they would be going in. Herein lies the impending shift to modular homes: construction from stick by stick framing to construction from prefabricated panels. This doesn’t have to mean that a home is drop shipped in one piece like a 1970’s hunk of metal like the honking things that make some of us cringe and reel, but, no, modular can even be sexy.

Sustainability and cost effectiveness

In this day and age, we have to think about efficiency and sustainability and above all, cost effectiveness. Let’s face it, everyone needs a place to live, and why shouldn’t a home embody all of those things, and more? Enter Mark Turner of GreenSpur, a Wyoming native who has since moved and blossomed in the DC Metro area with a passion for architecture, design and a vision for bringing community together in a way that invites smart growth.

After working for very high-end commercial developers, Turner branched off and created GreenSpur, the scion of the merging of his strong desire for sustainability and beautiful design. After mastering carbon-neutral homes and some very gorgeous design plans, along with his long-time design partner, David Bagnoli (now at McGraw Bagnoli), the two started developing a team based on some core principles of design that would ultimately bring him to a sumptuous design plan that is, you guessed it, modular.

This modular home plan is called OneNest Project and is slated for a Summer 2012 launch in London, England as well as locally in Delaplane, Virginia on lovely country acreage that overlooks a vineyard, creeks and rolling hills complete with a vintage tractor that is so masculine, sexy and nostalgic that it makes you want to reach out and grab it. Not your grandma’s modular, huh?

Not your grandma’s modular home

What sets this modular project apart from the crowd? GreenSpur’s OneNest Project is a modular home built on the following elements:

• Economical– because it has be economically feasible and homes could be designed for a lesser cost and development could become profitable again.
• Structural-because the house needs to be created of sound structural integrity to survive gale force winds and possibly be an option to bring in these homes as structures after natural disasters strike due to their simple construction process.
• Architectural– because homes have to be beautiful; modular homes do not have to be rectangular boxes, there can be an art to them that is inspiring and still elegant and simple.
• Social– because we are social animals; living in communities is what makes us who we are and we can create meaningful communities from smartly designed architecture.
• Environmental– because the way that these homes are designed has a minimal impact on the surrounding environment and is meant to help foster healthier lifestyles.

Bringing all of these core elements together from the economics to the environment, the OneNest Project modular homes are incorporating beautiful design into what so many people are asking for when they are buying homes these days. They want a smaller home that can nurture their healthier lifestyle in a way that is cost effective and that can help them live in a way that sustains their future and the future of their family. To look at the theory and the simple, yet elegant design plan that the team at GreenSpur has put together, this OneNest Project seems to be on track for the new wave of how modular can be sexy, sumptuous and sustainable. Fulfilling, really.

Modular home examples

To give you an idea of how far modular homes have come, take a look at some examples from across the continent – they’re a far cry from a double wide on some rural land:

This Minneapolis home by Swan Architecture proves that a home doesn't have to be a sterile box simply because it is built with modular methods.

Michael Lee Architects in California show that modular homes can be warm and inviting and even built on a small lot.

This modern craftsman home in San Francisco looks like a traditionally constructed house, but is completely modular as designed by Eco Offsite.

The modern Seattle home above uses the latest methods of modular design and was built by PLACE architects in Vancouver.

This modular home built in the Hill Country of Texas by Nick Mehl Architecture shows how beautiful modular can be.