The newest homes are about as far as one can get from the trailer-park image of Uncle Clem’s double-wide.
Prospective owners can design their own manse via computer---click in a new closet here or a breakfast nook there.
One can order the units carpeted, painted, and go ahead, pick out your drapes while you’re at it. They will be hanging in the windows of the modular unit when it is lifted from the back of a truck and swung onto the foundation.
Because of the potential cost savings and precision, pre-inspected construction, modular sales are booming. Some in the industry think this form of construction could replace most traditional stick built housing within 20 years.
During 2004 about 206,000 modular homes and apartments were sold nationwide, accounting for some 8 percent of the housing market, according to an industry magazine, Automated Builder.
In Annapolis, Modular Home Express is juggling more than 40 projects, both residential and commercial.
Jack Seisman was talking to a couple from BaltimoreCounty in the company’s office on Thursday, guiding them through the process to replace their home that was wrecked in Tropical Storm Isabel.
“Our volume had quadrupled in the last two years. Isabel created work for us, but most of it came after people saw a new house in the neighborhood and look at the cost and speed,” Mr. Seisman said.
Mod and Fab
One family in Edgewater that chose the modular house option to replace their Isabel-damaged home is impressed.
“Our modular is just fabulous, you wouldn’t know it’s a modular to look at it,” said Dawn Darr, who along with husband, Pat, acted as general contractors on their four-bedroom, two-story Victorian style house bought through ModularHomeExpress.com.
“They gave me all these plans, and I went on my computer and cut and pasted features from different houses to get what I wanted,” she said while sitting in her newly furnished family room. The room itself is a big as the government trailer her family lived in for nearly 18 months following Isabel’s floodwaters.
The Darr’s house arrives on five trucks. Once it was set, a drywall man came in and covered the all the seams between the units.
Next, heating and air conditioning, electrical and plumbing contractors came in to tie all the systems into the various utilities.
The homes come pre-wired and customers can set where they want outlets for electricity, telephone and cable. All the electrician has to do is hang the electric panel and connect the wires. Running wires in the future is also easier between the modular sections because there is a one-inch space between them to fish wire in the walls.
To save more money the Darrs installed their own floors. But modular contractors can order wooden floors installed, or pick out their carpet in a myriad of colors.
Strength, numbers
Modular construction is known for its strength and quality. The uniformity achieved by building the units in a factory setting has even been hailed by Anne Arundel inspectors.
“These are well built and can be constructed quickly,” county spokesman Pam Jordan said. “In the wake of Isabel they became a fast and viable option for families…”
Several factors add to the sturdiness of the modules. Each unit had both floor and ceiling joists, so when they are stacked for a two-story home, there are two sets of joists between the first and second floors.
Another advantage is the units are sealed up quickly on site, reducing, if not eliminating, mold problems that can plague a stick-built home exposed to the elements before roofing and sheathing.
But the bottom line is, well, bottom line.
The Darrs saved money. Mrs. Darrs thinks their upcoming appraisal will likely be $100,000 to $150,000 more than they spent on it.
Arundel Report, Capital, Friday May 13, 2005
B1, B2
School building cost soaring
Owens’ allocation could fall short
By Heather A. Dinich
Staff Writer
Construction costs throughout the state have nearly doubled, leaving some to wonder if the moneyCounty Executive Janet S. Owens put in her budget for school projects will be enough.
A booming economy and soaring bids in surrounding jurisdictions have some concerned that current projects will cost more than the school district originally estimated.
The topic got significant attention at yesterday’s school budget review session before the County Council in the ArundelCenter.
The public meeting was only attended by about a dozen people---the majority of whom were from the school system. It was the chance for school administrators and board members to explain their budget. It took about two hours to go through the colorful, graphic-driven presentation.
Among the major construction projects are a new HarmanElementary School and the modernization of Tracy’s Elementary school, which is more than 40 years old. Both schools are slated to open in August 2007.
“You begin hearing all the projects are coming in higher than we estimated, and it’s a concern we’ll have to either add money to the capital budget or decrease the scope of the projects,” said Pamela G. Beidle, D-Linthicum. “One of my great concerns is Harman Elementary. They were told if the bids came in as expected, they would get a new gym and a community room. Harmans had an inferior school to begin with. I hate to see them coming up on the short end with it’s finally time to have a new school.”
Greg Nourse, assistant superintendent for business and management services, said the school district had originally estimated $125 per square foot for all projects, but surrounding districts have received bids as high as $250 per square foot.
“It’s really going up very high,” Mr. Nourse said. “We knew the bubble was going to burst at some time, we just didn’t know when.”
It’s too early to tell whether any of the projects will be in jeopardy, said Alex L. Szachnowicz, acting director of facilities, planning and construction.
“It’s an obvious concern,” he said. “It’s something we’re keeping an eye on. Other jurisdictions are seeing higher prices. We’re keeping an eye on not just AnneArundelCounty, but in the greater Baltimore-Washington area and trying to foreshadow what we might be expecting here.”
The county establishes its budgets 2 to 3 years in advance of building facilities. Mr. Szachnowicz said fuel-sensitive materials like asphalt, roofing materials, and oil-based materials like plastic piping, coating and wiring have increased. He said the demand for steel and concrete also has risen.
“We’re in competition with everybody else,” he said. “If a company had X amount of concrete or steel to sell, they’ll sell to the highest bidder.”
The good news for county schools is that the board requested just under $80 million in funding for construction, and Ms. Owens allocated $102.5 million for it.
Mrs. Beidle asked Superintendent Eric J. Smith if this year’s budget would help tame various future needs, and Dr. Smith said he expected they’ll be asking for more.
“State accountability is the easy answer,” he said. “… Salaries are a real pressure point. When you talk about workload and support … It’s not like we can scale back here to get more there. It goes hand-in-hand.”
County Council Chairman Ron Dillon Jr., R-Pasadena, asked Dr. Smith to put together some figures that would help the council members see how much money it would cost the county to catch up with teacher’s salaries in surrounding districts.
“How big of a problem is it? he asked. “$30 million? $40 million? It’s hard for us to judge what we’re looking at. How do we rank in years of service? What is this problem going to cost to being it up to a similar level?”
Some county council members also expressed concern over state mandates for buildings that aren’t state funded.
“It’s something we’re evaluating right now,” Mr. Szachnowicz said. “It’s too early to tell.”
