Time to build a home one module at a time - The Province, August 26th, 2012

When referring to Manufactured or Modular Homes, many people still refer to the conventional “trailer” or mobile home. In fact that couldn’t be further from the truth. Today there is very little difference in both the look and livability of a manufactured/modular home in comparison to a traditional on site built home.

For many years, I have been a spokesperson for the manufactured/modular housing industry. Every year as you may be aware, the PNE has a beautiful home that is offered as the grand prize at the close of the exhibition. This home is typically relocated to another location in BC. How was it possible to move such a large and complex home to a new site?

The PNE Prize Home is of modular design built routinely by Britco Structures, headquartered in Langley.  The home’s modules are built in one of Britco Structure’s climatically controlled manufacturing plants to exacting standards. The modules are then trucked to the PNE site and placed together on a temporary foundation. Upon award of the prize, the modules are then separated and transported to the new location to be placed on a permanent foundation.

While the majority of these homes are not as elaborate as the PNE home, the concept of modular housing offers the same advantages to the typical home owner. Manufactured/Modular homes are built to very rigorous standards dictated by local building codes in a process overseen by the Canadian Standards Association. Homes are built in advanced manufacturing plants involving stringent timelines of construction and delivery of competitively priced homes.

With the building technology available today, you can build most any style of home from a ranch style to a basement model truss floor design. Manufactured/modular homes are built to the highest standards of energy efficient living and can include high efficiency furnaces and heat pumps to reduce your carbon footprint on the environment and your utility bills.

Factory manufacturing of modular home components means less transport of workers and materials, allows for the most effective use of energy and materials, and reduced waste. Manufactured/Modular homes are also built to be energy efficient. Designs can be easily customized and the most up-to-date floor plans and finishes are available.

All of these homes must meet all applicable building codes, the National Building Code and Provincial/Regional Building Codes as well as be certified to Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards. The certification label affixed to each home gives consumers confidence that the home meets every code in the book.

Environmentally controlled factories allow the sequence of assembly to be altered substantially to improve working conditions and productivity. Bathroom fixtures, furnaces, water heaters, floor coverings, etc. are all installed before the walls and roof structure are put in place. The sequencing of assembly on ‘site-built homes’ can be dictated by the weather. That means that rather than focusing on working conditions and construction efficiencies, the first priority is on building and weather proofing the walls and roof to resist the elements.

When purchasing your next home make sure to investigate what manufactured and modular housing options may be available you.

This article was published in the Sunday August 26th edition of the Province Newspaper www.theprovince.com