One of the things we’ve always prided ourselves on is our ability to create homes that meet the design needs of builders and homeowners. And not only do we want to meet those needs by staying one step ahead when it comes to the best that home design has to offer, we want to do it in a cost-effective manner that helps modular homes maintain their edge over stick-built homes when it comes to comparing price tags.

To help us live up to those expectations, Excel Homes has created a new position in its front offices: Director of Architectural Design and Innovation. The position will be devoted to developing and marketing innovative new home designs and products for Excel Homes and we’ve named our current Director of Engineering, Steven Saffell, to be the first to step into the important role.

We asked Steven a few questions to explain his new position and offer some insight on modern design in today’s home building industry.

MODULAR MUSINGS: What do you hope to accomplish in this new position and how will it benefit Excel Homes?

STEVEN SAFFELL: The expectation with this endeavor is to set Excel Homes apart from the competition in both the stick built and the modular industry by providing a level of design rarely experienced at this level.  We will design and bring to market homes that are not just laid out well and pleasing to the eye but take advantage of the latest technologies in building and efficiency.  We want to demonstrate that modular constructed homes can be beautiful, good to the environment and a better value than a site built home.

MM: What’s the biggest challenge facing the modular home industry today?

SS: For the short term the economy has been and will continue to be the biggest challenge.  This downturn will however benefit those companies that survive it.  As Americans are forced to tighten our belts, we have started to look for more economically appealing building methods.  The consumer is doing their homework and many are discovering that the modular industry builds a product that is equal to or better than traditional site built products. It’s not just the fact that we build a stronger structures, it is the reduced time to build and the resulting reduction in the construction loan cycle, less waste, tighter structures and limitless design possibilities that all come together to provide a better value.

The longer term challenge will be to continue to educate the buying public and provide an understanding of what a modular product is and is not.  Too many people still think of this industry as single wide trailers (HUD units) or simple ranches for entry level buyers.  The truth is that we are closer to the traditional site built in construction practices and offerings than we are to the HUD industry any more.  That may be where we got our start, but it is a very different product today and we need to educate our buyers and the building professionals to this fact.

MM: Which trends in modular home design will you and your staff be watching closely?

SS: Energy efficiency and “green” building are the hot terms being bounced around today.  However, this can mean a lot of different things to different people and regrettably to some in the building industry it is simply a new marketing ploy. The consumer must be careful of companies that “green-wash” their product in an effort to sell more. Here at Excel, green building is not a marketing ploy but a way of doing business.

MM: How will the economy affect housing design?

SS: No one can say if it is the economy, greener thinking or simply the consumer’s current trend but it appears Americans are starting to look for better quality over quantity. We will always have those looking for massive homes and we are prepared to provide those too, but we are seeing a growing trend toward smaller, high quality designs with nice amenities.  “More bang for your buck” does not always mean larger homes anymore.

MM: Is it possible to continue to create innovative home designs and products while still allowing modular homes to maintain an edge over stick-built homes when it comes to cost and efficiency of construction?

SS:  While in college one of my architectural professors would say regularly, “Good design does not cost any more than bad design.” That statement is even more relevant when it comes to modular construction. 

The modular construction method has so many efficiencies built into the process that the end result can be nothing more than a superior product that is more cost efficient than stick built. A stable workforce of craftsperson’s, an environmentally controlled building environment, years of experience, and a continuous inspection process all work together to create a process that produces the best quality product at the best price on the market today.

This process coupled with Excel’s commitment to design innovation will provide our customers with a product that sets them apart as leaders in the housing and light commercial construction market going forward.  We have a reputation for providing top quality and service and we intend to be known as the industries innovators also.

MM: What’s next for Excel Homes?

SS: The possibilities are endless. Excel has assembled a team of leaders that have vision and are not restricted by the industries “old way of thinking.” We have some of the best modular industry professionals in the business today coupled with top leaders from other industries to create a fresh approach to doing business that is not willing to except the status quo.

We are not just looking at the design of our homes but the entire process from the marketing of our name and product to how we follow up with the customer after the home is set in place.  Everything is fair game for review as we are committed to finding easier ways for our customers to do business with us, improving our building process and product and following up to make sure it exceeds the expectation of our customers.

At every Excel Homes manufacturing facility , we build every home with attention to detail. That includes keeping each module as clean as possible, inside and out.

Cleanliness is actually one of the many benefits of the modular construction process. Building homes indoors prevents wind, rain and other natural elements (like tiny things with lots of legs) from getting into the home while it’s being built. That can happen in a stick-built home, but it can’t happen to a modular home. In fact, even when the modules are completed and are being transported to their final destination, they’re tightly sealed in a waterproof plastic wrapper.

While each module is being built, our workers are careful not to track in dirt or allow dust to settle in areas where it shouldn’t. And, at the end of the line, a finishing team goes through each modular to clean and touch up any areas that might need it.

Below is a photo of the base of a module at the beginning of the construction process. A plastic cover is used on the floor to keep dust and dirt off of it, even though this surface will later be covered with carpet or tile. That’s right – even in places where you’d never see the dirt, we take measures to make sure it stays clean!

Our friends over at ZN Custom Building, which builds modular homes in the Boston area, put together a video interview with Nick, a happy modular home owner who discusses the money he saved by choosing modular over stick-built. Nick says the $100,000 he saved “was like hitting the lottery.”

Great news for those of you considering the purchase of your first home, though many of you may already be aware of it. Under the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” an economic stimulus package designed to revitalize the housing market, all first-time home buyers who purchase or build a house in 2009 year will receive an $8,000 tax credit. Unlike the similar 2008 tax credit, this credit does not need to be repaid.

The good news is, there really aren’t that many catches to the plan. The credit covers 10 percent of the home’s value, up to a maximum of $8,000. In other words, if you purchased a home worth $65,000, you’d receive a tax credit of $6,500. To qualify for the credit, you must make less than $75,000 a year if you’re single, and less than $150,000 for married couples.

As defined by the tax credit website, a “first-time home buyer” is anyone “who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.” So if you owned a home four years ago, but have rented since then, you qualify as a first-time home buyer!

Feel free to check out the tax credit website and the “frequently asked questions” page for more info about this deal and a similar credit for those of you who bought or built a modular home in 2008.

Like we talked about previously on Modular Musings (here and here), there are many reasons why a modular home can be built faster than a stick-built home of similar design. Among those reasons is the efficiency of the factory construction process and the fact that while the modules are being built, the foundation and other site preparations can take place simultaneously.

This time savings becomes clear in a pie chart on the Modular Today website. As you can see on the right, the design phase of both modular and traditional homes takes the same amount of time, but the site prep time for the modular home has been combined with the construction time. Though it may be hard to tell, the construction time in the top chart is also slightly less than the bottom due to the efficiency of the modular construction process.

All of this adds up to the ability to build a modular home in 25 percent less time than a stick-built home.

A few weeks ago, we told you about a modular home in Utah made from two metal grain silos. The only problem is, that home just sort of sat there, stuck to its foundation. How much fun is that? Now imagine a house that could walk around on six insect-like legs. That’s exactly the vision a Dutch design firm had when they created the walking house you see on the right.

The house – about 10 feet high, 10 feet wide and roughly 12 feet long – is modular in nature because it can be connected to other walking houses to create a walking village. The designers themselves said: “Walking house is a modular dwelling system that enables persons to live a peaceful nomadic life, moving slowly through the landscape or cityscape with minimal impact on the environment.”

And, as you would expect for such a futuristic design, the walking house is environmentally friendly, featuring solar panels and micro windmills, as well as a rain water collection system and a solar hot water heater. Its pace is only about 200 feet per hour, so you’re not likely to use it for long distance travel, but imagine being able to move your home around a bit for a change in scenery or to put a little distance between you and a noisy neighbor?

A little while ago, we talked about the winner of Excel’s “Is it Modular?” contest, which asked builders to looks at photos of homes to identify which ones were modular and which were stick built. Just in case you’re anxious to test your discerning eye, Modular Today magazine has developed a similar test. The Modular Today quiz throws mobile homes into the mix, making it a little more challenging.

Feel free to test your knowledge here, and let us know how you did!

We’re used to thinking of modular homes as houses that are nearly indistinguishable from their stick-built cousins, but technically, a modular home can refer to any home that is constructed in parts at an off-site location and then assembled at its final destination.

Take the home pictured below in Woodland, Utah. It was designed by Gigaplex Architects and is constructed from two metal grain silos, joined together to create one very cool 1,800 square foot house. The circular exterior creates circular rooms inside, and, like many modular homes, the silo house is extremely energy efficient.

Excel Homes doesn’t have any designs that use grain silos, but after seeing this home, we might ask our architects to look into it.

You might consider it, especially with rates being as low as they are. According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to 4.78 percent, the lowest rate since Freddie Mac began the survey in 1971. That means a lot of homeowners are refinancing their purchase in order to save some money in the long run.

Missouri based mortgage broker Tom Meacham offers a few tips, including not signing on the dotted line unless you’re getting a significantly lower rate. Meacham also points out that your credit score will affect your rates, but a mortgage broker can help you find the best deals.

The entire team at Excel Homes is proud to announce that Ray Cudwadie, Excel’s director of commercial sales, has just been appointed by Governor Ed Rendell to serve on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council. The Council is responsible for monitoring and reviewing all feedback and amended provisions to any of Pennsylvania’s building code standards for construction projects within the Commonwealth.

What makes Ray’s appointment even better is that he’ll be the sole representative from the modular home building industry. It’s no surprise Gov. Rendell chose Ray. After all, he’s got more than 25 years of experience in the commercial construction industry, including architectural design training, engineering management, and sales leadership throughout the entire Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

We know Ray will represent the modular industry and Excel Homes well during his tenure on the Council. Said Excel’s own president, Steve Scharnhorst, “I can’t think of anyone better than Ray to do it.”