The modular home Excel created for the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build in Baltimore earlier this year was the show’s biggest build to date. It was also one of the most ambitious builds Excel Homes has been involved in, which makes it a good topic to discuss with Excel’s Director of Architectural Design and Innovation, Steven Saffell.

MODULAR MUSINGS: There are single-family homes, and then there’s this home, an 11,120-square-foot-project built to house about 10 people for Boys Hope Girls Hope Baltimore. What are some of the challenges involved when designing a modular home of this size?

STEVEN SAFFELL: Excel Homes is equipped to build homes and structures from a few hundred square feet to 50,000 square feet or more, so the size was not a big deal for us. When we get into larger structures we simply increase the number of boxes to accommodate and size the supporting infrastructure like the foundation, electrical and plumbing to match.

One thing that does require more attention is the structural details. Great care is taken on every home to assure the loads are transferred correctly so the home will last, but with this home it took some extra effort. We worked closely with the architect and several structural engineers to make sure not only the loads of our structure were addressed correctly, but also to make sure the loads of the barrel vault roof that was built on site were addressed correctly when they interacted with our structure. It took a group effort.

MM: Please explain the “hybrid” approach used in this project.

SS: When we say this was a hybrid, we are not talking about electric cars, but it does have some solar technology incorporated into the design. When we say hybrid in this context we are talking about a hybrid of building technologies. In this case, we combine the best of what modular, panelized and stick built had to offer.

The foundation system was built by Superior Walls in an off-site location and brought to the site for fast assembly. This allowed Excel to set the modular portion of the structure within hours, not days or weeks. The modular portion consisted of 11 boxes that made up the outer ring of the structure and completed about 70 percent of the structure. Excel also provided panelized components to complete the floor of the great room and foyer, exterior walls for the two-story entry foyer, walls for the walkout basement and roof decks to complete the flat roof portions.

The barrel vault of the great hall was completed on site using traditional site built methods; but in retrospect, we could have completed that portion in the factory and lifted it into place in four sections like we did the floor deck of the room. Every time we build a project like this that challenges us to push the envelope of what people expect modular to be we find new ideas and are just that much more prepared for future requests.

MM: The interior of this home looks incredible. What was the biggest design challenge with this particular home?

SS: For this home it was the great hall. The architect and design team had a vision of a massive space over 40 feet long, 24 feet wide and two-and-a-half stories tall without any intermediate support columns for the roof. This was to be the center of the home and a major design feature, so we had to get creative.

The solution turned out to be simple and came together really well. The best ideas tend to be that way – simple. What we did was to create an outer wall, like a castle, and then we built and placed floor decks in what would be the center courtyard of the walls. The front of the home we sealed up with two-story panelized walls that closed up like a drawbridge. Finally, we capped the whole thing off with a barrel vault over the center section to create the massive room.

It is a solution we are all very proud of and one I am sure you will see on future designs.

To be continued. Check back on Friday for part two of our interview with Steven Saffell.

We mentioned in our last entry that Excel has been given the great honor of being asked to partner with the Maryland Community Builders Foundation and provide a home for use on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Tomorrow we’ll be attending a pep rally designed to spread the word and recruit volunteers for the main event. It should be a lot of fun, but it’s also a very important event because all of the labor used on the show must come from volunteers and the supplies must be donated.

The rally will provide those interested in volunteering, donating and/or sponsoring with an opportunity to learn how they can help. The team will review specifics for the weeklong build, as  well as answer any questions volunteers and potential volunteers may have. Speaking of
volunteers and donations, here’s a run down of what’s needed:

• HOUSE CONSTRUCTION: Our immediate needs are labor and materials for framing, lumber, brick masons and trim carpentry.
• VOLUNTEERS: Primary areas of volunteers needed include general labor, food servers and clean-up workers. Volunteers in skilled trades, including finish carpenters, painters, plumbers and other trade workers are also needed.
• DONATIONS: Donations to help feed and hydrate the people working 24/7 for a week are both welcome and major assistance for a successful build as well. All types of food, meals, snacks, bottled beverages and coffee are welcome. We also welcome donations to help us pay for material that we need to purchase. For a full list of donation needs, please visit baltimoreextrememakeover.com.

The rally will be held tomorrow (Thursday) from 8-10 a.m. at the Grace Fellowship Church at 9505 Deereco Road in Timonium, Maryland. We hope to see you there, but if you can’t make it and you’re interested in volunteering or donating can visit baltimoreextrememakeover.com for more information.

Check back here tomorrow or Friday for a post-rally update and photos.

This month on Modular Musings, we’ll be focusing a lot on green construction. It wasn’t intentional, but when we put together our ideas for entries, it just sort of worked out that almost all of them were related to Earth-friendly practices. You can’t really blame us, considering how big of an influence green building methods have on today’s construction and how important green practices are to Excel Homes.

Our first green observation comes from the Earth Advantage Institute, which last month released its list of 10 green trends to watch for in 2010. Below are four trends that caught the attention of Excel’s designers.

• Smart grids and connected homes – In-home displays will show real-time home energy use, both overall and by individual appliance. That’s smart because you can’t fix what you can’t see.
• “Rightsizing” of homes – Smaller homes have become a more attractive option and it looks like that trend will continue into 2010. We predict it will extend well beyond the current year, as it goes hand-in-hand with the green movement, which we all know isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
• Net zero buildings – These über green houses generate more energy than they use over the course of the year, allowing some homeowners to sell unused energy back to the electric company.
• Financial community buy-in to green building – Lenders and insurers are finally seeing the light when it comes to green construction and will continue offering lower interest rates and more affordable insurance packages to green homeowners. That’s green saving green, which is always a good thing.

In an entry in October, we wrote about the trend toward more sensible bathtub options, but a larger indication of the downsizing of American living can be seen as smaller homes begin replacing “McMansions” as the preferred modular housing choice.

That’s right – for today’s homeowners, size really doesn’t matter.

The struggling economy and housing market are likely to blame for the shift, but it’s not altogether a bad thing. Many homeowners are simply realizing that five bedrooms just aren’t necessary, and instead are opting for just enough space to maintain a comfortable life (and a comfortable mortgage payment).

In a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders, nine out of 10 builders reported they are building smaller homes. Architects are saying the same thing. After doubling in size since 1960, it appears that new homes have finally begun shifting back toward the sizes our grandparents embraced in the 1950s… at least for now.

For various reasons, modular homes are popular in New England (more than 10 percent of all new homes in the northeast U.S. are modular). Even new homeowners in upscale areas like Martha’s Vineyard are taking notice of the benefits of modular construction.

Martha’s Vineyard Magazine did a feature on the rise of modular homes in the island community for its spring/summer 2008 issue. The modules for the home at the center of the story were pulled across Vineyard Haven’s harbor on a barge and transported by police-escorted flatbed trucks to their final destination.

The article discusses the many benefits of modular construction, including the financial perks that have led so many Vineyarders to go modular:

What makes the Vineyard a hungrier modular market than most? Follow the money: Certainly, modular customers everywhere benefit from the economies of scale realized by big factories that purchase basic materials, from drywall to grout, in bulk. For Islanders, the resounding cost differential is labor. “Sixty dollars an hour is what I have to charge for labor here versus fifteen to twenty dollars off-Island,” says builder Ray Maciel, one of several Vineyard contractors whose business today is all modular all the time. After adding the expense of shipping boxes across land and water, and renting a crane to move them into place, Vineyard homeowners report shaving a quarter to nearly a half off the budget for an equivalent stick-built home.

It’s a long article, but one of the best we’ve seen about the modular housing boom. Check it out on the Martha’s Vineyard Magazine website and don’t miss the mention of Excel Homes/Avis America and the helpful how-to section at the end.

In this multi-part entry, we’ll walk you through the modular home buying process from beginning to end. Like any major purchase, that process starts with research.

Most of us do at least a little homework (some more than others) before making any significant purchase. We research the best digital cameras, the most economical and safe cars, and which televisions deliver the most pixels for your buck. Buying a modular home should be no different.

Usually, the research process starts online. Thankfully, there are a multitude of websites out there that offer plenty of information about modular homes, including this blog! The following are also good resources (among the many others listed in the links section of this blog):

• Modular Today – We like this site for many reasons, but mainly because it’s simple, straightforward and easy to use. Don’t miss the section on “Modular Myths” or the “Modular Article Knowledge Base.”
• Home Buying Institute – This site bills itself as “the Internet’s largest library of home buying tips and advice.” Spend a few minutes on it and we think you might agree.

Throughout your research efforts, ask yourself which modular home options are right for you. Are you happy with a pre-designed model or do you have a lot of customization requests. Either is fine. Also think about your schedule. Do you need a home relatively soon or is time on your side?

It might also help to talk to a modular home builder in your area. Just like asking a car dealer about different vehicle options, you don’t have to agree to purchase your home from that builder (choosing the right builder for you comes later in the process), but the builder should be able to answer any questions you might have and point you in the right direction!

The next installment of The Modular Process: Pre-loan qualification.