If you’re a prospective first-time homeowner who wants to take advantage of the government’s $8,000 tax credit, we should remind you that time is running out.

Many people assume they have until the end of the calendar year to make their purchase, but the deadline for the free money is actually November 30. That means you’ve got a little more than two-and-a-half months to close on the house of your dreams (and yes, that includes new modular homes).

Whether or not you can choose a design and close on a new modular home within that timeframe is debatable, but if you’re looking at existing homes, you’d better get on the ball. Due to recent changes in the mortgage industry, it can take several weeks or months for some lenders to wrap up the entire process. If you have any questions about the timing of your efforts and the likelihood of qualifying for the tax credit, contact your local lender or real estate agent. You do already have a real estate agent, don’t you?

The very modern and cool design on the right is the product of a Norwegian “innovation company” called Lovetann. Using a series of eight modular cubes, one can design a custom made Lovetann home in no time at all.

According to the Lovetann website, their homes are designed to be fully energy independent, fully customizable, extremely affordable, and fully recycled. Green construction is a big part of the Lovetann formula, which is not unlike Excel Homes and many other modular home manufacturers.

At left is a photo of a Lovetann structure being built in Norway. The house is modular only in the sense that it uses modules or blocks during the design process. It doesn’t use modules that are made in a factory and then shipped to the final location. Instead, the structure is built on-site, but like traditional modular construction, it takes very little time to complete a home. The photo on the left shows day three of the construction process. The home was completed (bottom) in just 10 days.

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?

We talk a lot about the factory process of building modular homes, and for good reason – it’s a huge part of what sets modular construction apart from other construction methods. But exactly are the benefits of building indoors? We’ll let Excel’s Liverpool, PA plant GM Harry Odum answer that one:

“Think about your job – whatever it may be – and ask yourself: Would you rather do it outdoors in 10 degree weather in January or during a rainy April or would you rather do it in a controlled environment indoors? And in which environment would you work more efficiently and produce higher quality work? Of course, I don’t have to be a mind reader to guess that most of you would rather work indoors.

“The same is true for building homes. Modular homes are built indoors, which not only makes for happier workers, but it also creates better homes. Here are a few of the many benefits of building under a roof:

• Eliminating weather from the construction equation means no weather delays. This means your home will be completed quicker. No delays also helps to reduce workforce costs.

• Keeping things dry also means no materials are lost to weather damage (another cost saving benefit) and greatly reduces the likelihood of mold developing in the cracks and crevices of your home during the construction process.

• A house built outdoors is susceptible to infestation by termites and other creepy crawlies. This isn’t the case with homes built in a modular plant. (I hate bugs with a passion. Always have, always will.)

• Working indoors allows Excel Homes to create an assembly line process in which all of our tools and supplies are readily available and always in peak working condition. This creates a more efficient working environment, resulting in faster construction times and a higher quality finished product.

• In the standard construction process, when the crew goes home at night, the job site is at risk for theft and vandalism. Obviously, this isn’t the case with modular homes. And, of course, eliminating theft and vandalism is yet another cost saving benefit.

• Finally, working indoors creates happier, contented workers, which means higher quality work.  

“In the end, all of these factors of the modular construction equation add up to one thing: A stronger, higher quality home for the homeowner. And no matter where you work for a living, I’m pretty sure we can all agree that’s the biggest benefit of all.”