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 a growing trend, Habitat for Humanity chapters throughout the nation have been turning to modular housing to fill the need for durable and affordable housing built fast.

Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake in Baltimore is using modular homes to fill a vacant lot in East Baltimore. Another perk inner city Habitat chapters are realizing is that modular construction can be used to fill narrow vacant lots quickly and more efficiently than stick-built construction methods.

The excerpt below from the Baltimore Sun summarizes one of the biggest benefits of modular construction: shorter construction schedules.

Habitat expects that all nine houses will be in place by Saturday morning. The painting, landscaping and other finishing work will be done by volunteers over nine days, the last scheduled in October.

Compared to the rowhouse renovations that Habitat typically does in Baltimore, that’s light speed.

Today’s entry on the Excel Drawing Board takes a page out of the Frank Lloyd Wright playbook and his prairie style designs. It’s one of the homes in our Starting Line Up series, a collection of smaller homes with all the style of what is typically found in a larger floor plan designed specifically with the first-time home buyer in mind.

The Excel Drawing Board is a blog showcasing some of Excel’s more forward-thinking designs, which readers are encouraged to comment on. Check out today’s entry for yourself and let us know what you think.

Coach (aka ModCoach) is the mind behind the blog, Modular Home Builder, which paved the way for blogs like ours. In a January 24 entry, Coach offered praise to Excel Homes for the three new initiatives we unveiled in the past year. In a more recent entry, Coach took note of some of our designs for rest facilities.

Thanks, Coach! It’s always nice when people take notice of the things you’re doing to improve your company and your product. And to return the favor, to anyone interested in modular construction we’d recommend adding Coach’s blog to your reading list.

Today’s entry on the Excel Drawing Board is a small bungalow that draws its inspiration from the kit homes of the 1940s. It’s one of the homes in our Starting Line Up series, a collection of smaller homes with all the style of what is typically found in a larger floor plan, designed specifically with the first-time home buyer in mind.

The Excel Drawing Board is a blog showcasing some of Excel’s more forward-thinking designs, which readers are encouraged to comment on. Check out today’s entry for yourself and let us know what you think.

Like we said in last week’s look at male home buying preferences, the following was posted previously here on Modular Musings, but we thought it was worth a second look.

Last week, we took a look at some of the features of a new home that men are more likely to focus on. That includes home offices (40% of men versus 33% of women), recreational spaces and, of course, a garage. But what do women look for in a home?

According to the same 2008 study by ZipReality that we referenced last month, women were more focused on practical spaces and dining related spaces, including:

• Women placed more emphasis on dining spaces like a gourmet kitchen (61% to 55%) and a dining room (33% to 30%).

• Storage space was important to women, with large closets or walk-in closets as the number one home feature for women versus men (73% to 64%).

• While men were more likely to prefer a home with a view (32% to 27%), more women demanded a larger yard (49% to 45%).

The ZipReality study was based on a survey of 2,620 active home buyers and is proof that while we may not differ much on what we want out of a home, men and women do have their own opinions about what matters most – and that’s not likely to change any time soon.

The following was posted here on Modular Musings about a year ago, but as the New Year kicks off and would-be homeowners begin shopping for a new home, we thought it was worth a second look. Coming up next: A look at what women want in a new home.

Let’s face it, when it comes to buying a home, men and women are often on two different blueprint pages when it comes to features they want. Sure, some features are important no matter who you are, but what do men typically want when it comes to choosing and customizing their modular home?

According to a 2008 study by ZipReality, men and women don’t differ much on certain features, but some differences are worth pointing out:

• Men preferred a home office more than women did (40% to 33%)
• Men placed greater emphasis on recreational spaces, like a home theater (12% to 6%), exercise room (13% to 9%), a swimming pool (22% to 20%), and an outdoor entertainment area (57% to 55%).
• On a surprising aesthetic note, more men than women demanded a home with a view (32% to 27%).
• As expected, men need their garage more than women, with 74% of men saying they wouldn’t purchase a house without a garage, versus 71% of women who made the same claim.

We’ll cover what women want in a future Modular Musings blog entry. Until then, let’s try to find some common ground when it comes to deciding what to do with that new addition off the living room.

Recently, the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council voted to mandate the placement of sprinklers in all new one- and two-family residences and townhomes built in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania beginning January 1, 2011. Good thing builders have a little over a year to get ready, right?

While waiting until the last minute might be an option for some builders, it’s not an option for Excel. Instead, the team at Excel Homes has decided to start installing sprinkler systems a little earlier. In fact, we’re going to start right now.

Beginning today, all Excel Homes will include an optional sprinkler system designed to protect a homeowner’s investment and make each home a lot safer. Of course, for now, these sprinkler systems are only optional. But after January 1, 2011, they’ll be mandatory in Pennsylvania (and soon thereafter in many other states). The good news is, that by the time that deadline rolls around, the Excel team is ready.

Our enthusiasm for the new sprinkler law should come as no surprise there many reasons to support the use of sprinkler systems, here are just a few.

• According to the National Fire Sprinkler Association, the addition of sprinklers to homes could prevent more than 3,000 fire-related deaths and 60,000 serious fire-related injuries each year in the United States.
• The typical home fire can reach deadly proportions in just three minutes, while in many cases, it may take 10 or more minutes for the first fire truck to arrive. With a sprinkler system, the fire can be controlled or even extinguished before loss of lives or property.
• The average damage from a fire in a house with a sprinkler system is less than $2,000, compared to more than $17,000 in damage in homes without sprinkler systems.
• In addition to the peace of mind that having a sprinkler system can provide, sprinkler systems also decrease insurance costs and increase a home’s value.

For more information about Excel’s sprinkler system program, check out the brochure on our website.

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.

Almost everyone is aware that modular homes are, on average, more energy efficient than stick-built homes. But some people point to the fact that the modules have to be driven via large, flatbed trucks to the final location as a reason why modular construction might not be as green as one might think.

It’s a valid point, but the shocking fact is – shocking even to some of us in the modular industry – that modular construction uses just 10 percent of the vehicle movements that stick built construction does. You heard that right. Even though these homes are transported on truck, modular homes rack up just a fraction of the mileage that the traditional construction process does.

It’s just another example of how modular really is the greener option.