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Modular Homes Speed Disaster Recovery

Modular homes are playing a crucial role inbuilt homes in New Orleans, one of the areas
speeding disaster recovery in areas hit hardhardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. Architects
by recent disasters, including Hurricaneare working with modular home designers in
Katrina. Because of the speed ofNew Orleans to create homes and buildings
construction, durability of construction,that emphasize the cities historical and
advanced engineering and lower costs,cultural roots, as in the famous French
builders are increasingly turning to modularQuarter of the city. Area builders say that
construction to replace what so many peoplemodular construction is particularly cost
lost and to establish structures that willefficient for them because of the high cost
better-stand the forces of severe weather inand short supply of labor and materials for
the  future.on-site  rebuilding.
Modular homes, also called systems builtModular homes are constructed in pieces in
homes, were long misunderstood by governmentcontrolled factory environments. The pieces
oversight agencies and the general public,are then shipped to the site where they are
often confused with "manufactured homes" andassembled. Because the pieces need to be
mobile homes. However, perception has quicklyshipped, they are built much stronger than
changed as the affordability, energytraditional site built homes, using ten to
efficiency, durability and speedyfifteen percent more construction materials
construction of modular homes has become morethan are normally used. These safety benefits
publicized  and  understood.are passed on to the homebuyer, which is
especially crucial in areas susceptible to
"Many people thought that modular homes werehurricanes and other severe weather
little more than cookie-cutter manufacturedsituations.
mobile homes," says Grant Smereczynsky, CEO
of Building Systems Network, a nationwideModular homes are more energy efficient that
provider of custom-designed modular homes.traditional homes, leading the way in the
"But this assumption could not be furthergreen building movement, and are constructed
from the truth. In reality, modular homes arein weeks rather than months, reducing the
meeting housing needs nationwide, both forinterest and number of payments on
affordable, high-quality housing and for anconstruction loans, thus reducing the overall
expedient solution to help those displaced bycost to the homebuyers. Since modular home
hurricanes and other natural disasters. Theybuilders provide 80 to 85 percent of the
are not cheaply built manufactured homes, buthome, the buyer avoids the risk of giving
are engineering marvels that are stronger,money to a builder and not having the home
more energy efficient and more cost effectivebuilt to their specifications, or of having
than  traditional  site  built  homes."their price inflated by numerous change
orders. All of these savings make modular
Builders throughout the Southeast, in areashomes a perfect solution for people trying to
hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina, are usingrebuild their lives and need all the
modular homes to rebuild cities and replacefinancial  resources  they  can  spare.
the government issued trailers that have
served the residents as temporary housingAdditionally, unlike modular homes,
since the disaster. Builders in Mississippisite-built homes are exposed to unfavorable
and Alabama have recently announced modularweather conditions during the construction
home designs that can withstand 150 - 160 MPHprocess, making the home vulnerable to water
wind  speeds.or weather damage, and increasing the costs
of the project by adding additional materials
Modular homes are being built at an averageand replacement components.
cost that is 20% less than traditional site



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