If you’ve been reading about the rapid acceptance and growth of modular construction in residential and commercial construction, you’ve probably noticed there is still no true definition of exactly what the term “modular” means.
We read about companies like Katerra, Entekra, Blueprint Robotics, Bensonwood and many other factories like them being called modular when in fact they are just building panelized walls, floors and trusses.
Manufactured home companies like Clayton, Cavco and others building homes under the HUD code are also being called modular as are tiny houses being built from garden sheds bought at 84 Lumber on utility trailers bought from Tractor Supply.
There are also the companies building homes from new and recycled shipping containers who the media calls modular.
Meantime the companies that started the real modular industry in this country have sat back and watched as all these other types of construction are being labeled ‘modular’.
Here are my Eight “WHY”s the modular housing industry needs to answer.
Why aren’t the older established modular home and commercial companies denouncing most of these other types of construction for being called modular by the media?
Why doesn’t every IRC based modular home factory belong to the Modular Home Builder Association? Even though this organization has seen slow but steady growth in membership, they are still a long way from having every factory in the US as a member. Tom Hardiman and his team are some of the best.
Why doesn’t every modular factory belong to the Building Systems Council of the NAHB? One would think the BSC, being a council of the NAHB, that companies would be flocking to their meetings. But alas, that is not the case. Their annual conference sees the same group of people attending even though they offer a lot of great things for their members.
Why don’t the owners, GMs and management from modular home factories swamp the International Builders Show? The BSC has a program of speakers at IBS just for modular, panel, log and concrete housing members that has grown rapidly under Devin Perry’s leadership but what’s sad is while all other BSC types of construction are seeing increasing attendance at this event most of the modular housing industry won’t go.
Why do you see so few modular factory owners and GMs at any housing conferences across the US? There are conferences on affordable housing, commercial prefabrication design and education and even conferences on BIM, VR, AR, Robotics, Cloud and other subjects modular factories should be attending but very few are.
Why don’t many modular factory people attend the International Builders Show where thousands of new products are presented, hundreds of industry experts speak and networking grows stronger?
Why do so few US modular factory owners and management attend the Modular Building Institute’s annual World of Modular? This is one event where networking rules the day yet few in the modular housing attend.
Why don’t the owners and GMs of the almost 200 independent modular factories in the US simply talk with each other? What a fantastic meeting that would be! They could actually decide to help each other in the areas of freight, set crews, codes and regulations and even automation and design.
If you have to ask yourself “WHY” this is important stuff, you just might be the reason for this article.
Gary Fleisher (the Modcoach) is a housing veteran, editor/writer of Modular Home Builder blog and industry speaker/consultant. [email protected]
