Douglas Cutler is one of the most celebrated architects in
the nation for his work in addition construction, modular design and high end
architecture. He is often recognized by the media for his outstanding work
including many articles in Better Homes and Gardens, Automated
Builder Magazine, and many other modular industry periodicals.
So I asked him why he thought modular housing had such a minuscule share of the new home market.
Modcoach: Mr. Cutler, with your background in designing world class modular homes, why is modular housing share of the new home market stagnant at 3%
Cutler: The Manufactures continue to push away architects that have
experience in modular design because they fear competitive bidding. The
manufactures refuse to acknowledge modular building is hybrid building and
leave the architects out of the process. The sales reps say “you don’t
need an architect”
Modular factories offer design service at a loss so this
keeps the design professional out of the process as well. The modular
“business model” is stuck in the mind set of the trailer home
industry, but not the technology.
It may only take 5 days to build the homes in
the factory but it can take 5 months to process the customer for a custom home.
Until the industry recognizes this it will never gain market share. The process
must be compensated for. Talent will not work for free.
He sent along several pictures of what can be done when the new home buyer uses an Architect. The factory did not have any trouble building these homes so maybe Haven Homes had the right idea many years ago when they actually encouraged Architects to submit design plans. Nobody has stepped up to fill Haven’s shoes but I’m sure someone will.
