Today I’m pleased to interview Vic DePhillips, one of
leaders in the modular housing industry and my former employer. I learned quite
a lot about our industry while working for Signature Homes in Moosic, PA. Vic
is the President of Signature Modular Homes.
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| Vic DePhillips, President of Signature Homes |
Modcoach: Vic, could you tell us a little about your
background and how you got started in modular housing?
Vic: I been in this industry 41 years as of June 3, 2014. I have a degree in engineering from the
with a minor in mathematics. I will not bore you with all the jobs I have
served in this industry and with associations nor any of the accomplishments I
have achieved since I started as an assembler building sidewalls and mating
walls in 1973.
Modcoach: Are you doing commercial projects like hotels,
apartment buildings, etc?
Vic: We built one commercial project this year which was an
addition to a dorm job we built 4 years ago. This time the job was 29,000
square feet and added 44 beds to the existing building. We built one other
sizable job which was an 18,000 square foot house comprised of 34 modules,
including roof boxes. Other than that we have been all single family.
Modcoach: What “green” or energy saving products have you
added to your homes, either as a standard item or as an option?
Vic: Like the others we offer zip wall/ roof products. We
offer closed cell insulation installed in either flash and batt or full spray.
This material is soy based and is considered green by virtue of its chemical
composition. We offer a variety of fans and controls to provide correct
ventilation considering the tighter houses. MDF Moldings and trims are a
standard for us as well. We offer the “advanced Framing Technique in our
product for those serious energy conscious builders and buyers.
Modcoach: Is the size of today’s homes different from the
boom times before 2008?
Vic: We have always built big houses. Today’s houses top out
at around 2,600-2,800 sq ft but most we are seeing are around 2,2-2,400 square
feet. There is more in them but they are definitely smaller. Now, maybe some of the decreased size on
average is due to where we are shipping most of our product, which is a lot of
beach replacement. Markets like CT and
there the houses are larger
Modcoach: Is there a tougher time finding qualified home
builders today than in the past?
Vic: I believe that there are qualified builders out there
and more of them coming into the business every day. More as a result of
I see the bigger builders adjusting to the economy and getting better and that
in spite of that they have to work harder to get deals than ever before. The
banks have not loosened their lending practices (contrary to what the
administration says, gee, how could that be?) There are buyers and demand out there;
it’s just tougher to make deals work with lenders. The demand exceeds supply
that is simple math.
Modcoach: Have code regulations been hurting our industry?
Vic: Of course they have. There is not a fair regulatory and
review system that forces a site built to be built like a modular. And due to
this, we are forced to do much more engineering, strapping and compliance
review than our stick built cousin. I could go on about this for hours given
the chance, but we all know that this problem exists.
Modcoach: The cost of shipping homes is continuing to rise.
How has that impacted modular home sales?
Vic: Obviously it makes getting a sale tougher. This
administration has an agenda that is pushing a greener footprint which has
caused the process of fuel to rise to record levels in spite of our increase in
domestic production. We are not as dependent on foreign oil as we had been, yet
the price at the pump has doubled needlessly.
Modcoach: Why do you think that the modular home industry
still stuck at 3% of the total new home market?
Vic: This industry is its own worst enemy. We cannot agree
to disagree and then develop a plan to better promote what it is we do. Only
thru more positive press or articles can we improve our visibility to today’s
home buyers. Individual companies doing self- promotion does not help the
entire industry as much as if the industry banned together and promoted what it
is we do.
Vic, I want to thank you for taking the time to share your 41
years of experience with us. I truly enjoyed my time working for you.
