I recently received this comment from a well respected modular home builder on the East Coast stating that requirements imposed on modular housing is excessive and far more than our site-built siblings.
Read his comment and let him know your thoughts!
“Builders are talking more and more about the ridiculous engineering requirements coming out of engineering departments that don’t use a PE, and over-engineer. I’m seeing 3-4 times.
I spoke with a PE today that said our modular addition showed loads FOUR times what he would have specified for a site built addition with the same live/dead loads, and actual snow loads for the region.
The costs to the builder/owners has far exceeded any previous rationalization that “modulars are overbuilt and that’s a good thing”. The costs are skyrocketing past any semblance of reason.
Looking the other way has resulted in systemic ignorance of actual engineering – the 3rd Parties makes more money when they manage more engineering, and the PE’s behind the factories and 3rd Parties lazily over-spec everything in an effort to cover their butts – without actually doing the work. The engineering ecosystem rewards speed of service over quality, and the building owner pays the bill. I’d bet that the increased construction costs are 2-5 times more than the cost for actual, reasonable engineering service.”
