By Gary Fleisher
Twenty-five years ago, “modular” meant something entirely different than it does today. Back then, life—and housing—felt simpler.
In 2000, I walked away from my business as a general contractor building single-family homes and joined Champion Homes as a sales rep. At the time, Champion was known primarily for its manufactured homes—double-wides and single-wides—but I quickly found myself representing something new: the Genesis line. And not the Genesis of today.
These homes were IRC-built modulars, not HUD-code manufactured houses. They were large, beautiful, and built to compete head-to-head with site-built homes. The lineup featured expansive ranches and elegant two-stories, constructed with top-end materials and styling that rivaled any stick-built competitor. They weren’t “optioned up” homes—they came loaded. Custom stairs. Bruce hardwood floors. Total drywall. High-end appliances. Even a curved half wall topped with a custom oak ledge. I doubt you’ll find many modular factories today offering that as standard.
And here’s the kicker—they were built right alongside manufactured homes on the same production line. You can imagine the unique challenges that brought, but somehow, it worked. We had something special, and we knew it.
The Genesis homes became showpieces at the International Builders’ Show (IBS), proudly displayed inside the main exhibit hall, not out in the parking lot. Builders could flip through a glossy catalog, point to a picture, and say, “That one.” And that was that. No endless configurations, no software logins, no codes to decipher. It was simple, elegant, and profitable.
Fast Forward 25 Years
Today, the word modular has exploded into a dozen meanings. Sure, we still have the classic single-family modular homes, but the landscape now includes folding homes, CrossMods built to the HUD code, ADUs, tiny homes, container homes, and panelized wall systems—all claiming the modular mantle.
Keeping track of it all is a full-time job. Between 2008’s housing crash and the upheaval of COVID, I watched more than 40 modular factories close their doors—something that was almost unheard of before. But after COVID came a surge of new startups—fresh faces building with new materials, new automation, and new ideas. Sadly, many of them failed. But a few—those with strong business plans, smart marketing, and flexible leadership—are thriving.
The difference today isn’t just in the product. It’s in the complexity. The codes, the regulations, the sustainability requirements, the energy standards—all well-intentioned, but piling up. It’s not unusual now for 30% of the cost of a new home to come from fees, permits, and compliance. That’s a far cry from the days when we could build a top-tier home, deliver it on time, and still leave room for healthy profit.
What We’ve Gained—and Lost
We’ve gained innovation—no question. Materials once unheard of are now standard. We have robotics, AI-driven design, and offsite fabrication that can turn blueprints into buildings in record time.
But we’ve lost something too—simplicity, clarity, and maybe even a bit of soul.
Back then, modular meant a better-built home, faster. Today, it can mean almost anything, and that’s both exciting and confusing—for builders, for buyers, and for the industry itself.
Looking Ahead
As I look back on those early Genesis days, I realize how much the industry has evolved—and how unpredictable the next 25 years will be. If you told me in 2000 that we’d be printing homes, folding them, or dropping them from cranes in steel boxes, I would’ve laughed.
But here we are.
And we’re still building.
Still dreaming.
Still trying to get it right.
The challenge for the next generation won’t be inventing new ways to build—it’ll be deciding which ways are worth keeping.
Because not everything that’s new is better…
and not everything that’s old should be forgotten.
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With over 9,000 published articles on modular and offsite construction, Gary Fleisher remains one of the most trusted voices in the industry.
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