Building any type of home with modified SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) walls and roofs is not something that happens every day but the modular housing industry rarely sees it. But this startup in Texas believes this is the way to build better affordable and energy-efficient homes.
Homeowners who want to expand and prospective buyers looking for a livable space they can afford are struggling in the current market, but there’s an option that could change the game, according to Eric Robb, president of Turn Key Fabrication.
Robb builds 400-square-foot homes in a Fort Worth factory and delivers them to the owners.
While they still have to deal with permitting and, in some cases, zoning, it’s a much faster and less expensive process than building or adding on to a single-family home.
“There’s a big market for this,” said Robb, who started his business earlier this year. “Everyone was saying there were one-year delays. If you’re buying your own custom home, the sales cycle is really long. We jumped in the market and that didn’t really turn out to be true for us.”
“Input prices are declining as supply chains continue to improve,” said TRERC Research Economist Harold Hunt. “Lumber prices are a third of what they were six months ago, and shipping costs are falling. Many economists feel like inflation has peaked, but it’s still a long way back to the 2 percent target that the Federal Reserve is shooting for.”
The price received for finished homes is expected to fall more than input prices over the next six months, the report states.
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Gary Fleisher is the Editor in Chief of Modular Home Source and Offsite Builder. Email at [email protected]
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