Rent Real EstateManufactured Housing: Building In A Building
Most Canadians are unaware that manufactured housing has come a long way
from its "trailer" days. Even those who visit Canada"s home shows to
learn about the latest innovations often do not fully appreciate what
they are seeing when the featured building is a manufactured home.
Canadian manufactured or modular homes are indistinguishable from new
Canadian wood-frame houses built out in the elements.
In Canada, manufactured or modular housing are umbrella terms that
describe everything from build-it-yourself log cabins to luxury homes
that are factory constructed as modules and then assembled on-site.
Inside its Ontario plant, Royal Homes,
one of Canada"s largest modular home builders, manufactures homes of all
sizes and styles, including R2000 energy-efficient houses and "smart
homes" with a home management system that controls heating,
entertainment, security and appliances.
Canadian factory-built modular housing is high quality housing
considered by many to be superior to "stick-built" or standard on-site
construction. Modular manufacturing techniques have advantages over
traditional outdoor construction because they:
allow year-round construction
cut installation time drastically
are ideal for remote locations and rural areas
easily accommodate customization
protect the system from exposure to the weather
facilitate quality management and consistent workmanship
cut waste and environmental impacts
Manufactured housing leaves the factory, ready to be completed at the
site, in a variety of stages: as pre-cut pieces to be assembled on
site; as panels to be completed on arrival; or, as modules that are
joined together on location. Pre-cut and panelized housing varies in
quality in accordance with the proportion of do-it-yourself building
that is involved to finish the house. A modular house arrives at the
building site in two or more three-dimensional modules which have had
plumbing, floor coverings, cabinetry, electrical systems and insulation
installed in the plant.
As the entire structure is protected from the weather, work can proceed
in the most efficient order instead of being driven by a need to close
in the house as soon as possible. For example, dry insulation may be
carefully installed from outside of the drywall, before the siding goes
on, thus creating a more energy efficient house.
In Canada, the manufactured housing industry has thirty years under its
belt but is still only contributing a small percentage of annual housing
starts. In contrast, manufactured housing, largely in panelized and
modular form, commands 90 per cent of the housing market in Sweden and a
30 per cent market share in Japan.
As more Canadians start to "think outside the box" when it comes to
their homes, there will be increasing demand for low-cost, high-quality
attractive housing, demand that modular housing may step forward to
fill. The age of outdoor, on-site construction may gradually give way to
the era of manufactured housing or "building in a building."
For more information: Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute, Ottawa - 613-563-3520