Sustainable home building is most frequently executed by modular builders or architects of off-grid homes that generate their own power, but production builders have been slow to catch on. Production home builders typically take on multiple projects at once, and in a race to deliver more affordable housing across the U.S., many are slowly discovering that they benefit from offsite construction, The Washington Post reports.
Modular home building not only reduces the waste and demand for labor associated with a single-family project, but it also allows builders to complete homes quickly and efficiently. Van Metre Homes, a Northern Virginia-based home builder, recently put this idea into practice by completing its second “POWERhaus” modular constructed townhouse in Chantilly, Va., which the company hopes will serve as a prototype for future production home building.
“We’ve had a factory in Winchester, Virginia, since 2008 where we build roof trusses and wall trusses, so we wanted to do more in a factory setting for greater efficiency,” says Mike Sandkuhler, vice president of building operations for Van Metre Homes, based in Ashburn, Va. “Also, most people in the building industry understand that the skilled labor shortage we’re all experiencing isn’t disappearing. Modular construction can help us manage that shortage.”
Related Stories
NAHB
National Association of Home Builders Introduces New CEO
A new CEO is poised to take the helm at NAHB starting June 1, 2023
New-Construction Projects
Housing Starts Rose in April, but Are Still Down Significantly From a Year Ago
Single-family housing starts posted a small but promising increase in April, but builders are still confronting a major supply deficit that's been over a decade in the making
Builders
Home Builder Sentiment Posts Its First Positive Reading in Nearly a Year
Home builder confidence is on the rise as demand for new-home construction increases in an undersupplied market