Pages Menu
Categories Menu

Posted by on Dec 29, 2016 in Blog |

Hot Housing Trends in 2017

Hot Housing Trends in 2017

It’s been said that the only constant in life is change itself. Democrats give way to Republicans; hoverboards give way to Hatchables; the iPhone 6 gives way to the Note 7, which explodes and then ultimately paves the way for an iPhone 8. Even housing trends—a category in which changes were once so glacial they were barely perceptible to the naked eye—are now undergoing profound and rapid transformation too. As real estate markets across the nation continue their unprecedented boom, the form and function of homes and living styles are changing rapidly to meet the new realities of American life. Small is the new big. Modular is the new custom-built. Three-dimensional printers are the new homebuilders. Communal living is the new grown-up, upscale obsession. Even yurts, the dwellings favored by Mongolian herders, are back. We’re not kidding. We at realtor.com® went through our archives to find the top trends of 2016 that have the potential to redefine, even transform, the housing market in 2017. Let’s go (back) to the future! Trend No. 1: Microapartments are the tiny homes of cities Everyone...

Read More

Posted by on Dec 16, 2016 in Blog |

Prefab Construction Used to Build Modular Hotel in Oklahoma

Prefab Construction Used to Build Modular Hotel in Oklahoma

The AC Hotel is rising quickly in Bricktown, as promised, with dozens of prefabricated hotel rooms being lifted by a crane and placed atop a one-story steel base that will be the hotel’s ground floor. The use of modular rooms built at an out-of-state factory is new to Oklahoma City and will result in the 142-room hotel topping out in about a week following the work starting last Friday. The rooms are fully furnished with desks, lamps, beds, bathrooms, air conditioners and even art on the walls. The AC Hotel at 411 E Sheridan Ave. and an adjoining 134-room Hyatt Place at 20 Russell Perry Ave. are being developed by NewcrestImage Hotels and are set to open next year. Construction of the modules started in June at Guerdon Modular Buildings in Boise, Idaho. The Hyatt Place, meanwhile, is being built using traditional methods. When the two hotels open next year, they will be a part of a dramatic transformation of east Bricktown that includes the 4,000-person Criterion concert venue,...

Read More

Posted by on Dec 16, 2016 in Blog |

Prefab Construction-A Made to Order Approach to Building

Prefab Construction-A Made to Order Approach to Building

Over the past decade or so, people have begun to turn towards modular buildings more and more. We have begun to realize that modular construction has a lot to offer in comparison to traditionally constructed buildings which is, perhaps, the biggest reason for its newfound popularity. Not only are prefabricated buildings quick to construct, but they also save money and resources. With our most pressing problem being the disturbance of our ecosystem, modular buildings have certainly contributed a lot to providing solutions. Let us take a look at how traditional construction differs from modular construction. 1. Process In modular construction:  Each separate unit (module) of a building is pre-fabricated in a controlled factory environment. In the meantime, the foundation is prepared at the construction site by the construction team. When the modules and foundation are both ready, the modules are transported to the construction site and are then assembled upon the foundation. Most of the construction, about 60% to 90%, takes place offsite which means that there can be...

Read More

Posted by on Dec 16, 2016 in Blog |

Modular Construction is Builder’s First Choice

Modular Construction is Builder’s First Choice

With the planned 1800 Terry building in Seattle, Kirkland WA-based Seawest Investment Associates is gunning for the first urban high rise project to be awarded a priority green building permit from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. By the numbers, 1800 Terry will feature 38 stories topping out at 440 feet, 424 rental units with floor plans up to 930 square feet per unit, 8,000 square feet of retail space, parking for 259 vehicles and 1,652,148 screws. It’s the screw count that has Arlan Collins excited. As principal and co-founder of Seattle-based architecture and planning firm CollinsWoerman, Collins calls 1800 Terry a “version three” iteration of the firm’s modular construction vision. The precision in material selection and procurement — down to the last screw — is one of many factors contributing to a project estimated to consume half the energy, generate half the waste and take half the time to build as a comparable, traditionally constructed building. Utilizing off-site manufacturing facilities, modular construction seeks to prefabricate wall panels and...

Read More

Posted by on Dec 5, 2016 in Blog |

An Introduction to Modular Construction

An Introduction to Modular Construction

The basic principle of prefab, whereby a home is fabricated in one location and then delivered to another, has been around for at least a few hundred years. An early example, the Manning Portable Colonial Cottage, provided the means for reliable shelter in British colonial outposts located far from 
anything that might have resembled 
a Victorian-era Home Depot. Between 1908 and 1940, Sears, Roebuck, and Company sold over 70,000 prefabricated house kits by 
mail to enterprising do-it-yourselfers across North America. These ready-to-assemble homes featured precut wooden components cross-referenced to a blueprint. Thanks to robust engineering, durable materials, and some good craftsmanship, many of these homes are still in use. After World War II the United States faced a severe housing shortage, and several ventures attempted to use industrialized factory-built housing to solve the crisis, including Lustron Homes and the General Panel Corporation. The Eames House, in Pacific Palisades, California (1949), 
explored the idea that a home could be constructed from off-the-shelf 
industrial parts and harness economies of scale for...

Read More

Posted by on Dec 1, 2016 in Blog |

Prefab Apartments Being Built for the Homeless

Prefab Apartments Being Built for the Homeless

A vacant site in Dublin city centre, which was to be an owner-designed apartment block, is to be used for the city’s first modular apartment development for homeless families. Dublin City Council has chosen two sites – one on Fishamble Street, close to Christ Church Cathedral on the south side of the city, and another in Coolock – for the “volumetric build” project, which will involve stacking factory-built housing units to form apartment blocks. The council earlier this year completed 22 “rapid build” two-storey houses in Ballymun to house homeless families living in hotels and has recently started work on 130 more houses at sites in Finglas, Drimnagh, Darndale and Cherry Orchard. Next month, it will seek tenders for more rapid build houses at three sites in the city. Two of these will be in Finglas, at Woodbank Drive – where four houses will be built – and at Rathvilly Park, which will have 13. In addition, tenders will be sought for 53 houses at HSE lands in Ballyfermot....

Read More
Call Now Button