SFGate reports a Massachusetts company is opening a factory on Vallejo’s Mare Island at the site of a former naval base just north of San Francisco. Close to the port of Oakland, and drawing on a nearby workforce of people skilled in home construction and high tech manufacturing, Blu Homes …
At the “State of the Manufactured Housing Industry” Congressional Field Hearings in Danville, Virginia, Nov. 29, members of the House Congressional Subcommittee on Housing, Insurance, and Community Opportunity heard from a variety of persons in the MH arena. Henry Czauski, Acting Deputy Administrator for the Office of Manufactured Housing programs, …
MH Field Hearing Yields HUD, MHI, Industry, and Resident Viewpoints Read More
AccessNorthGa reports from Baldwin, Georgia, that SteelCell of North America offers modular detention units tailor-made for particular applications, whether new construction or made to fit existing prison facilities. SteelCell president and CEO Mike Smith said, “We had a recent jail build in Virginia with 324 cells and had 65 different, …
InsuranceNewsNet reports a field hearing on “The State of Manufactured Housing” will be held by the House Financial Services Committee Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 at the Danville, VA City Council Chambers at 9 AM. Scheduled witnesses include Henry Czauski, acting deputy administrator Housing and …
Omaha reports Rod Tompkins, who operates Heritage Homes in Wayne, Nebraska, in the northeast part of the state, says business is picking up and he plans to add 16 production workers to the current roster of 64. The maker of custom modular homes and apartments says the biggest demand is …
GreenProphet reports that students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, have designed a solar powered modular home to compete in the Solar Decathlon next year. However, the upheaval of the Arab Spring has led to new leadership in Egypt, and funding to enter the competition next fall in Spain …
Curbed reports from Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards that Forest City Ratner is finalizing plans to build the world’s largest modular housing unit, divided between affordable rental housing and market rate rentals. The 32-story tower, the first of three residential edifices built in this development that will include a professional basketball arena …
If Ratner Quells Labor, Finds Financing, Modular Housing will Rise Read More
TheTownTalk reports from Alexandria, Louisiana, that a planned multi-family, modular housing development was blocked at a city council meeting by residents concerned that property values would fall and crime would increase. The council was considering a proposal to change the zoning from agricultural to multi-family to allow for the housing. …
The JournalSentinel reports while Republicans and Governor Scott Walker lauded the efforts of the state legislature to create jobs in their three-week session, the Democrats are skeptical of their claims. However, they did pass legislation that would allow trucks to transport larger and heavier loads, like modular homes, on the …
Yahoo!Finance reports A.M. Best Co. has upgraded Standard Casualty Company’s financial strength rating to A-(Excellent) from B++ (Good) and its issuer credit rating to “a-” from “bbb”. Standard had been downgraded Sept. 17, 2010 because of the financial uncertainly of its parent company, Palm Harbor Homes. Palm Harbor and five …
CBSLocal reports from Van Nuys, California, the 89 year-old estranged father of actress Jodie Foster may be looking at cell bars instead of his daughter’s films. Lucius Fisher Foster III allegedly took $5,000 from 20 people in the San Fenando Valley and promised them a low cost modular home, stalling …
JournalSentinel reports from Milwaukee that a Lustron house, made of porcelain-covered steel panels, is not considered historic and may be torn down. The company made about 2,600 of these prefabricated homes from 1948 to 1950 for returning GIs following World War II before going bankrupt. Innovative for its use of …
CanadaWire reports Innovative Composites International,, Inc., of Toronto has inked a deal to supply Brazil S.A. with $160 million worth of EcoScape modular homes over the next three years. In the agreement with Brazilian contractor Millenium Brasil Limitada and consultant Green Intelligence Corporation, the large project homes will be shipped …
GreenMuze reports a conceptual modular house featuring computer-controlled glass panels that control the amount of light entering the home is engineered for quick assembly, and is adaptable to harsh living conditions, including the desert. The California Roll House, created by designer Christopher Daniel, is engineered from fiber reinforced plastic and …
ConnecticutCollege reports its steel prefabricated house in New London, CT, manufactured by General Houses, Inc., of Chicago will be disassembled and shipped to Milner + Carr in Philadelphia, where each panel will be cleaned and restored. Built in 1933 for Winslow Ames, founding director of the New London Lyman Allyn …
Bradenton reports Champion Commercial Structures, a division of Champion Homes, will team with Russell Building Group to build 83 housing units for Flint, Michigan’s, Smith Village Neighborhood. Funded by a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant, the homes will replace thousands of dilapidated houses that were demolished, with low to …
VancouverSun reports the brothers Goodjohn were at the edge of disaster a couple of years ago with their high-end modular business, and now have ten office employees, 30 on the production line, and sales approaching $20 million. Businessman W. Brett Wilson helped Karoleena, Inc., develop a business plan and invested …
CrainsNewYork reports a conference in New York City to discuss the shortage and expense of housing in the city resulted in several innovative approaches by advocates and architects, including modular. Many of the proposals at the Citizens Housing and Planning Council are for smaller, cheaper quarters, and some suggest communal …
CNBC reports following consolidation in the MH industry, surviving companies are targeting the energy efficient home-building market. “Manufactured homes offer quality housing at costs from 10 to 35 percent less than site-built construction. As people continue to see utility costs rise with inflation, they will appreciate the cost savings achievable …
MarketWatch reports that Champion Homes, Inc. has developed a marketing tool that will enable potential buyers to view different options on a manufactured or modular home by clicking on to Champion’s website. DiVE IN (Design Interactive Viewing Experience) offers a “virtual tour” of different floor plans, kitchen layouts, flexible spaces, …
