|
Together with Randy Lanou of BuildSense, a full-service
architecture and contractor firm, they created a completely custom plan to suit
their family of five. Mr. Riggins is pleased by the individual attention that
BuildSense provided. “They listened to where our family was at the time and what
our needs were and modified that for modular,” says Mr. Riggins.
The final plan incorporated custom modular sections, which were manufactured by
HandCrafted Homes, which is based out of Henderson, NC. In total, the family’s
new home was a one-year project, “from the beginning conversation to the keys,”
says Mr. Riggins, noting that significant time was spent in the planning stage.
However, this detailed approach paid off later on. When the modular components
arrived, it took only four hours to set them in place, officially making the
home dried-in.
During the early planning stages, Mr. Riggins visited the HandCrafted Homes
factory, to “scope them out and to understand the process,” and found the tour
to be helpful in understanding the modular building process. Taking a factory
tour also often helps homeowners to feel more confident in the construction of
their home when they are able to see the precision and controlled engineering
methods first-hand.
Green attributes are also easily visible this way. “The nature of the process of
building in a climate-controlled area, where workers are comfortable and
supplies are protected in a weather-controlled space is green,” says Mr.
Riggins. “You have maximum conservation and less wasted resources.”
Sustainability and living in an environmentally-friendly manner is something
that has always been important to the Riggins family, and they appreciate their
home’s many green qualities.
The home is long and narrow, allowing for great cross-ventilation, and stands
three stories tall. “We oriented the long axis on an East-West line so it gets
maximum southern exposure in the winter,” Mr. Riggins explains. This practice,
called siting is an important and fundamental component of a green home.
Mr. Riggins explains that his home has thicker walls – 2” by 6” rather than 2”
by 4” – to accommodate more insulation, and they opted for a metal roof, which
is far more sustainable than traditional shingles that require replacement two
to three times during the lifespan of a metal roof. “My metal roof will last 50
years,” explains Mr. Riggins, adding, “and then it can be recycled when it’s
finally replaced.”
Cement fiber siding is impervious to rot and is another low-maintenance,
long-lasting material incorporated into the Riggins Home. Wide overhangs offer
further protection from the sun and rain, and provide welcomed shade in the
summer months.
Inside, the family chose natural flooring, including sustainably-harvested
bamboo planks. With so many windows, sunlight is plentiful, pouring in
throughout the day. “Frequently, we don’t use the lights at all,” says Mr.
Riggins, which saves the family money on their electric bills.
Looking back, the building process went so well that Mr. Riggins says that he
would consider incorporating modular again. “If I get to build another home, it
will probably be quite contemporary,” predicts Mr. Riggins, “but I think that
modular is becoming more flexible, so it would be wonderful if we could
incorporate it in any future homes. I absolutely recommend it.”
In the meantime, however, the family is most happy just where they are. “It’s
truly a beautiful home,” Mr. Riggins says. Beautiful, custom and modular.
Get a HybridScott Metheny, together with his wife, Vikki, also hired BuildSense to build
their green, modular home, when they moved from Asheville, NC, to the Durham, NC
area, and as a testament to the success of the project, today Mr. Metheny is a
member of the BuildSense team, working as a designer and builder.
Their home resides in a rural area, overlooking a rolling pasture of 11 acres
that belongs to a neighbor. As with the Riggins Family, it’s another peaceful
setting that was disturbed less due to the new home’s modern construction
techniques.
Mr. Metheny describes his family’s home as a hybrid, combining three modular
sections with site-built construction. One section houses the kitchen, dining
room and laundry. A second houses the master suite, and a third, upstairs,
provides two bedrooms and a bath for the couple’s sons. On the main floor, they
opted to build the family room on site, bridging the kitchen and master modules.
“Both my wife and I prefer a modern style,” says Mr. Metheny, “and we wanted an
open, clean design with a large, open kitchen and great room.”
Their custom plan perfectly suited all of their design wishes, as well as their
structural needs. “The way that modular homes are built makes them very tight
and well insulated,” says Mr. Metheny. As a testament, today their electric
bills average $75 per month, including heating and air-conditioning for their
entire 1,900 sq. ft. home. These lower-than-average utility bills are helped by
the fact that the home is oriented for passive solar, and the family rarely is
required to turn on lights during the day. Large overhangs shade and protect the
home’s exterior walls (made from corrugated, galvanized metal which won’t ever
require painting) and windows from the elements, and a standing seam metal roof
is equally sustainable.
“We’re very proud of our home and really enjoy it,” says Mr. Metheny. “It fits
our lifestyle, and is very durable, not only saving us financially, in not
having to do as much maintenance, but saving resources, too.”
Mr. Metheny has noticed an increased interest in green building over the years,
and says that BuildSense, which is known as a sustainably-minded firm,
practically requires it of their clients. “Most people are interested in
building green,” he says, “especially the energy savings.” He also finds the
modern technologies to be very accessible. “You don’t have to have $1 million to
have a green home, and that’s important.”
Like Mr. Riggins, Mr. Metheny also recommends that anyone considering a
system-built home should visit a modular manufacturer. “It’s a big selling point
when you can see that it is a normal house,” he says, adding, “The only
difference is that it’s probably built better.”
To continuing reading this article, please click here:
Explore the design flexibility
of modular and systems-built homes.
To return to the beginning of this article, please click here:
Learn about the modular construction
process.
|
Facebook