Thank you to everyone who attended the plant tour to view the Ford House being built. One tour participant had this to say (via email) afterward:

“Absolutely amazing to see someone’s home being built in that fashion.  So much more effective/efficient.  Not only for the clients, and the sake of the home, but for the construction crew, as well.  Seemed they were able to work in a more narrowly focused effort to achieve one common goal.” – Austin Aaron, Red Home Realty | The Good Life

The photos below show the progression of the home down the assembly line. Here are a few notable differences between site built homes and factory built homes:

• With site built homes, the shell is built first and then all the interior work is done in order to protect the inside of the home from the elements. Because the ma modular homes are built inside, they can be built in a more streamlined and cost effective fashion – from the inside out! For example, once the floor is built, plumbing is run and all the showers, tubs and stools are set in place. Then the bathroom is built around them.

• In the factory, wood frame walls are built horizontally in one long section on top of a large table. The slabs of wood are set equal distances apart and nailed in place, creating a straighter, stronger wall. A crane then picks up the whole wall section and sets it in place. On site, the builder holds up and each 2×4 or 2×6 separately and nails it into place.

• Factory built homes produce much less waste. Homes in factories produce, on average, 1 dumpster of trash/scrap for every 3 houses versus on-site construction which can produce several dumpsters of trash for 1 house. Also, shorter build times equal less resource usage and expense.

This Tuesday, one week after going into production, the Ford House will be ready for delivery.