Exploring Modular Homes - Cheapest Path to Net Zero?

Exploring Modular Homes - Cheapest Path to Net Zero? Owning a home is an important life milestone for a lot of people, but the ever increasing cost of construction materials and affordable housing is a major roadblock. And on top of that, traditional construction methods and materials cause a surprising amount of gas emissions and waste. But there are some really cool trends around more sustainable building practices that may change that ... if you can get past some preconceived notions that pop into your head when you hear, "modular homes." Can modular homes keep the dream of home ownership alive, as well as make a positive impact on the environment?
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[@22bendavis]

Totally love to follow your process in getting into a low emissions home. I'm on the same path and would love to follow your process.

[@UndecidedMF]

👍I'm just at the beginning and it's already a rollercoaster of an experience.

[@FIXTRONIXUSA]

@@UndecidedMF Hope your documenting it. This rollercoaster experience can help us all.

[@garyenwards1608]

@@FIXTRONIXUSA O

[@hylofthacker]

Here's what I came up with: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZu5q56Mlrysmpo I'd love to have some suggestions or comments. Thank you for sharing.

[@rdrangr]

@@PGMP2007 Elon Musk lives in one of those in Boca Chica, TX

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Cheaper housing is a good way to remove daily stress.

[@davidstrong7854]

people will find a way to make more expensive, more complicated. Its human nature.

[@alterego157]

Except it's not really any cheaper

[@RNBMusicLover]

True but modular homes are not cheap at all

[@dosadoodle]

Want a cheaper home? Get a 20% smaller home: Cut out the 20% of the building that would have been used the least to make that other 80% much more enjoyable and comfortable. And as a bonus, it will cost less to operate going forward, too, and that will also remove some ongoing daily stress. :)

[@alterego157]

@@dosadoodle That's actually very good advice. Plenty of people build homes big enough that a few rooms are used only for collecting dust and things they don't ever use.

[@davidderoode7691]

Would love to see your build process

[@tucker8594]

Ditto!

[@UndecidedMF]

👍

[@andrewmaperson]

@@UndecidedMFme too

[@Hadookyn]

Yes I’d love to hear about the process going forward Matt. Also, as an alternative, it’d be really cool to hear about 3-D printed home construction options. Matt we adore what you do and how you break things down into digestible parts!! Please keep it up, you rock!!!

[@justinjones5281]

Yeah imagine owning a 50 million dollar 3 d printer that you can transport to the build site. What would be a good idea would be if this printer could use any waste material, such as rubber plastics etc.

[@showshowtomakefreeenergyge2426]

The cost of construction materials is rising, and this is a barrier to affordable housing. However, there are ways to build homes that are more affordable. One option is modular homes. Modular homes are built in a factory and then assembled on site. They are often cheaper to build than traditional homes, and they can be constructed quickly. Additionally, modular homes can be designed to be energy efficient, which can save money on utility bills.

[@PazLeBon]

@@showshowtomakefreeenergyge2426 lmao yeah we just watched the video

[@MrEroshan]

I lived in a Modular built in the 90's. It was far more insulated than anything else in the area. It had 6" walls and was easy to heat and cool.

[@UndecidedMF]

Nice!

[@sebastiant5695]

Got a Modular built in 2000, when Hurricane Irma ripped 2017 through the neighborhood - one of the few buildings without any damage. Further what I like about - everything is standardized. - if you want to make changes - all rooms are increments of 2ft so there is no need for custom stuff and weird seized furniture you need to get in a site built home

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

There was a change in regulations in certain climate zones that necessitated going from the 2x4 construction to 2x6 or 2x8. Those same regulations are even stricter today. Homes built today with modern building practices will be far superior to homes built a decade ago regardless of how it was built. But they are significantly more expensive when factoring in inflation.

[@vanessacherche6393]

5 1/2" exterior wall have been standard in northern us climate for at least 15 years. Modular ain't bad if it's simple, more complex houses may as well be site built, negligible time savings vs. extra cost imho...

[@specialopsdave]

Same! Our gas company gives us a comparison to the average residential customer's gas use in my local area, and my house uses nearly half the amount of natural gas in the winter compared to the average residential customer

[@garyhcarroll]

Yes to the walk-thru, and finding out more about passive houses, who's doing it, etc... I'd also love to learn about next gen insulation, building techniques, materials etc...

[@showshowtomakefreeenergyge2426]

As energy costs continue to rise, more and more people are looking for ways to make their homes more energy efficient. One way to do this is to explore next-generation insulation and building techniques. There are a number of different insulation materials on the market today, each with its own set of benefits and drawbacks. However, there are a few that stand out as being particularly effective at reducing energy costs. One such material is spray foam insulation. Spray foam is made from expanding polyurethane and is sprayed onto walls and ceilings. It is an effective insulator because it seals off all cracks and crevices, preventing heat loss. Another popular option is cellulose insulation. Cellulose is made from recycled paper products and is often used in attics and crawl spaces.

[@IchiHishi]

The Sims' houses are finally a reality.

[@UndecidedMF]

😆

[@gnomechump-stiny7128]

@@UndecidedMF hey have you looked into T-studs framing . It allows to have an insulation monolith that has very little thermal bridgeing

[@Robert08010]

Now if I can just import my life.

[@priestofhiro]

that software at 0:28 has got me so excited

[@protorhinocerator142]

4:10 "One of the big reasons modular homes are more affordable... is due to waste." Another big reason is labor. They can build it in a place (often Mexico) where labor is much cheaper and then ship it to your site. This is nothing new. I had a shed built about 20 years ago and they told me it was built in Mexico. It's held up remarkably well. In fact I don't know anyone with a better shed. 10x20, cathedral ceiling, electrical wiring, two overhead lights. I did a little of the wiring myself but that was super cheap.

[@tiagobolanos1180]

Can you put the values in metric in a little corner when you do the calculations, it gets really hard to compare for people who aren't used to imperial

[@eugenehoitt3250]

11sqft at equal to a little more than a M^2

[@njipods]

@@eugenehoitt3250 thanks. now just do that in real time for us and we are good.

[@officialspock]

I want football field measurement

[@carlosandleon]

How many freedom eagles? per square oil barrel?

[@UndecidedMF]

Sorry about that. I've been very inconsistent on that in my videos.

[@Bound4Earth]

I question the waste metric used here. Sure you definitely go from a couple of dumpsters down to a fraction of that, but you have to factor in the waste created at the factor where they construct the modular parts before transport. I can definitely see them being able to better plan and use more of the wood without creating as much waste but, arguing it goes from a couple dumpsters to a couple bags is nothing but ignorance. I would be curious to know how much waste is created at the factory so we can measure how much more efficient it can be. Even 30% can make a big difference, it is definitely not the 90% claimed here.

[@lor8olo]

yes yes yes ! show us your experience with the new house!

[@UndecidedMF]

👍

[@Z0MBUSTER]

@@UndecidedMF 👍👍

[@mikeluongo537]

I would like to see how you go through the process! I will start exploring options too. Would love to get out of the condo/apartment I am living in. I am north of Boston, on New Hampshire Line. I would like to open a line of communication between us, if possible. I have a home building and HVAC/solar background. Keep me in the loop? I will give you my email if you'd like?

[@mkz3r0]

Sounds really interesting, I would love to know more about this.

[@EqualsThreeable]

Positive impact: “starts the video showing a helicopter delivering parts”

[@alterego157]

That's just to keep the price down

[@simonbaigrie2485]

Ha ha thought the same!

[@leandersearle5094]

I wouldn't be surprised if in mountainous or hilly terrain, the speed and (relative) efficiency of the helicopter wound up ultimately being competitive from an emissions stand point. Edit: Just my best crack at a defense off the top of my head, I could be blowing smoke from all I know.

[@matterantimatter4075]

Agree. And while Matt doesn't create those video clips, it is noticeable that virtually every one of them was building on virgin soil in a rural area, which will negate a good portion of climate emissions savings, and will destroy natural habitat. We need more infill development of efficient housing. It reminds me of a local bank that built a LEED certified building in the middle of a corn field; now ~100 staff drive cars way out to this remote location every day (a bit less during pandemic) on a huge parking lot, negating pretty much all the good the LEED certification had done.

[@MrCurlay]

Thoroughly enjoy your channel. It would be great to see more content as you progress with your build.

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, will do!

[@Hirotechnics]

"Owning a home is an important life milestone-" Let me stop you there bud; for people my age and younger, I can correct that sentence to be "an egregious life impossibility."

[@PapaDougsAdventures01]

Matt - Trent Palmer and his wife built a beautiful home built in a factory and delivered to their property outside of Reno NV. You should look at his channel for a couple of videos showing the process and the finished product.

[@sharongillesp]

The idea and costs of modular homes sounds inviting BUT they are basically made for CAR DEPENDENT neighborhoods, which is nearly 90% of zoning in America. There’s significant heat/air lost with homes standing independently; there’s the use of fossil fuels (even in the construction of electric cars) when you could simply walk/bike/public transportation of under 15 minutes in NO CAR communities, and finally there’s no sense of connection or community in CAR DEPENDENT cities.

[@JohnHollowell]

4:15 So I understand that the construction garbage is significantly less at the final location, but isn't the remainder of the waste just abstracted away and still exists at the initial construction facility? I imagine there is some amount of repurposing scrap material from one house for another at the facility, but I don't think it is completely eliminated.

[@terryfaugno9242]

Yes, in a factory environment, you're building wall or roof sections to a specific blue print on a massive jig, so you can order lumber/steel or other dimensionally critical components and materials in dimensions that are optimized for that design to minimize the amounts of fitting needed, thus minimizing waste. It doesn't eliminate it entirely, but it does reduce it significantly compared to traditional building methods.

[@MurDocInc]

I worked on my uncle's typical build sites during summer breaks and there wasn't that much garbage. Mostly just small cut offs and packaging, not much more than a small dumpster. Any leftover usable material went to shop for future builds. So not sure where that statistic is coming from, doesn't make any sense, maybe if it's reno which requires demo but not a new build.

[@goodbodha]

@@terryfaugno9242 I can tell you right now the waste in regards to wood will be very similar. The efficiency of a factory environment is having a well stocked inventory of the parts. To cut down on skus the manufacturer very likely makes use of standard dimensional products and cuts them to size. On steel though it is possible that if they are making a lot of something they may order parts in that length from their supplier. The supplier likely cuts to size, but they can toss the scrap back into the recycling stream rather efficiently. The major benefits for a heated indoor construction site are steady progress unlike a site built home that will run into delays. No doubt about it that is huge, but are those savings passed on to you or are they eaten up in the delivery costs and markups? I lean towards it being the latter. So far every home Ive seen be a manufactured home has been priced at the upper end of the local market conditions. If it is truly saving you money shouldn't those homes be substantially cheaper? Instead they always try to market it has more home for the same price. Same house getting installed here gets installed in a cheaper market 30 miles away in a rural county and magically is 50-100k cheaper. To me this sounds like a highly efficient means of fleecing people of their money.

[@donaldendsley6199]

@@MurDocInc It really depends on the new build. A lot of new builds are actually custom houses, which are higher end. A lot of those are so complex it's difficult to be really efficient with material use. so yes Modular can generate much less waste than site built. By the same token site built can be just as low waste as a modular build. But on average Modular generates less waste.

[@thatkajunguy8029]

At the factory or at the build site waste is.. waste. Maybe a little savings in the cost for rental of the waste bin but that's about it. In my experience modular homes have their place, they have been around for decades, they are not the cure-all Matt makes them out to be...

[@Kramitall]

Modular housing is great, but it isn't cheaper. $200k for 1000 sq ft house and you still need to pay for land and utility hook ups? 10-20% less? If they want to disrupt the market the price needs to come down significantly. How is 10-20% less better when they have such larger economies of scale, low waste, and much quicker cycle times? You portray these as affordable homes and they aren't. $200k per SQ. Ft. These things sound like it's mostly margin for the manufacturer. I'd love to know what gross margin is on these things. If it's 10-20%, then they don't know what they are doing.

[@jillmarie3501]

I would love to see you go through this process! We are a few years out from building our passive home. Your video on the topic is what got me hooked on your channel!

[@angrydragonslayer]

I'm lucky to be in sweden i guess, i'm looking at adding a second house to my property and the companies i'm talking with have quoted $1200/ m2 (about $108/ sq ft) for "full entreprenad" (where the company does everything, including paperwork) and $500-$1000 as a work cost in case permits are denied And yes, the models all meet passivhaus and come ready for solar, one (the one i'm leaning towards) even coming with a terrace that you can add on a solar roof onto for almost the same as a normal angled panel rack

[@MrJamesknot]

Hi Matt, great post, I would like to see posts of your home project. Thank you, James

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, James. 👍

[@toddabbott781]

First of all the price increase was because Covid messed up sipping and trade. Second if states like California would open up more forests to manage harvesting they would not only lower lumber prices, but also provide good paying jobs, more tax revenue for the state, and the lumbering would create roads and fire break to limit forest fires they suffer every year. Modular homes are very expensive to ship an with shipping being at a premium right now projects can run over budget and or be delayed months. There is also the problem with local and state regulations and the fact some would rather deal with a local builder. While pre-fabricated homes can be good quality, any time yo have a company producing large quantiles of product they tend to cut corners where ever they can. It is a mixed bag. Also while there might be some options they are typically VERY limited. If pre-fabricated homes become even more popular you will either see the market get taken over by a large company concerned with only profits or tons of smaller companies popping up all over with a varied level of quality. CO2 is NOT the problem... it is PM2.5 and mismanaged waste. They switched to CO2 because there was no money or power for going after poor countries they will not listen to you, but they is big money and power for going after oil and the US. Even though China is BY FAR the worst polluter... 2x the CO2, 7x the PM2.5, 29x the mismanaged waste, and 32x the waste dumped in the ocean than the US, they will not go after China. If it meant SOOOOO much to the environmentalists they would put a carbon tax on trade with China and not on much cleaner and more efficient industries in the US. Instead they seem to want the US to export manufacturing to countries that pollute far more... then pollute more by shipping the products back to the US. Most of the PM2.5 and mismanaged waste is in Asia, the Middle East, most of Africa... www.iqair.com/earth

[@PinataOblongata]

When you cover something like this, it would be great if you could include a small segment on the state of play concerning the topic in a few different countries, such as the the UK and Australia. I pretty much just want to know if whatever you're covering is viable here in Australia.

[@jimmatthews6034]

joshshouse.com.au/ First video series I saw discussing battery backup power (which I installed after my gas generator failed).

[@Anonymous-wq1rf]

In the UK (and Europe?) the cost of the land to build even the smallest house far exceeds the cost of construction. Factory 'panel built', known as 'timber framed' houses in the UK, got a bad reputation because the panels were not adequately protected against moisture ingress on site. In every case these 'timber framed' houses are faced with brick, not brick tiles, due to their proximity and building regulations minimising transmission of fire. Even if you have the wherewithal to purchase a large plot of land, a timber building (and some others) is classified as 'non-conventional construction' by Mortgage lenders so they are only available to cash buyers. Whilst I admire your argument for energy efficient homes, most American houses last for only fifty years. In Europe we continuously maintain or repeatedly modernise brick and stone buildings that are hundreds of years old and even some 'timbered' (9"x9" timbers) with 'wattle and daub' panels and thatched roofs that are over five hundred years old.

[@gamelord12]

I'm not hearing a whole lot in the "cons" column here. I guess my question is, what's the catch? Why aren't these so universally a good idea that they're dominating the market?

[@perpetualgrimace]

Not customizable, preconceived notions of what a mobile home is, Not How Houses Are Traditionally Built™ - but you're right, there aren't many real cons. I bet there will be a lot of growth here over the coming years.

[@jccapwell]

This is a paradigm shift and that creates a bit of resistance. Also noted was the difficulty in customization. But then when a stick built home is be customized the additional cost is often ignored as a factor in the build. Look around; this building option has merit.

[@johntierney3353]

One of the bigger problems I ran into (1994) was finding a lot to put the thing on. I had a couple of instances where the owner of the lot would not sell me the lot because I was going to put a module home on it. The other 2 items is finance and insurance. Finance was not a problem because I paid cash. Modular homes are still very much a niche product and there are parts of the "real estate" industry that want nothing to do with it. Just like mobile homes.

[@MrBadbonesaw]

As 3D printed homes start becoming popular people are now noticing how customizable modular homes can be. Even Customized shipping containers are becoming trendy. I live in an area where homes are somewhat cheap but I am looking at this option for multifamily homes as the prices for rentals are rather high or nonexistent in certain areas other than bad areas. I watch the build show from time to time and it's amazing how bad some home builders are who don't do custom builds put homes together. That and every house looks the same with the same layout in every subdivision. If I lived in an area like Colorado or the east and west coast this would be a no-brainer for going the modular route.

[@ivancho5854]

Firstly, it's never a good idea to buy at the peak of the market. We're in a housing bubble, have patience. We're all used to house prices going up forever. Can you envision circumstances changing? If more people die and more properties come on the market than are being bought prices will fall and STAY LOW. An economic slow down will bring prices down for a long time and good luck trying to get a mortgage then. A stock market crash is another risk. Buying an existing home may not be "customisable", but get a survey and you know what you are getting. Boring advice, I know, but we're talking about your biggest asset, so be prudent. This is why it's hard to get a mortgage on these projects - too many risks. Next, go down to your local fire station and ask their professional opinion of them. Also talk to your building insurer and NOT the manufacturer's building insurer. Also how long is the guarantee and is it worth the paper it's written on - could you sue in them locally or in their state? If a local builder's houses have problems then people know about it and they go out of business. Think about it and I'm sure that you could think of a lot more questions. It's important that YOU are able to think critically. It's life skill. Let the buyer beware. Having said all that, I personally this method of construction is the future. But it may benefit the manufacturers more than the buyers. All the best.

[@Robert08010]

Its clearly NOT REASONABLE to claim low power lights as a reason why modular homes are better. That is ABSURD since any and ever home can use low power lights.

[@chrisconklin2981]

I find your presentation on housing somewhat narrowly focused, i.e: standard middle class suburban. It is an OK place to start, but location is the big issue. The location includes building codes, land use, neighbors, and things like utilities and roads. Over half of our population cannot afford what you are talking about. Affordable housing for people on a limited budge is a real issue. The housing industry is not oriented to the low end.

[@Anthonybrother]

Agreed, let's have a talk about establishing a trailer park village somewhere remote.

[@user-tp9gy8kt2q]

Check out Earthships. They can be built very inexpensively, they use a small fraction of the power required to heat and cool a traditional home, and they are built to last a few lifetimes. The ones built since 2013 have all the latest features that make it a modern design - though many of the earlier designs are still being used today.

[@Asmuk]

I'm so glad to have found your channel. It was like discovering a similar soul with more knowledge on a topic of common interest. Right now, I just bought a piece of land in Latvia, and plan to build a house. Surely I would like to hear more about your experience in the process. Here perfect insulation, "energo-efektivitate" and modular homes are part of the day by day, but still have to understand fully what the options are and how to take the next steps and actually build our place.

[@UndecidedMF]

Glad you found the channel too. There's so much information and options to sift through before starting a build. If you're like me and trying to build the perfect, energy efficient house for yourself (sounds like you are), take your time to get it done right. I'm trying to do that myself. As much as I'd love to be in my new place now ... I'd rather wait a little longer to make sure I get it done exactly like I want it.

[@artsmith103]

SIP is very comfortable. Don't know about similar options. Jibcrete is noticeable improvement. Not sure of the costs. I'm not impressed with in-floor heat. Pay a lot of attention to window sun exposure and manage via carefully designed roof overhangs. Maybe some ground mount solar rather than all out of reach.

[@chrisbullock6477]

Hummmm confusing. The "Cheapest Path" still will only be available, promoted to, and taken advantage of by the same percentage of the population that historically have the highest home ownership and loan possibilities....same old stuff wrapped in different advertising.

[@jimmatthews6034]

You're 5-10 years ahead of my similar project. Please include embedded CO2 emissions costs due to transport from factory to building (assembly) site.

[@ElvargsBane]

Wouldn't that vary greatly based on the different build sites?

[@jimmatthews6034]

@@ElvargsBane Of course. Matt can calculate his own situation as a baseline.

[@sebastiant5695]

the construction material is trucked to the build site anyhow, no matter if the assembled or not. If you truck a palette of 2x4 to the site or a complete wall - doesn't make difference. That 20-50 construction worker are commuting to your build site from far away - makes a HUGE impact. Count all those cars and Pickup trucks going to the site every day - going to lunch and back every day for months - crazy CO2 - - trucking the whole house once and assembly for 3 days? peanuts .

[@elwinvanwees8516]

In 5-10 years a Tesla Semi or similar will transport your home, so not to worry. 😀

[@HamRadio200]

@@elwinvanwees8516 Yup and the harsh reality is that those Tesla Semis or similar, if they're going to compete with traditional fossil fueled trucks of today, will be charged with electricity produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels. So to reach "net zero" your house can consume NO energy for the first 5-10 years. By then, you'll have given up on it and it'll be rotting away, releasing biomass CO2 increasing your carbon footprint so you are allowed to not breath. Sounds silly, but Net zero is a pipe dream. CO2 is not the enemy, but the politicians and environmentalists are making it out to be... what a sham.

[@guytech7310]

Modular homes produce about the same amount of waste as on-site construct. Generally Module home designs are to minimize waste, If you use the same design as the modular home the waste will be about the same. As far as waste, if the home is built right with quality products it will last a long time and thus minimize waste over the lifetime of the home. Poorly constructed homes using inferior products (usually to cut costs) will generate a lot more waste do to repairs. Issue with modular homes is your unlikley to include materials & designs for high-performance homes: ie SIP roof continuous exterior insulation, large roof overhangs, as will as over all dimensions (ie each piece must fit on a flat bed truck). Also some building sites might be unsuitable because you will not be able to get a flat bed truck with heavy load to the jobsite. Traditional construction methods also allow you to tweak the construction when issues are discovered. This could be increasing the door opening or shifting a window or door opening a few inches. It can be difficult to visualize very detail on CAD drawings or even with a virtual walkthrough. Matt Risinger's YT channel has a lot of videos on High performance home construction.

[@pauldawe8560]

I would be v interested in more details on this subject. Cheers, great channel!👏👍🤗

[@darrenb82]

McKinsey wrote a decebt report on the sector in 2019 www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/modular-construction-from-projects-to-products

[@tyroberts2261]

Watch Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Modular homes were going to be the next big thing in the 70’s, along with geodesic domes and computer controlled lights etc. what went wrong and will it go wrong again

[@randalsmith2713]

Resell value, and getting mortgages are always an issue with modular homes in the US.

[@robertellis6066]

That is true. Also, insurance can be more expensive and they tend to depreciate in value.

[@AlexBerg1]

Why would it be a concern for banks? It is up to code.

[@randalsmith2713]

@@AlexBerg1 Not sure why, you have to ask the banks. New is usually not a issue, it is when people attempt to buy one that is not new, is when the issues start. It might be that modular have a tendency to depreciate.

[@Marco3202002]

@@randalsmith2713 How is that possible though? There has to be some underlying reason why the mortgage market sees existing modular homes as a liability rather than an asset. Which to me is baffling, Idk about you?

[@MrBadbonesaw]

I think modular homes and mobile homes need to be classified differently by insurance. One's on wheels and can easily be blown away by bad storms or is more prone to meth-explosions LOL. The other is simply a house built on a slab rather quickly.

[@Hazdazos]

I love the idea of a more energy efficient modular home, but then when you actually look to buy or build a home the picture is far less rosy than this video suggests. Just finding a company can be difficult - the attitude from far too many builders is so last century, plus finding real, honest prices for the entire process is very tough to find. Remember, you still need to buy the land, and set it up. And way too many builders out there are shady at best, total crooks at worst.

[@STABloid]

Yes, your own series based on your personal journey throughout your planning & building of your own home would be algorithmically and publicly devoured. "Grand Designs" is a 2 decade strong international tv series for a reason.

[@THEmickTHEgun]

This home will cost you $50,000 The helicopter required to deliver the parts in this remote location is an extra $420,000

[@laichihong2230]

Hi Matt, thank you very much for the introduction of modular house. But I am slightly more curious on how they put the utilities (pumping, cable, etc.) into the wall, or a simple construction process of the house?

[@coldtesla6212]

Other than the Perception that modular is mobile, its the way to go, but I disagree with this "net zero" there is no such thing, you make emissions, always, every day. Can you make Zero? Maybe in warm climates. Net Zero is a marketing term. Look carefully of what is offered as most products do not make a difference in home building, you can spend 30% more and never get that back in your life time. Take the extra money and plant trees or other CO2 removal systems.

[@cdgonepotatoes4219]

1:48 Being European, my standard for sturdiness for a house is brick and concrete so talks about the differences in sturdiness between one wooden house and the other always sound a little silly, as if you're seriously concerned about your long term investment you should probably first think about not making the load bearing structure out of flammable material... Not to mention the price of terrain is much higher and unless you're very well off buying an already existing house is really your only realistic alternative. That aside I can't see why a modular house shouldn't be as sturdy as one built on site, considering all modules need to hold up indipendent of one another and survive the trip as well as being hoisted up and down, if anything the sturdiness of a house built on site shouod be questioned more because unlike a modular one, you can't slice off a piece and be absolutely certain the rest won't collapse.p

[@itekani]

Depends where you live. Here in Sweden wood is pretty standard for single family houses. I heard wooden houses tolerate earthquakes better because they are a bit flexible whereas bricks or concrete may crack and crumble.

[@MDP1702]

Honestly, they probably could just do the outer framings/load bearing contours in steel or such and fill it up with wood and insulation material etc.

[@itekani]

@@MDP1702 You could, but you would increase the carbon footprint of the building without adding any significant improvements. Wood is good enough for small houses when it comes to strength and rigidity. Only problem is maintaining wooden facades in the increasingly humid weather. You can spend the extra dough on a brick facade to make it more maintenance free.

[@MDP1702]

@@itekani I am talking about when/if just wood is not enough, for example due ti local regulations etc.

[@Jorpl_]

There are ways to treat wood so that it becomes as fire retardant as concrete, and build wooden houses in a way that aren't complete bonfires waiting to happen. Look up wooden skyscrapers!

[@maxfastest]

Folks better start looking for a new Planet to move to and hope space travel finds amazing ways to do it quickly ! This one is TOAST !

[@StarbaseTx]

Love love love these modular homes! I feel they are superior and many people will want to buy one. My only complaint, no one has yet figured out how to put it all together as a package including the lot, necessary electricity, gas, sewer, etc. The industry needs to figure out a way to be able to package the entire thing together.

[@justinjones5281]

Quality homes bro. They dig they back fill they pour they plan they engineer they do absolutely everything. 1800 square foot bungalow plus basement 539000 Canadian at the time of this message modular is 100-500$ per square foot. Depends how much you want to do yourself

[@oldmanfromscenetwentyfour8164]

So, a 1,000 sqft home will cost about $250,000 (not counting lot, foundation, hookups, etc.) That's NOT affordable.

[@Hexlattice]

Would love to follow the process! My wife and I are in the same situation!

[@libertykrueger1433]

No mention of SIP construction homes. Those are by far the most energy efficient options in prefabricated or panelized home construction.

[@clairer7039]

I’m looking to get an eco home for myself and considering a modular home as one option so it would be great to see your build process!

[@JonStielstra]

Yes, Matt, more videos on prefab high-performing homes. Thank you

[@garye2906]

I’ve lived in one for over twenty five years. Love it!

[@izacjackson5206]

Would love to see a video on your modular passive home. I’m new to New England and am hoping to build a home within the next 5 years.

[@ooglek]

Yep, keep posting videos like these about modular homes. Woot! I'd love to see how your experience pans out.

[@spinninsessions9626]

Im a lender and I agree! Most of my clients have been priced out or out bidded. I've been saying it for years this is the new way. As a professional myself, I'm all for it.

[@christophersamuelson451]

What are the possibilities for going off grid with a modular home? Glad I stumbled across this video.

[@Grief111]

My two recommendations for net zero home builds. Look into 2x6 or 2x8 exterior walls. Standard 2x4 doesn't provide enough insulation. Do some research into aerosol sealants to fully seal the exterior walls.

[@jimmatthews6034]

Spray foam insulation is falling out of favor due to complicated repairs *if* there is a failure (typically due to water damage). See: Rockwool and Matt Reisinger's excellent builder series.

[@Grief111]

@@jimmatthews6034 I wasn't referring to spray foam. I was referring to an aerobarrier type product. I believe they needed that in that series too and it sealed the entire house in one shot.

[@UndecidedMF]

Unity Homes, one of the companies I'm considering for myself, uses 2x10 walls. It's interesting how it doesn't dramatically impact the cost, but dramatically impacts the efficiency.

[@MrBadbonesaw]

@@UndecidedMF It should just become code for all builders to start doing this or be fined. Building codes need to change before we end up with millions more on top of the already millions of cookie-cutter homes that will only last 50 years before major overhauling or complete teardown is needed.

[@jayyork2710]

I think modular construction will definitely be an important part of future sustainability. However, I think it's important to note that a key factor in the cost and environmental impact of homes is that they're often auto oriented single family sprawl. We also need density (especially in or around metro areas) and transit, waking, and biking infrastructure in order to be sustainable long term.

[@ashishpatel350]

yeeeesssss id love to see a video about the process and cost

[@justinherman9443]

Why not apply retrofits to your existing home? Exterior insulation, air sealing, etc.

[@chaosordeal294]

I don't think I would sit through an hour-long blow-by-blow of you building your home, but I would definitely check out a 10-15 min post-mortem, especially if you ran into issues you had to solve or other surprises. I recall seeing a video years ago about a poured-into-a-form house that looked like a promising idea.

[@RoadTripTravel]

I have yet to find a pre-fab home builder that is cheaper than on-site building. The prices are ridiculously high, from $300-$500sf. If you can recommend one you've found, I'd love to know. Thanks!

[@hemiedwards217]

It's trippy how this channel covers different aspects of what I'm working on, whether its geothermal or water pressure energy harvesting, mycelium biomaterial production, and now modular housing.

[@ingridl3259]

Modular homes has been around for several decades. These guys have been improving the process for many years. It's very exciting to see this as a new option for new homeowners on a budget & eco-friendly concerns.

[@arnoldgarryug]

"Net Zero" feels like a whole new religion.

[@zack9912000]

it is, marketing words.

[@HamRadio200]

It is a religion and if you don't like it, too bad. They're going to shove it down your throat. Search on KZbin "Tony Heller." He's got some good videos about this.

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

It's net zero carbon emissions. So lets say you make your house out of timber, it's going to have a negative carbon emission. If you make it out of recycled steel, its going to have a large carbon emission. When you get into the individual cases, it may be difficult to say which one is better for the environment. In this video he alluded to an increase in scrap steel and an increased demand in lumber. It may be better to use the steel than the lumber.

[@mjmdiver1137]

@@KevinSmith-qi5yn Don't bother trying to explain it to them... they are completely lost.

[@constantinethecataphract5949]

Tornadoes go brrrrrr Earthquakes go brrrrrrr Wasps and insect hives in walls go brrrrrr

[@a.sobriquet6220]

This thing I most appreciate about your videos is the concern with energy consumption. It is really shocking to me how few KZbinrs who are focusing on new construction still avoid discussing the absolute necessity to bring down carbon emissions in the construction sector. So, thank you!

[@xehaytecle932]

I have design 4d construction for home or passive home modular home

[@lukenysen]

YES. I would love to hear about your journey through this build. Good luck. I'm sure it'll be great!

[@lisasherper5562]

We built an energy star house and moved in last year. We acted as our own general contractors and did quite a bit of work ourselves. It was far less expensive than a modular home but required significant sweat equity.

[@OneDollarWilliam]

Modular has a weird hurdle to overcome and that is: it's very easy to (either accidentally, or very much on purpose) confuse "modular" and "manufactured" homes (even google gets it wrong). Manufactured is, of course, a nice way of saying "trailers" and I have heard traditional builders out there working to link the two in people's minds.

[@DoubleOhSilver]

Maybe cuz double wide's are technically modular, do they're not wrong by technicality

[@YellowRoseforTexas]

You're now looking at around a 150% increase in building costs. IE Plywood is up to nearly 50$ per sheet - it used to be around 4$, last year rose to 20$. It is a created shortage, not a real one.

[@MrRossi1805]

Yes, I’m interest on your way to build your own modular home!

[@mollyhohenzollernstewart7444]

Nah it’s not cheaper look up Katerra, they just went bankrupt ;)

[@FallLineJP]

Great summary, thank you! Good luck with your build! A series of videos as you go through the process would be really interesting.

[@julieboland22]

Hey Matt, I love Passive and green architecture, it would be great to follow your progress on your eco home trek. Best of luck! 🍀 LLAP 🖖🏻

[@potroastNthEastcoast]

Are there any modular home builders that focus solely on non-single detached homes? Given that densifcation in residential zoning is one of the easiest methods to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions it seems we might be missing a huge niche of duplex, triplex, and low-rise housing block modular construction form factors.

[@nelsonclub7722]

There are many

[@MichaelSendelbach]

Yes, please. I've wanted my next home to be a modular home for years now so I would really like to hear about your experience in future videos.

[@greentechnerd]

Yes please do a series on your build. Green Tech is awesome and you cover it better than most. Maybe a collab with Matt Risinger?

[@YKSGuy]

I am looking into a new home in the next year or so. Building / modular builds are one of the options I am interested in, so yes, I would love to see more on this.

[@b0chen]

How many times are you going to change the thumbnail?

[@ateshwlf]

The moment i saw your face i closed the video :)

[@christopherlucas9118]

you should do a video on those concrete 3d printed homes

[@Critoxyn]

One aspect of eco friendly systems I've been recently thinking about is rainwater harvesting. I would be interested in seeing a video from you on this topic if you haven't done one already. I'm currently working my way backwards through uploads.

[@louismeloche3857]

Depending on where you are, that might be against the law. lol

[@rickrys2729]

Matt. Before I built my PH here in New England (I do have a relatively amateur video on the construction of that house on my U-tube channel -my only post) I was considering a modular house. I did visit the shop of Ted Benson in NH as they can build to PH and make some really nice timber frame houses. They were a bit pricey but superb factory and quality (at least 4 years ago when I visited). They did not have a great design for my steep lot so I had to slog through a tedius construction project with architects, builders, and contractors that were not so familiar with PH. I did have a great architect with Steve Bazcek and found a great PH consultant with Byggmeister that formed a 3-man team you need to make PH work. Agree with the idea of a Modular house built in an environmentally controlled barn (factory). At the time there were some issues of electrical and plumbing unions objecting to the modular approach - maybe they have resolved that now.

[@jimmatthews6034]

Excellent video, nicely paced and well presented. You were way ahead of the curve. What's the temp been (inside) over the past few days?

[@rickrys2729]

@@jimmatthews6034 Here in Princeton we are a bit cooler so temps have made it about 90 here at the end of June. I normally just run the one small 12 btu/hr mini split on the top level which easily keeps it in the low 70's where I set it. I have been turning it off between 4-7pm as I signed up for peak load alerts to help our town cut down on transmission and capacity costs (voluntary). I don't notice any warming in three hours. More interesting is the fresh air system with the glycol and slinky loop which pre-cools the outside air to about 65 degrees which knocks out some of the humidity. This helps reduce the already low HVAC load even lower.

[@craigkibbe1506]

Hi Matt! Enjoyed watching this take on Modular Homes. My wife and I guilt a Deltec Net Zero Modular Home in 2017 and we absolutely love it. We have 3,200 sq ft and 5 adults living in the home... We did all of the interior finish work ourselves. The House was up and drywall installed in less than three months and then we went to work doing all of the flooring, cabinetry, etc. ourselves. There is not an inch of the home I have not worked on...very gratifying! More though is how the house works for us. With five adults, four of which work primarily from home and completely electric..heating and air, water, three refrigerator-freezers, our complete electric bill averages around $110 per month...this is due to the house's efficiency and an eight-kilowatt solar panel system! Flipping AWESOME!!! Learned a lot from the process and I'd be happy to talk with you if you would like!

[@cmonz9]

just.....3D.......print.......the......damn........house.........

[@Soothsayer210]

i am actually thinking of building my Net Zero house. Thought Modular Homes was a good idea considering the cost benefits. Does anyone know of any Modular Net Zero home builders here in Ontario? Thx. for the mention 'Legendary Group'.

[@olsonspeed]

Site built homes make as much sense as site built vehicles.

[@jimpyre5038]

I feel bad for the “kids.” I got lucky and have a home. No idea how the younger generation can afford a place of their own.

[@kelaarin]

The social engineers don't WANT you to own a home. "You'll own nothing and be happy about it."

[@cristinad4835]

Cheap houses...for this they are fast destroyed.

[@vasili1207]

Impossible.... net zero is like free energy

[@Avalanche034]

Best KZbin recommendation ever… I just spent hours watching all of your content.

[@kathyfann]

I am grateful I already have my house 🏡.

[@paulg3336]

In Europe there are housing manufacturers with factories that are completely CNC controlled. The walls are complete with wiring and plumbing and just connect to the adjacent section. Every house that is produced is unique.

[@woodphoto21]

Man i was really hoping to see more about that home in your thumbnail. Did I miss it?

[@DarrinJillson]

Matt, I built my panelized home in 1992 and enjoyed the process. We did most of the work ourselves and we completed the home in 1994. The walls came preframed and we applied the sheathing and stood of the sections ourselves. It largely followed a traditional build process, but made it manageable for a DYI person. If I were to do it today I would subcontract some of the steps out to skill tradespeople to speed up the construction time.

[@PazLeBon]

took 2 years?

[@PtrkHrnk]

I don't think that efficiency of the house itself can make up for the inefficiency of building single household units in the first place... These one-off projects won't solve anything. We need massive public developments in dense urban areas.

[@mjmdiver1137]

People are working on multifamily housing that is Net Zero as well. However, if you look at the energy consumption profiles of the states in the US, you will find that single family housing is a sizable chunk of it, and getting them to all be net zero will have a big impact on the entire landscape of energy consumption from non-sustainable sources. In California, about 35-40% of the electricity consumption is for residential end uses. Of that, about 66% is single family housing. So, there is a very large potential for energy savings in SF housing in this state, and most others, as well.

[@PtrkHrnk]

@@mjmdiver1137 Ok, that's true. So it may solve one thing. But not the other hundred problems coming with suburban sprawl... BTW, it's same with electric cars vs public transport.

[@happyhome2523]

Could you please touch on the qualities of the wall materials used? I come from an environment where brick walls are considered to be the ultimate in both style and function - yet on holidays to locations in the arctic circle I see that most walls are (at least) finished with seemingly wooden panels. In short - are brick / concrete walls better from a performance stand point for a residential house?

[@gregorwachter6804]

congrats on 500k ! you earned it

[@liamgriffith]

I'm also looking to build a net-zero home in Australia and agree the pandemic has put materials in short supply and subsequently driven up prices. A couple of pre-fab panel suppliers in Australia are Carbonlite and Laros Technologies, both of which specialize in Passive house construction. Unfortunately, they are in different states to me and the transport becomes cost-prohibitive. Certainly keen to hear more about your journey as well!

[@myWiggy]

During the past six months I've created a system of interconnecting panels that can have doors and windows places throughout. This way the home could be broken down and easily transported, taken apart and fixed, and easily install inclusions and add ons. The main problem is I'm not an expert in any of the field of carpentry, electricians, plumber, insulator, contractor, etc. so I'm not sure which of my ideas would pass regulations and codes. I got a whole journal with pages of ideas and I've been doing a lot of KZbin watching learning about foundation, insulation, plumbing, but I would love to see what you've come up with.

[@showshowtomakefreeenergyge2426]

The high cost of construction materials and the lack of affordable housing are two major barriers to achieving Net Zero status. A recent study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that modular homes are the most cost effective way to achieve Net Zero status. The study found that the average modular home costs about $50,000 less to build than a traditional stick-built home. The lower cost is due to the fact that modular homes are built in a factory setting, which reduces labor costs. In addition, modular homes use less construction materials than traditional homes. The NREL study also found that modular homes are more energy efficient than traditional homes. Modular homes are better insulated and have tighter construction tolerances, which results in less air leakage. These factors result in lower heating and cooling costs for homeowners.