Exploring Modular Homes - Cheapest Path to Net Zero?

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@LA-gg4wc]

Thanks!

[@lor8olo]

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

[@UndecidedMF]

👍

[@Z0MBUSTER]

@@UndecidedMF 👍👍

[@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

[@davidderoode7691]

Would love to see your build process

[@tucker8594]

Ditto!

[@UndecidedMF]

👍

[@andrewmaperson]

@@UndecidedMFme too

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@MrCurlay]

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

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, will do!

[@franklinhayes5398]

We bought a modular home. Everything was included, foundation, plumbing, HVAC, crane, turn key. 1500sq foot.. Most energy efficient home I’ve ever been in. Took 7 months from ordering to moving in. I highly recommend a modular home.

[@mkz3r0]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@Avalanche034]

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

[@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.

[@pnayyar343]

Hi, am planning to do a net zero home in INDIA first for myself and then as a business for clients who are feeling the need for sustainability and environment friendly living as a standard way of life! Like me I guess! Your videos are very simple, lucid and easily watchable, keep it up and thanks for the tons of info that I get by just watching them.

[@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...

[@orienteqbano]

Yes to the housing videos. Yes to a step by step please. Thank You for all your choice topics and videos.

[@MrJamesknot]

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

[@UndecidedMF]

Thanks, James. 👍

[@JonStielstra]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@ISMAEL-ul5eb]

Awesome no more waiting 5 years to own a house. You will get support all over the world. Planning to introduce this Portable houses in Africa

[@garye2906]

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

[@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.

[@deworsham85]

Yes! Want to see your modular net zero home process end to end!!!

[@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!

[@silo3com]

Your ambivalence is awesome. Such a stable balanced and unsensational point of view.

[@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.

[@franksorz3472]

I too live in MA. All the best with your best home. Amazing your were able to find vacant land in our area. Good for you 👍🏻! Would enjoy hearing more about your progress. Keep up the good work!

[@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.

[@_thomas1031]

I am OBSESSED with this topic, so glad to see it covered🙌🙌

[@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

[@calgal8308]

AWESOME! More please. I would love to see your experiences through this process. Can’t wait! Bring it on.

[@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).

[@ricericericericericericerice]

Yes! I want to hear about your modular home journey!

[@ashishpatel350]

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

[@MayankJairaj]

Congratulations on the new house then!!! Keep us updated!

[@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.

[@-Rickster-]

Really pleased you mentioned the one in the UK. I’m seriously interested in getting one!

[@Hexlattice]

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

[@gniewyk]

I’m very happy to have found someone who is ahead of the path I’m looking into. I’m looking at Eastern European based companies as they typically have lower labor cost. I need a modular design that can be transported to a location in Portugal where I’m planning to retire to. I’m thinking of buying an old house with foundation and utilities in place, scrapping the old structure and building on the remaining foundation. I’ll keep you posted. Planning is 1 - 2 years locations while finding the right company for construction. I may even start a business in this field. Thanks for the information and inspiration.

[@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.

[@jimsmith9912]

Matt you are so smart!! Thanks for all your leading edge videos and info updates. Cheers, Jim.

[@lukenysen]

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

[@gregorwachter6804]

congrats on 500k ! you earned it

[@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!

[@MarlonJoseGE]

Yes! Please do follow up videos on your journey to a new home...especially if you go for a Passive house certified home.

[@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?

[@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.

[@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.

[@timready9194]

Yes PLEASE, would love to watch your net 0 process!!!

[@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!

[@alanr745]

Matt, yes. We just purchased a house here in central AL after giving up on building thanks to traditional construction/contracting mindsets and no other options....and then CoVID. However, seeing lumber futures decrease makes me think this might be something to revisit in 2-5 years. Thanks for the info, and back to my original point, updates on your current process would be awesome. The one thing missing in a lot of home construction blogs online is REAL WORLD COSTS. I've seen and have data on a few theoretical house energy consumption calculations, but nothing real. Very sad. Sub'd!

[@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.

[@mgkelly3389]

I look forward to hearing more about your home build. The modular homes sound like a dream. Good luck!

[@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.

[@thudang3039]

Yes, definitely want to hear about the experience. =) Keep us posted!

[@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."

[@sandybayes]

Since I'm in the west, I've been looking at Boxable Homes. By the time I get ready to downsize in 3-4 years Boxable will have their building system and options down pat. I enjoy seeing how the modular home industry is moving along. I will especially enjoy seeing the progress in the various home systems, eg heating, cooling, solar, etc.

[@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.

[@georgewhitehouse8630]

What is the “real “ reason for a modest place?

[@chrisconklin2981]

@@georgewhitehouse8630 The real issue is the manipulation of housing prices. Large financial businesses are buying up houses for future profit. The housing construction industry is too slow and too expensive. Heavy weather is compounding the problem.

[@kiradecyk9344]

Fascinating content of other people who are considering a modular build. I would love to see more of the process, including all the nitty gritty details of the planning and build.

[@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.

[@ericl4160]

I am in Canada and am looking at building a Passive House, potentially certified. Your further ahead of the process, but would certainly appreciate you capturing your process and sharing. You do a great job describing your thought process during your videos. Reality is for it to be super valuable, you do need to get into details, which would increase work and may reduce your audience interest. Either Way, I'll keep watching. Thanks!

[@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.

[@webx135]

OH hey Matt, If you are looking at building, you should research and do a video on geodesic and monolithic dome home. - Absolutely top-notch efficiency with few exterior corners for heat loss. - Easier to heat and cool due to having low air volume per sq ft. A perfect combo with a geomass heatpump system. - Nearly indestructible to weather events. - Similar in cost to stick built - Many geodesic sets are modular. Monolithic homes are built using a literal balloon in the shape of the house - Lend themselves very well to open-concepts, since interior support is only necessary for supporting a second floor. A single-story dome has no interior load-bearing walls. I think a video like this would be right up your alley.

[@newchannelhardware]

I would be extremely interested - this has been a huge interest of mine. Started with Berm homes and then worked my way up! Literally! Love your content, Matt.

[@billandbethprinz7515]

Yes, would love to follow your process. Also like to hear your follow-ups on your excellent videos.

[@Device442]

I'm looking to build a forever home for my family and stumbled on your channel. Thank you for the content

[@TimLongson]

LOVE that you include the UK in your information gathering, THANK YOU! X

[@victoriaadams6697]

Love your climate focus Matt! Keep spreading the good word.

[@j.conrad5374]

Yes please share your journey!

[@hansu327]

Yes! Please show your journey on this!

[@mathieugodin2279]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I just started contracting and net zero and passive house is the future. I want to grow towards this avenue. Stick building has been around for too long, alot of contractors dont like to change there ways since its not productive and costly but newer generation of home buyer are starting to demande more efficient homes. It will only get better and better, so lets all keep sharing new ideas!

[@dmorga1]

Just running across this: my two cents. I looked into new build and just didn't have the stomach for all the drama of permits and build management. Build schedules never run on time. There's always something. But I do find the modular idea very compelling for all the reasons you state. I bought an old house and my neighbor bought the lot next to me, planning to build modular. He sourced a modular home from a reputable semi-local builder, and then things went off the rails. This was 2017 or so. Despite living in a vast housing market, finding a general contractor to assemble your home (if the manufacturer doesn't send crews for everything, including all the subcontractors) is EVERYTHING. So, neighbor picked one of the few firms doing this kind of work (everyone else doing stickbuilt and wouldn't touch modular with a ten foot pole because they don't want the liability and don't want to deal with "someone else's problems"). So, neighbor's contractor ends up failing to pay subs and walks away from the job. It took them several lawsuits, tons of cash by the dumpsterfull (because remember: it was hard to find a contractor to begin with, and now you want to hire them to clean up a walk-away job?), and they finally built their 2600 sq ft modular for something like $850k. I'm including the land. But build costs alone were $500k, all told. Even here in the DC metro area, that's insane. So, anyway, long story short, it's all about whether you can find a GC who is willing to build your modular home and not treat it like some side project that he can get to in between his profitable stick built projects. It's like geothermal: find the right contractor, great. Not that costly. Find the wrong one? It'll cost you dearly. It sounds really economical on the front end and very attractive, but it completely depends on your ability to source competent, reliable labor. Right now, modular is still "exotic" in a lot of markets, and GCs don't like them because they are terrified that the house will have defects they can't control from the factory and they will get blamed. I'm sure some companies have a way around that and they assemble, then you just bring in subs to finish the interior, but you still need a GC to manage all those subs. Most modular seems to be building shells, with the exception of the firms you mentioned building really small stuff. So, choose carefully. Pay extra for the contractor that has a long track record.

[@omitimehernandez2010]

Yeah dude! I’m planning on building in NH and MA eventually. More vids please. Great stuff.

[@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.

[@elwinvanwees8516]

Yes Matt, please document and report, is super valuable info! Thanks for the vid.

[@KuriusOranj]

I work work for a modular building company. The amount of waste we generate is staggering, with almost no recycling or waste management. It is pretty soul-crushing for a life-long environmentalist.

[@Sew4bub]

love to see your journey through your modular home experience. thinking of doing the same in australia, thankyou mate

[@meme6517]

Eeek the right bottom corner of the second floor at 3:59!! Thanks for this vid, very informative.

[@cadenking2182]

More videos like this about net zero homes would be awesome!

[@mlove.97]

Love the idea, would love much different designs.. thank you for sharing 🙏💗🌎

[@jamesnoland3445]

Yes, please make more videos about your process getting into a low emission home.

[@alvaror88]

Yes do videos about the progress of designing and building you house!

[@answernotfound5278]

Yes we want to see updates on your house!!

[@jezza6575]

Absolutely would like to see more on this topic as well as your journey…just subscribed!

[@paultoensing2370]

Yes Matt, please expand on this category whenever you’re able. I think the interest is about to become explosive. Thanks very much!

[@MicahJohnston]

Yes, please share your process! I'm loosely looking into this as an option for my family.

[@cburrell9907]

Yes, show your process please! 🤗

[@steveleonard1227]

I was working on a community project 25 years ago that involved modular homes built by Royal Homes in Ontario (they are still in business). The homes were simple 2-section bungalows. Development stalled due to a servicing conflict with the regional municipality. 15 years later one couple paid a contractor to relocate their home to a new location. That’s another benefit that is not talked about. We now live in a gated community of modular homes - all bungalows.

[@megapangolin1093]

Great, interesting video. So very kind of you to address the situation in the UK, good to compare North America and UK. There is a lot going on and we are at a pivot point in developments. Thank you.

[@francesgribbon5322]

I find your voice very soothing. The information is great too.

[@chadmace3355]

New Englander as well... very interested in what you learn as you go through the process of building a modular home. and good luck!