Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to climb over the past century and be a vital problem for the next generation. Since greenhouse-gas emission is mostly stemmed from residential industry, there are a lot of movements and concerns increasing from local to national to global lovers.

This awareness is resulted in numbers of new innovative homes and buildings striking for life-long sustainability. Among them, modular buildings become practical and outstanding for its benefit in using environment-friendly materials and designs for long-term energy investment as well as cost-effective.

This two-level family home designed by Icelandic architects Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir and Tryggvi Thorsteinsson is significant model representing architects effort in promoting future home for sustainability. The porous design is applied to use natural circulation as a main functional system in generating air flows and insulation system. By using natural daylight and fresh air ventilation through transparent doors and windows along with roofless atrium to help air-flow through the house, the owner can cut lots of electricity bills.

The use of recycled materials is increasingly found favor and considered in term of ecological and economical concern. The architects’ use of structural beams, recycled cork and rubber shows how well the house can reduce material hauling and disposal costs. Reused and remodeling are important techniques home builders found very effective nowadays, it’s not only saving the price, but it helps reducing wasting raw materials from nature.

In another way, we can say this modular environmental harmony home offer healthier and more satisfying with your living style. The house contains all pleasurable functions for daily need and is effective for long-term investment with the superior aesthetical design of volcanic Iceland.

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• September 30, 2010 -- Tidy Up Modular Home – Tricks for Deceiving The Eye By Making Your Small Space Looks Bigger (0)
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This home obviously defines common characteristics of contemporary modular buildings which are simple, clean lines with large windows devoid of decorative trim.

The builder puts the mixture of beam home design along with long horizontal lines with low-pitched roof and open floor plan to light up more spaces and give the home a sleek contemporary look. The beam home plan provides sense of luxury but rather than that it is very good for insulation system. Using huge walls of glass is one of the most significant characteristic in this home.

Apart from opening up more spaces, walls of glass and glass-walled pavilion bring the outdoor inside and create an expansive feeling that takes full advantages of the views. The owner can simply admire beautiful scenes of Pacific Ocean and Santo Canyon anytime.

This home is seemingly designed around activities and spaces with two separated purposes. Many spaces both indoor and outdoor are separated by their functional, formal using and looking for parent along side with more casual and amusement areas for the kids. For those who are seeking for a family home with more organization, this home could be very interesting. Another significant contemporary home idea we can obviously seen in this home is tricks in managing with spaces. The builder uses stair core, big furniture, and pocket doors to separate one room from other and make this
home looks uncluttered with elegant design.

Anyway, the rising interest in eco-friendly architecture stimulates today’s builders to incorporate outside spaces with the buildings design and to aware of energy efficiency in the products. This contemporary modular home is also carefully designed to live in harmony with the landscape to meet bio-inspired responsibility toward nature.

The builder designs this home according to its geometry of the site, so home buyers can be sure about its earth friendly as well as its quality. Besides the designs of clean detailing and open spaces with abundant of natural light through glass walls will create an uncluttered home that defines a modern lifestyle and a good living with the environment.

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This home is seemingly designed to work in harmony with environment and balance the connection between home designs and outer elements (nature, wind, heat and rain).

[Show as slideshow]

With the aesthetical blending of interior and exterior designs, this home is worth considered. This prefab home can be considered as an integrated of its tropical atmosphere, rural and ecosystem while it contains the principal concept of
modern residential homes for its sustainability, longevity and eco-friendly.

According to the owner and architect, this home is seemingly designed to work in harmony with environment and balance the connection between home designs and outer elements (nature, wind, heat and rain). The home is built to be a place where nature productively works for home owner.

By using the cycles of nature; cool breeze from air flow, the shade and light, heat from the sun, this home becomes a homey and sustainable energy saving. However, the thing home finders might feel uncertain to consider this house is all about the facility accessibility since there is only electricity available, no water and sewerage. Nonetheless, being built on the hillside with natural resources and a very good water storage system, the house does not have any trouble about water supply. With the construction technique and design, this home works perfectly well with nature. For those who are contemplating a new green home, this one is even greener.

[Show as slideshow]

The home is designed to open most of the spaces to environment to draw cool air from the hillside and get fresh air, the slope will embrace more air and help the home cool down during daytime with a little bit use of electrical appliances. In colder weather, the glass wall can be helpful in allowing the sun to heat up the interior concrete and create natural convection currents. The heat from solar power will supply energy along with the operation of the thermal mass from the concrete floor, the house will be a very effective cost-saving system to regulate indoor temperature and retain the heat.

Anyway, after considering about all the pros and cons you will get from this house, it is worth noticeable. Besides if you have really good knowledge and familiar with this kind of prefab home, it will be a big saving tool for your electrical bills. In this fast-growing use of electrical appliances, homes are becoming over burden with electricity supply and generation, having a greener home will not save only your budget but leave less footprint and damage to this world.

[Show as slideshow]

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• January 27, 2011 -- Custom Built Modular Homes – Blending life to nature by living in Green-Sustainability Future (0)
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• December 7, 2010 -- Contemporary house – maximizes extensive natural-view to meet usability (1)
  This home obviously defines common characteristics of contemporary modular buildings which are simple, clean lines with large windows devoid of decorative trim. The builder puts the mixture of beam home design along with long horizontal lines with low-pitched roof and open floor plan to light up more spaces and give the home a sleek contemporary look. The beam home plan provides sense of luxury but rather than that it is very good for insulation system. Using huge walls of gl...

The world is becoming hotter and more polluted every day, modular home and prefab housing is just what the green-care-consumer prefers. When you go small, it’s not just about more energy efficiency, economical shortcut or carbon footprints — it’s also about being creative, cool and beautiful.

The reasons are varied by facility and lifestyle; many people choose living in a small space since it is the most convenient choice to get through every commercial thing like business center and transportation. Some are controlled by their rigid budget while some prefer a smaller since it is manageable.

However, living in a limited space sometimes makes people feel like their lives is squeezed and uncomfortable or even depressed especially those who are obsessed by exceeded nonfunctional stuff. Carefully plan for your furniture arrangement is needed. Small can feel dispirit or lively depending on decoration style and technique. The amazing thing is our eyes can be tricked into believing that a tiny room is larger than it actual dimensions. The solutions are mainly about “How to” play with color, furniture arrangement and lighting. Here are some tricks to enlarge your small room.

[Show as slideshow]

• Decluttering your space; Simple but functional. Lots of people have overloaded stuff and that makes your small room looks even smaller and cramped. Simplify all the disorder by start looking through all the stuff you have, make a well-plan organize and toss unvalued stuff or what you really don’t need away.  Eliminate clutter caused from many decorations to lighten the burden in your eyes and make your room looks more open. Arrange furniture so that it could widen or lengthen the appearance in the room to leave a space on either side. With modular home design, you really do not need lot of unnecessary decoration.

• The magic of colors; Colors always play with illusion and emotion. Dark, light or soft tones will stimulate different feelings and perception. Light cool colors make a space feel open and airy while cozy dark colors absorb light and make the small space looks even smaller. Colors like cream or icy blue will open a tiny into larger while dark blue will close up the space. Using a monochromatic color scheme is also beneficial; using colors in the same family will give same tone of feelings and smoothness. Using too contrasting colors will break up feeling tone and space but it is good to enlighten the visual or interest of your eyes. Putting bright cool colors on most surfaces will give a space more open look.

• Keep the upholstery plain; The main key word Modular Housing often uses in decorate or even built a small space is to avoid “cluttering or overloading”. Better go for plain colored upholstery for furniture and wall instead of stripes, prints or plaids. Using a busy pattern could be very distractive; it would be better to find a focal point to attract attention, not overall. Gigantic pattern is not going to help as well since it will make your room look even shrunken and distract your eyes. Avoid overloading your room with too many small furniture and decoration; better create a focal point to draw attention. Big furniture like huge couch or television set is good to be a focal point but remember to use just one big element, not too-many. If there is too much going on, it will just increase more chaotic and packed appearance.

• Lighting; Working of light is the same with color; it creates illusion to your eyes. Light will make the room feels more open but make sure the light you use will cover every inches in the space, don’t leave the dim in the corners. Just in case you can get natural light, open up your room and let it flows in your space. It will lighten up your room and make your space looks a lot larger as well as saving energy. Besides if your window or screen could be see-through, this would be open up for your spacious since anything beyond will appear father away.

[Show as slideshow]

Anyway, apart from the instant facility you can get from modular building system, there is nothing important than always keeping your room tidy and organized. A space could be more cramped or vast depends on how neat you can organize and remember to put thing out of sight. The bigger view and space you can see, the larger the room can be.

Useful building design guide – http://www.wbdg.org/resources/retro_rstexplo.php

Image Gallery by http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/nextgen-gallery/

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Swiped around by the economical recession, many businesses are forced to be on risky dilemma. Every time we come across the economical downward, it is unlikely for construction industry to avoid its side effect. However, recession does not seem to cause much turn-down for Modular Homes but still increase more opportunity for the implementation of the fast growing business.

According to the industry statistic, it is apparently show that modular buildings have been growing more than doubled within past ten years and become the fastest growing among construction sections with 48% consistently developing in the pass decade. This notable success could answer many wonders people question in modular homes.

However, having today prosperous in this competitive industry is not that easy as pie. Thankfully for all devoted former innovators and related segments who take action including supportive publishing and websites, great construction systems, high technology, skilled workforce and most importantly out former designers who draw the shining path toward their followers.

Anyway, do not ultimately assume you will get a 100-percent-perfect home after you hear all about the advantages of cost saving, speedy construction, eco-friendly, comparable with traditional building with high quality. There are still some factors you better know and pay great attention on before you finalize your submission. In this case knowledge is way more important than imagination.

• Ask yourself, how much you know about modular procedures. This is chiefly important since you might get confused with the differences and similarities of Modular Homes, Mobile Homes, Stick Homes and Traditional Building Homes. Modular Homes are built off-site in a climate control factory using high quality technology and material from the beginning until the module is delivered, placed and installed at the site. Every components e.g. floor, framing, roof, ceiling, wall, windows, plumbing, heating and cooling system are under inspected by professional craftsmanship. After the modules are finished, they will be transported to place on the site by local builders.

• Not all manufacturers are superior. Modular construction could be very effective but not by itself. Manufacturers take an important role in producing an effective or unimpressive home. Doing some research and field work to find out which manufacturers will be the best for you is very demanded. There are plenty of real professional companies in the market while there are also hundreds of disqualified apprentices. Act yourself as a detective to find out the evidences and clues of a company with good reputation, check the reviews and ask to see real finished homes if you can.

• Appearance is less important than choosing the right manufacturer. As home builders, the more important issue you need to consider rather than the appealing looking of a finished module is choosing manufacturer. The attractive appearance will come along when you choose the right one since they will provide professional job with active supports and even trainings for your staffs. Make sure you check a company’s background and reputation before making decision. Be aware that sometimes a manufacturer that offers you a lower pricing per square cannot determine the quality of your work. Cheaper but maybe not better, better safe than taking a risk.

• No home is going to do well without a good site and supportive foundation. There are some certain type of foundations and concerns you need to consider apart from the basically of plump, leveling, precise measuring in each square, clear space from trees and wires, you also need to think about placement of support piers, footers, runners and slaps. Since modular homes are built in a remote factory with 80-90 % done, making any change would not be that easy. Unlike conventional or stick homes that mostly are built on-site so it would be more flexible in adaptation or changing to conform to the site and foundation.

• Simply is usually more effective. Modular homes today could be built from a simple one and a half split-level ranch to a grand, from classic to modernize. Increasing more fancy and complication is definitely possible but at the same time will produce higher complexity including higher in cost, risk and time. Better have simply design rather than paying more for unpleasant difficulty.

• Every business has its flaws. Even there are many advantages in modular construction especially for its effective costing, timing and quality. The truth is the success production couldn’t be happened without all the smooth components like building area and labor cost as well as area acceptance, site and building design, workforce and their skill. All of these components will vary different levels of succession. As a builder or consumer, make sure you have well-research, knowledge and know what are you doing to do or who should you talk with.

• Modular doesn’t always mean inexpensive. This depends on your choice. If you prefer a sophisticated home, you might have to invest more but in general modular homes are affordable. However, main factors helping reducing the cost mainly come from speed of construction which cuts lot of unexpected cost and controllable construction.

• Knowing your manufacturer is vitally important. Since not all of them are superior, you need to know the weaknesses and strengths of the company you are going to deal with. Don’t walk into an old-traditional manufacturer if you are working on a modernist style. The key is to look at a company that strong in what you want.

• Inspect and recheck your design before making commitment. The thing about modular homes is once you place your order, it is difficult to change since 80-90% of the construction will be done off-site unlike stick or traditional building that most of the construction are activated at the site so it would be easier to add, remove or change anything. However, it doesn’t mean you cannot change anything but it is not going to be pleasant since it is costly. Make sure you get all you want so that you don’t have to pay for that mistake.

• Finally – Once you walk through all the processes and get your established module, like many other businesses after the completed construction buyers might get in trouble or have questions at some point. After services is also very important, check with your manufacturer if they will provide any support or responsibility or will they ask you to find skillful people to help.

Additional sufficient skill and knowledge resources

Below are useful links concerning about Modular Homes

• NAHB’s Building Systems Councils, www.buildingsystems.org
• Modular Building Systems Association, www.modularhousing.com
• National Modular Housing Council, www.modularcouncil.org
• Prefabs.com, www.prefabs.com

After all above suggestions, ask yourself how well you know about what you are doing since it is not only just putting the puzzles together, you also need sufficient skill and knowledge. Open yourself to all beneficial information and after embraced with all the knowledge, ask yourself again whether this is a right choice for you before you further to next step.

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If you’re confused about green building products and the claims their manufacturers are making up their performance, product selection will continue to be one of the most critical challenges you will face in meeting your green missions – you’re not alone.

Certainly that you don’t like anyone, especial trader or commercial agencies persuase when you think about Green building products, you would like to be smart buyer with the most reasonable resources to identify green claims for doing your product research. Just do relaxing and easing your self, here are typical guidelines and resources to tidy up your smarter choices.

Green building interest trends

PRODUCT LABELS OR CERTIFICATIONS REFERENCED BY THE NAHB AND LEED

Here are some of the most widely used labeling and certification programs referenced by LEED and the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines.

Efficiency Standards

1. Energy Star, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.energystar.gov/products. Besides being referenced for its certification of homes in general, both NAHB and LEED reference Energy Star for a variety of other products, including appliances, roofs, and equipment.
2. Solar Rating and Certification Corp. www.solar-rating.org
3. WaterSense, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/watersense

Material Content

1. Recycled Content, Scientific Certification Systems www.scscertified.com
2. USDA Certified Biobased Product, U.S. Department of Agriculture www.biopreferred.gov/Catalog.aspx

Indoor Air Quality

1. Greenguard, Greenguard Environmental Institute www.greenguard.org
2. Green Seal, Green Seal Organization www.greenseal.org
3. Indoor Advantage Gold, Scientific Certification Systems http://www.scscertified.com/gbc/indooradvgold.php
4. FloorScore, Scientific Certification Systems www.scscertified.com/gbc/floorscore.php

Multiple-Attribute Certifications – General

1. Cradle to Cradle (C2C), McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry www.c2ccertified.com
2. SMaRT Consensus Sustainable Product Standards, Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability http://mts.sustainableproducts.com/SMaRT_product_standard.html

Carpet

1. California Gold, California Department of General Services www.green.ca.gov/EPP/standards.htm
2. Green Label or Green Label Plus, Carpet and Rug Institute http://www.carpet-rug.org/commercial-customers/green-building-and-the-environment/green-label-plus/index.cfm

Responsibly Managed Wood and Wood Products

1. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Forest Stewardship Council www.fsc.org
2. Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Sustainable Forestry Initiative www.sfiprogram.com (NAHB references FSC, SFI, and three other specific wood certifications.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

In addition to labels and certifications, here are a few third-party resources that provide general guidelines for green product selection.

1. BEES: A life cycle assessment–based side-by-side product comparison tool created by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/software/bees.
2. BuildingGreen and the GreenSpec Directory: An independent media source that thoroughly investigates product claims. (Subscription required for detailed information.) www.buildinggreen.com.
3. Green2Green: Though still in the information-gathering phase, Green2Green’s goal is to provide side-by-side comparisons of green building products based on basic characteristics, installation requirements and experiences, environmental attributes, and performance. www.green2green.org.
4. Green Building Alliance: An affiliate of the USGBC, GBA works directly with green building product manufacturers to help them improve their understanding of the green building marketplace. GBA’s downloadable matrix compares certifications in terms of cost to manufacturers; number of products certified; first-, second-, and third-party designations; etc. Version 2 will be out this summer. www.gbapgh.org.
5. Rate It Green: Online community sharing information about green building products; includes a directory of products and services, as well as a rating system driven by users. Its Green Building 101 Resource Guide is an encyclopedia of green building and green product resources. (Free to join. Online Resource Guide access is $19.95.) www.rateitgreen.com.
6. EcoHome magazine: Print and Web resource featuring a wide range of green building product categories and certified products used in case study projects. www.ecohomemagazine.com.
7. Earth Advantage Institute: Earth Advantage Institute is a nonprofit organization that works with the building industry to help implement sustainable building practices. www.earthadvantage.org

FUTURE RESOURCES

More product selection help is on the way. Here’s what you can expect in the near future.

1. Environmental Product Declaration: A popular method of disclosing detailed environmental information about products in Europe. The Green Standard has created the first system for the U.S., which it has dubbed the “Gaia Product Profile.” www.thegreenstandard.org.
2. Life Cycle Assessment: LCA is a holistic assessment of the economic and environmental impacts of a product or process over its entire life cycle (raw-materials extraction, transportation, manufacturing, installation, use, and end of life). LCA is more of a category of information than an exact resource. However, the NAHB and Green Globes already reference information obtained through an LCA; LEED is adding this component this year. Look for more products to start referencing or providing LCAs to back up the environmental information about their products. www.lcacenter.org/LCA/begin.html.
3. Pharos: The Pharos lens attempts to translate complex product information into a visual guide consumers can use to assess whether or not building products are truly sustainable, based on 16 criteria. www.pharoslens.net; www.pharosproject.net/wiki.

Resource: http://www.ecohomemagazine.com/green-products/claim-check.aspx

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• June 8, 2010 -- PREFAB FRIDAY: Thailand’s Modular Green Home (0)
  The fabulous prefab homes was created especially for the Baan Lae Suan Fair, a home and garden expo. While “Green home Effects” was the theme, prefab container home by Bangkok-based firms, Site-Specific and Buatalah Studios was the highlight. Model homes were built by four reused shipping containers and prefabricated modules. The prototype was inspired by the needs of Thai families based on the idea of comfortable and sustainably-built home. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400" ...

Commercial modular buildings are an active economical and optional way to make your dream of having an official office comes true.

If you are SME business entrepreneurs, one of the most important things the SME business owners are earnestly hoping for is to have an existed office building to functional your works.

Considering from the pros and cons you might be able to obtain and waste, having a provable and an actual workplace you can simply manage your business’ systems starting from product’s representation, commercialize, merchandise, marketing, chipping and services, owning a real office building would be a significant topic to concern.

More importantly, one of the other serious concerns is about the tax regulations and factors that require distinct information of location and address to file all documentation. Plenty of SME business owners have to tremendously invest lots of money to get a perfect professional-looking office but it is not all can afford this high price especially for lots of small and medium business owners.

However, in today’s world modular office buildings could be an unbelievable resolution for SMEs that cannot afford to rent or own a property but still demands for a visual site office. After years of widely accepted for their effective cost-saving benefit, commercial modular buildings are an active economical and optional way to make your dream of having an official office comes true.

Anyway, there are some issues many business entrepreneurs still concern especially for the physical appearances of modular offices toward customers’ eyes. Even usually many small and medium businesses run their works online or sometimes meet up with their customers for lunch rather than have them walk in and visit at the office, they still afraid that modular offices might not satisfy and successfully introduce professional-looking compared with conventional building style if occasionally or accidentally their customers would like to visit their workplace.

Consequently the customers could possibly input some negative perspectives toward their business. However, this concern is unlikely to be a big issue anymore since nowadays modular buildings can correct all of the unpleasant physical feature matters while continuing advance in their quality. With their attractive integrated systems to meet customers’ specification, modular office buildings provide flexibility, durability, efficiency with their reliable and professional but appealing look.

How to tidy up modular building appealing look with small budget?

For interiors of modular buildings, the structural interior designs share the same options with the conventional buildings. You can simply go to the furniture places, choose new objects and get a newly nice-professional look. However, in case you have very rigid budget, you still can get good and qualified used furniture for your office provided at resale or thrift stores.

There are plenty of them with excellent condition you can select and built a new makeover look for you office. Your customers would never noticed the differences and even felt uncertain about your professional-looking appearances and performance. You can definitely save huge money while getting a mastering look. Moreover, with the progressive manufacturing of the carpets, this will helpfully introduce a smart and neatly look for your professional office.

Additional recommendation, be assure that service mind is also chiefly important in getting a business done. Providing a relaxing space with friendly environment and drinks would be a wonderful beginning between you and your new customer. You might be surprised with this little care; name of your business would climb up to the top lists as a new business partner or provider your customer might think of. However, considering about having a real office, commercial modular buildings would be a productive solution for small SME business owners to access all business’ requirements particularly for their external professional appealing while cutting of lots of your expenses.

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When someone says about “Green”, how did you think about this? Being green not only means saving energy. But, being green also means staying healthy.

Today, we have scientific report to suggest about how levels of formaldehyde in modular home and commercial modular environments is safe for everyone in your family.

Where does formaldehyde come from?

Concentrate formaldehyde maybe responsible for a variety of irritating symptoms which appear to be building related. Before we will learn about irritating symptoms caused by formaldehyde that we need to know “Where does formaldehyde come from?”. I suggest you study from National Pollutant Inventory.

Today, I found useful article representing about what can you do when you have asthma and worry about formaldehyde.

What can I do about formaldehyde in my manufactured or modular home?

Industry uses formaldehyde to manufacture building materials and household products. Other sources inside the home might be smoking or unvented appliances such as kerosene heaters or gas stoves.

The main sources of formaldehyde in a home are likely to be pressed wood, which uses glues that have formaldehyde in them. Some of these pressed wood products include: particleboard, which is used as sub-flooring and shelving and in cabinetry and furniture; hardwood plywood paneling, used for wall covering, cabinets and furniture; and medium density fiberboard, used for drawer fronts, cabinets, and furniture tops. Medium density fiberboard is generally considered as being the highest formaldehyde-emitting pressed wood product.

Formaldehyde is also used to add permanent-press qualities to clothing and draperies, as a component of glues, and as a preservative in some paints and coating products.

Levels in average homes without formaldehyde insulation are usually well below 0.1 (ppm). In homes with moderate to large amounts of new pressed wood products, levels can be greater than 0.3 ppm. (Very few homes now install Urea-formaldehyde foam insulation – UFFI – due to the increase of formaldehyde that was found in tests back in the 70s).

Other pressed wood products, such as softwood plywood are produced for exterior construction use and contain phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resin in stead of urea-formaldehyde. Although formaldehyde is present in both types of resins, pressed woods that contain PF resin generally emit formaldehyde at considerably lower rates than those containing UF resin.

Since 1985, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has permitted only the use of plywood and particleboard that conform to specified formaldehyde emission limits in the construction of prefabricated and mobile homes. In the past, some of these homes had elevated levels of formaldehyde because of the large amount of high-emitting pressed wood products used in their construction and because of their relatively small interior space.

Over time, formaldehyde emissions will decrease. There are some things you can do in the meantime to minimize the effects. These include: good ventilation, air conditioning and a dehumidifier. High heat and high humidity will contribute to the quicker release of formaldehyde. Using an air conditioner and a dehumidifier will be highly beneficial in keeping down emissions. Also, using exterior pressed wood products in place of the usual interior products may also help eliminate the concentration of the emissions.

Test kits are available as well as products that seal particle board.

Resource: http://www.rebelhome.net/formaldehyde.html

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Most modular homes are ready to move into eight to 10 weeks after they’re ordered.

The modular house was built 90-95% in a factory, other flooring is installed along with the trim, and walls are painted or tiled.

Plumbing and electrical work are completed at the factory, too, with utility connections made at the site by the local contractor, who directly controls the project and marries the finished modules.

While the foundation and other side work are completed transporting them to the site and lifting them onto the foundation with a crane.

Most of modular housing industries allow customers design flexibility, according to the National Association of Home Builders. When collect construction plan from architects, modular home manufacturers are most willing to do custom homes as requirement.

How modular stacks up

Today, we found useful article about “How modular stacks up”. It has compared beneficial and average construction time of custom modular and stick-built homes by a local builder. However, this statistics were recorded in controlled situation for housing business purpose, and here are some differences between two types of high-end custom homes:

Resource: www.washingtonpost.com

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Modularity seems to be a key trend in architecture nowadays, especially for the more eco-friendly concept.

What is the first thing you do when you are looking for a new modular home?
Absolutely, you have more serious things to consider, one of tremendous factors you have decided to build a new home – you need to select a plan that meets your needs and expresses your personal style.

The first option always represented is modular developer will guide you to one of their standard design offerings, and most potential customer could usually find at least one standard plan that comes close to meeting their needs.

Today, we have found beneficial design concept of custom modular homes suit to everyone decides to have a new modular home.

Modular Housing: Top 10 Design Features

1. Simplicity – The simple design allows for greater efficiency of materials and adaptability in its use.
2. Flexibility – The units can be oriented to specifically respond to existing site conditions so that the most is made it’s natural assets.
3. Customization – Even with a fixed floor plan, there are many opportunities for variance within the models. The homes can reflect personal taste as well as regional style in the selection of interior finishes and exterior cladding. In addition, ‘add on’ rooms make the homes expandable so that more space and privacy are allowed, and to make spaces more flexible and functional.
4. Landscaping – Because these homes are designed require no excavation and minimal site work, the existing vegetation can be preserved to ensure local, low maintenance landscaping at no extra cost.
5. Openness and Connection – Without added square footage, the interior spaces feel larger due to high ceilings (10′), well organized / clutter free layouts and ample daylight. Connections to the external environment are maintained through large expanses of glass that provide views, light and air to allow for greater site integration.
6. Community – When several modular homes are built together, an opportunity for shared public space to allow for increased connection to the community is inherent in the design. Site analysis ensures an optimal configuration of the units.
7. Beauty – Designing with natural local materials, is not only preferable because of their environmental qualities but because they are beautiful.
8. Affordability – Optimizing the design is important to trim off extra cost in manufacturing and construction to ensure maximum efficiency. We are also working on solutions to minimize the cost of transportation.
9. Simple Systems of Low Maintenance – An important aspect to the design is that all systems are streamlined and materials require minimal maintenance so that the unit’s full performance can be achieved by anyone!
10. Straightforward Construction – These modular homes are designed so that they can be installed quickly and easily.

Resource: http://www.sustain.ca/models-2/top-10-design-features/

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