Weston Forum, Home Section, Issue: August 8, 2002

Architectural Design Is Erasing The Stigma On Modular Homes

*This article appeared in 8 newspapers in one day

By Marianne B. Fisher

            Who ever heard of a 4,500 square foot modular mansion? Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?  Not to its architect, Douglas Cutler, modular visionary of Douglas Cutler Architects P.C. in Wilton.

            Sticks and stones may break my bones…and you know the rest. If modular houses could talk that would be their chant.  No longer basic boxes with trailer park connotations, modular housing is re-inventing itself, although it still accounts for only eight percent of all homes built annually in the USA.

            What is a modular home, you ask?  It is one that is built at a factory from the silt plate up and arrives at your land site 85 percent complete.  It can include all your choices of windows and doors, fixtures and appliances, cabinets, carpeting, and finishes plus heating units, electric wiring, plumbing, Sheetrock and insulation.  All that remains is to place the home on a slab at the site, finish off the exterior elements, connect the utilities, and fill in the landscape.

            In addition to all of this, modular housing claims to cost less, have a faster delivery time, be sturdier than conventionally-built houses, and with virtually no perceived visual difference. Let’s take a look.

            Putting his beliefs into action, Doug Cutler designed his own 3,100 square foot contemporary in Wilton. “The problem with many past and present modular,” according to Doug, “is that they were/are manufactured by factories with designs generated by in-house draftsmen.  Not professional architects.” Hence no style or, I guess one could say, no sex appeal.  Nothing special that catches the eye.

            Doug is one of a new breed of architects dedicating themselves to changing that image.  His business today is 60 percent modular and he has been at it for 17 of his 25 professional years, first in Ossining, NY , and now in Wilton.  His designs are definitely for mid to upper range homes.  “In addition to complete houses,” adds Doug, “we do additions to stick-built (meaning conventionally-built) houses and we will also work with builders to have a partial modular, partial stick house built.  It can add to the uniqueness of a home.”

            Douglas Cutler Architects has a licensing agreement with a manufacturer in Pennsylvania for thirteen of his designs, the Cutler Series.  And others are in the works.  Doug sees this as a sign that architectural design is being recognized as an essential contributor to the future of modular homes.

            Okay, why buy a modular home?

            They can cost less.  Modular homes benefit from assembly line production, quantity purchasing, lower in-factory cost, reduced pilerage, shorter debt service, fewer high-priced contractors on site.  Your house is delivered for the price quoted; no hidden costs because manufacturers know to the penny what something will cost on the production line.  The more complete your house is when it leaves the factory and the less that has to be done on site with fancy options, the lower your cost.  A typical Cutler-designed home in Fairfield County can start $175 per square foot, builder price.  Doug claims this is 10-15 percent less than a stick house.

            They can be livered in one-third the time of a stick-built house.  “Turnaround time – 3 to 4 months versus 9 to 12 months,” offers Doug.  No delays due to weather or design changes.  And with modular additions, the time you must vacate your home could be as little as a week. All of this is happy news when a family’s life style is being interrupted.

            Douglas Cutler Architects designed a 1,200 square foot second floor addition for the ranch home of Wesley Malowitz and Lauren Soloff in Westport.  “We chose modular,” explains Lauren, because it saved us time and the cost of a rental. “And,” she added, “the quality of the construction is superb.”

            They are stronger than stick built.  “Factory-built homes are over-built so they can be transported safely to the site,” emphasizes Doug.  “There is typically 20 percent to 30 percent more lumber framing your home; the components are glued as well as nailed; each module has both floor and ceiling beams for extra sturdiness and less sound transmission.  Quality control is maintained by constant inspection throughout the construction process.”

            They offer peace of mind.  Modular homes come at a guaranteed price, no cost overruns.  A stick-built house is open to the rain and can cause your wood to warp.  Modular houses are built in controlled environments under the factory roof and shipped in weatherproof wrapping.  When you buy modular, you get your house finished and ready for installation.  No worries about a vanishing builder.

            On the flip side of the coin, however, modular architecture does have some limitations.  Although there is no limit to the overall square footage of the house, rooms can’t be more than 20 feet wide and walls can’t always be placed where you would like.  Cutler Associate Randy Scott allows that “with modular you can’t design as you build.” Once the plans are submitted to other factories, that’s it.  No design changes are possible.  Some high-end options, like fancy tile work and hardwood floors must be done on site, adding to the cost. As for modular additions, they must be a minimum of 80 square feet before it pays to have the units shipped.

            For a prospective client, Douglas Cutler offers two routes, For the first, he has on file over a hundred plans of modular homes, among which are colonial, contemporary, Mediterranean, French provincial, Victorian, and traditional ranch. If you select one of these, the firm will refer you to one of the factories with which they have a signed agreement.  For this there is no fee as the firm receives a three percent commission from the manufacturer.  Minor modifications will be charged at an hourly rate.

            The second route to a modular home is custom design.  The fee for this is generally 10 percent of the construction budget.  This is a three-phase operation.  Design development work begins with an interview of client’s needs, budgets, and tastes.  Multiple schemes are generated with one selected.

            Then construction documents or more detailed drawings with landscape contours are made for the contractor to bid from, and with which to secure building permits.  The more detailed and specific, the better.  At this time, the architect meets with the clients to select fixtures and finishes.

            The third phase of custom design is construction administration.  Douglas Cutler Architects will assist their client in the bidding process, answering questions and trouble shooting last minute errors.  This is the last chance to modify or change your mind before your home starts rolling down the assembly line.

            Finally, the architect will make site inspections to certify that the project is as designed and in code compliance. Recent legislation has created a universally agreed upon standard for modular construction which allows reciprocity between third party inspectors in factories and statewide codes.  Anything installed on site must meet local codes.

            With the presence of architectural expertise informing a less skeptical public, perhaps a modular mansion is no longer an oxymoron.

            Douglas Cutler Architects, P.C. is located at 221 Danbury Road in Wilton; 203-761-9561; fax 203-761-0014; E-mail: dcutler@SNET.net; Internet address: www.modulararchitecture.com