Neahcasa: Vibrant Communities, Housing Affordability

Modular Homes

A Ross Chapin designed home Created by Barvista Homes

Modular and panelized homes use efficient construction processes that can make housing more affordable and still include panelized construction and still consist of wood stud wall panels and wood roof trusses.

If they also include more enduring construction specifications then we can get past the problems associated with most such construction to date. Specifications tailored to Pacific Northwest and maritime climate conditions can extend use-life of homes able to survive our intense conditions.

Innovative approaches to site-built, panelized, and factory-built homes that distinguish between true efficiencies and “short-cuts” are essential to being able to afford to get new housing on the ground.

These approaches also show promise of improving livability, energy efficiency, and providing significant lifetime cost savings.

NeahCasa's Tom Bender has been working since late 2006 with the “Efficient Housing” Task Force of the Northwest Regional Community Land Trust Coalition. Together CLT building staff people have been visiting factory sites in Oregon and Washington, reviewing proposals from consultants, and developing and pricing designs.

Attached are Tom’s preliminary modular designs are still in draft form and not ready for publilcation but here is the FlexPlex modular .

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NeahCasa intends to develop and demonstrate on the ground strategies for use in factory and site-built housing to best take advantage of their differing potentials.

NeahCasa is in the process of developing sharable specifications appropriate to NW regional and maritime conditions.