What is a modular home?
The construction of buildings from modules began a long time ago. Initially, this technology was used mainly for the construction of industrial facilities. The modules were used in the construction of construction trailers, storage rooms, industrial buildings, warehouses and shopping malls. As demand grows, not inexpensive private residences.
A modular house is a prefabricated structure, consisting of individual sections of timber or metal, which are manufactured on site in a ready-made form. Then they are connected with each other with special fasteners and form a finished house.
Modular houses. What it is? Features of projects and construction
In fact, the whole process of erecting a modular cottage is similar to assembling a designer. The module manufacturer has already provided for everything: from utilities to openings for doors and windows, and in some versions, interior decoration has been made.
The main advantages of a modular house:
- Cheap price;
- You can do without a foundation. Replacing it with a reinforced concrete air cushion system. If the soil on the site is bad, heaving, watery, then piles are used.
- This makes it possible to build a house almost anywhere, including where it was previously impossible to build capital buildings;
- Mobility. It can be easily disassembled, transported and assembled elsewhere;
- Fast assembly: literally within 2-7 days;
- Easy to build, no high construction costs;
- Resistant to all weather conditions and climates. Suitable for permanent residence, including in areas with high seismic activity;
- Strong and durable. Due to the fact that the modules are built taking into account modern technologies and materials;
- Keeps warm well. You can save a lot on electricity and heating costs;
- Light weight of the sections, which simplifies and reduces the cost of assembly and installation. For assembly, you will only need to use a crane, not in other heavy equipment.
However, the disadvantages of modular houses should also be taken into account:
- There may be defects in the production of modular sections. Therefore, the choice of a manufacturing company should be approached very carefully. It is important that the work on the manufacture of modules is approached carefully and the answer. It is very problematic to fix now defective structures in an already assembled house;
- They can be no more than 2 floors. Modular cottages can only be one or two storey, but the larger the house, the less its mobility;
- High cost of delivery of modules to the construction site. When calculating the cost of a house, be sure to budget for delivery prices. The greater the distance from the manufacturing plant to the site, the greater the cost to be prepared;
- Large section sizes. It is not an easy task to organize the delivery of large-sized structures to hard-to-reach places or areas in deep forest. It is worth considering this question in advance;
- Modular walls don't breathe. They do not let air in or out at all. Therefore, it is important to provide a ventilation system in the house under construction. And if the manufacturing company has not offered you a ready-made solution, then you should think about its competence;
- Monotony. You should be prepared for the fact that your home, due to the mass production of modules, will be similar to others;
- Limited planning options. Due to the fact that standard sizes are made, you cannot make any unique layout, make non-standard corners and rooms.
Service life (operation) of a modular house
Architects and manufacturers claim that a house built from quality modules and assembled in compliance with all stages of the technological process will last 50-70 years. Some factors affecting the durability of a structure:
- Climatic conditions. There are modules that can withstand temperature differences up to -55 degrees, they are suitable for a northern climate;
- Docking of sections of a modular house should be carried out with special unified fasteners;
- It is important that fire safety standards are observed and all engineering systems are correctly connected;
- The correct ventilation system must be installed.
Construction process
The construction of a modular house is divided into several stages:
1. Choosing a manufacturer
This issue should be approached very carefully. Your best bet is to try looking for reviews and chat with people who already live in such homes.
2. Preparation of permits
At this stage, all papers and permits for construction and communications to the site are collected.
3. Project preparation
At this stage, the size and design of the house is determined. Sewerage and heating are being designed, the location of windows and doors is chosen. Project documentation is being prepared and a preliminary layout of the future building is being created. At this stage, the calculation of the cost of manufacturing, delivery and installation takes place.
4. Conclusion of a contract with the manufacturer
All clauses of the contract should be carefully studied, pay attention to the responsibility of the contractor in the event of poor-quality production and assembly, the procedure for carrying out calculations and the timing of construction.
5. Preparation of a site for construction
Depending on the soil and topography of the site, a foundation or concrete slabs with an air cushion are installed.
6. Transport of modules
For this, special vehicles are used. The sections are brought to the construction site and, using a truck crane, are unloaded in the order in which they will be assembled.
7. Assembling the house
The modules are attached to each other using special fasteners. If you use wood materials in construction, you need to take into account that they should be avoided in contact with metal fasteners, in order to avoid the fact that, over time, the wood may begin to rot from them.
8. Laying of communications
In modular structures, a special sanitary block is already provided. External communications (pipes) are connected to it and there is a wiring in all rooms. In order for the system not to break down and be durable, it is best to use the services of professionals.
9. Roof installation
In the construction of modular cottages, ready-made structures based on steel-base rafters and covered with profiled sheets are used.
Finishing features
The design of the facade and exterior decoration of the house can be anything. It all depends on your imagination and the planned construction budget.
If you want to build a house cheaply, you can use standard materials in the form of panel elements or materials suggested by the manufacturer. And if you want to make a unique home, then you should use the services of a designer and order an individual finish.
When carrying out interior finishing work, thermal insulation is additionally laid - it consists of a special material that is impregnated with a fire-resistant composition. Next, the wiring is mounted, closed with a special corrugated tube, in order to avoid fires. After that, sockets, switches and lamps are installed.
The next step is to connect the sewerage, heating and water supply, and install ventilation ducts. Then everything is covered with slab, a special composition based on wood chips and cement, or any other suitable material. After all the stages, decorative finishing of the house is already carried out.
There are no peculiarities regarding decorative finishing; manufacturers do not impose requirements or restrictions here. So the design of the premises, materials for decoration and interior elements can be selected to your taste and color.
Conclusion
Many people have already appreciated the possibilities and benefits of modular homes. Thanks to this technology, suburban real estate has become more affordable and technologically advanced. In addition to houses for year-round living, modular sections can be used to quickly and cheaply build a summer cottage or a garage or a bathhouse to an already built house.