DIY Network

Modern Modular Home From "Assembly Required" episode DASR-211

Pete and Lindsey want to build their own modern dream home, but they're on a budget. Pete thinks modular might be the answer. The couple turns to Marc, Bryan and Paul at Hive Modular where modern design combines with prefab construction.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Modern Modular

Hive Modular has two lines of homes, the B-line and the C-line, that run as cheap as $125 per square foot. However, they have never actually had a client. When the Fabians don't find their dream home with Hive's original designs, the team creates a brand new line for the couple, the X-line.

The Fabians take a tour of Paul's house (figure A), which is the prototype of Hive's B-line. Although Lindsey was skeptical of prefab, she falls in love with Paul's house and the couple becomes Hive's first client.

When architect Marc Asmus was in his twenties, he built his own two-story house inside an abandoned factory. He used materials from inside the factory to build it. Today, Marc still incorporates industrial elements into Hive's modern designs. Pete and Lindsey, however, have design sketches of their own and came up with their own floor plans. After a lot of changes, the couple finally has the design to their 2,300 square foot, two-level home.

The plans are sent to Norse Building Systems where the house will be built to 85% completion, including electric, plumbing and heating. In two weeks, the house is rolled out of the factory and headed to the the couple's one-acre lot in suburban Minn. (figure B).

On December 20, the day dawns grey and snowy. It's one of the shortest days of the year and the Hive trio hopes there is enough time to set the home. The biggest module weighs 35,000 pounds, and the 120-ton crane didn't come with enough counter weights. Foreman Tony Wojcik quickly solves the problem by moving the boxes closer to the crane, so it doesn't have to reach as far.

The crane hoists the first 14,000 pound box into the air (figure C). The crew stabilizes the module with ropes as it flies 150 feet through the air onto the foundation. Unfortunately, the box is sitting at an angle and despite multiple attempts, the house keeps setting a couple inches off. The crew has to use crowbars to cram the house onto the foundation. The second box is set on the foundation, but the doorways do not line up. The box just doesn't seem to want to fit. It looks like it's going to be a long day.

The day is aging quickly on the modular home site and so far, things haven't been running too smoothly. Before the crew can move the third module, they have to install an LVL-beam over the garage. It's an unusual arrangement for a modular home and the crew has never done it before. The beam is set and they're ready for box number three...a massive 60-foot long, 35,000 pound module. It sets perfectly. The crew moves on to box four and it lands safely.

Module five launches and hovers 50 feet above the ground. It fits perfectly, but there's a problem. The vertical flashing doesn't line up and there's no quick solution. It's a huge let down for the architects, but the couple can't be bothered with siding right now. The crane lifts the final box into place and the house is complete (figure D). The architects celebrate with their first satisfied customers.

In the coming weeks, the crew will bolt the walls into place, winch the upper and lower modules together, drywall the seams and fix the factory errors. Five months later the Fabians move in to their brand new, custom designed, modular home (figure E).

RESOURCES :

Hive Modular
Website: www.hivemodular.com