Set Day for my New House
I got my Christmas present early today, a construction crew arrived early this morning and opened it up for me. My new modular house arrived Saturday, and today was the day the house was set. My job was to keep the guys in coffee and donuts from the tailgate of my pickup, and the six guys showed their appreciation by downing 4 pots of extra strong Millstone Coffee by lunch. They also were able to set both of the main modules and get the roof raised by lunch as well. Coincidence? Perhaps.
Anyway, the crew consisted of my builder, his roofer, and 4 or 5 guys out of New Jersey that do nothing but set Modular Homes. Unlike a double wide trailer a modular house is built similar structurally to a stick built house, but built in large sections in a factory and shipped to the building site. Each of the main modules in fact weigh about 35,000 pounds. My house arrived on 3 trailers, one each for the front and back of the house, and a third for the porch roof. The roof came fully framed and partially shingled, but laid flat and folded up for shipping. Inside, the house was mostly finished as well, including most of the carpets, cabinets, doors, and much of the trim.
Once the modules were set, the roof was raised by the same crane that picked up and set the modules. Once the hinged trusses were locked into place, the peak and overhang parts of the roof were unfolded, and fastened into place, and the gable ends were installed. After lunch, the porch roof was installed and the crew went to work installing the remaining shingles. Darkness came early, so a little bit of shingling work remains, but the house is pretty much closed up. Not too shabby for a day's work.
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