Modular
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Modular
Homes Stronger Than Site Built, FEMA says
Proponents of modular homes have long maintained that the building
system produces structures that are far stronger than site built housing.
For instance, the modular sections contain up to 30% more building materials
than a comparable site-built home to withstand the stresses of highway travel.
Drywall is often both glued and screwed to wall studs and triple headers are
used over window openings and around stairwells, to withstand the stress of
transportation and being lifted by a crane.
Recently the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) confirmed that
modular homes withstood a hurricane far better than site built housing.
In its report “Building Performance: Hurricane Andrew in Florida,” assessment
teams from FEMA concluded that modular homes withstood the 131-155 mph winds
of the Category 4 storm in August of ‘92 far better than site built housing.
“Overall, relatively minimal structural damage was noted in modular housing
developments. The module-to-module combination of units appears to have
provided an inherently rigid system that performed much better than conventional
residential framing. This was evident in both the transverse and longitudinal
directions of the modular buildings,” according to the report. (Get your
free copy by calling 800-480-2520, publication number FIA-22, item 3-0180)
Reprinted from the May/June 2007 Issue of Building Systems Magazine