Modular homes look like any other homes. Today’s technology has allowed modular manufacturers to build almost any style of house, from a simple ranch to a highly customized contemporary.
Custom Design
The building process begins in the design phase. Our modular producers use state-of-the-art computer-assisted design stations that aid them in customizing floor plans and producing drawings and material requirement lists.
Attention to Codes & Standards
Modular homes are built to the same codes and standards as conventional stick built homes. A quality control process provides complete assurance that a home has been inspected for code compliance and workmanship. In-plant inspectors as well as independent agencies inspect the home on behalf of our state and local governments.
Expedited Process
Efficiency begins with modern factory assembly line techniques. A modular home travels to workstations where all the building trades are represented. Work is never delayed by weather, subcontractor no-shows or missing materials.
Energy Efficiency & Sustainability
Quality engineering and modular construction techniques significantly increase the energy-efficiency of a modular home.
Carolina Diversified Builders Featured in National Magazine
Reprinted with permission from Building Systems Green Building Guide.
When Bud and Louise Foster wanted to build a log home inSouth Carolina, they knew they wanted their dream home to be eco-friendly. They turned to Bill and Kathy Seymour and their two sons, William and Daren, to make it happen.
“Log homes are naturally energy efficient simply due to the building materials and construction techniques,” says Bill Seymour, CGP (certified green builder) and owner of Carolina Diversified Builders, which uses log home packages from Katahdin Cedar Log Homes (Oakfield,ME). Katahdin has earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody certification from the Rainforest Alliance’s SmartWood program, which earns points among a variety of green building certification programs. The FSC certification enables the log home manufacturer to offer Northern White Cedar from responsibly managed forests. “We are very happy to have the first locally and nationally certified green home in these programs,” says Seymour.
The Fosters’ home became the first home to be certified green by the Build Green Greater Columbia program. Additionally, the home is ENERGY STAR Certified and is a certified Gold level green home in the National Green Building Certification Program administered by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center.
The 1,983-sq.ft. home passed the battery of tests with minimal modifications to the standard Katahdin log home package. For certification, the builder works with a certifying agent or third party certification company to ensure that each element of the home employs efficiencies and green practices. The process begins with the design, is followed throughout construction and is completed with a final inspection and blower door test to ensure minimal air infiltration.
The Build Green Greater Columbia program is administered by the Green Building Council of Greater Columbia, which is affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders’ green building program. Homes in the program are third-party verified to ensure that they meet the criteria as outlined. There are three levels of certification in the Build Green Greater Columbia program: Bronze, Silver and Gold. The home built by Carolina Diversified Builders is certified at the highest level – Gold.
Bud and Louis Foster in front of their new log home, which earned a Gold on the green building scale–the highest score available.
Manufactured of high thermal value Northern White Cedar logs, the Foster home features Katahdin’s insulation package (this includes wrapping the inside of the log home with foam boards of insulation, which is then covered with tongue-and-groove paneling to maintain the look of a log home), Andersen 400 windows and patio doors, 20”-24” overhangs, low-flow water fixtures and a 92% efficient heating and cooling system. The home features a fully covered front porch, a large, screened rear porch and oak floors.
[quote style=”boxed” float=”right”]“The home is outfitted with a conditioned crawl space, tankless hot water heaters and a variety of other green building strategies,” says Bill Seymour, owner of Carolina Diversified Builders.[/quote] “Using a compass, we positioned the house on the building site to benefit from passive solar heat gain in the winter. We also positioned the home between trees, so we didn’t have to cut down many trees at all—just a couple of dead trees where we positioned the driveway.”
Carolina Diversified Builders was founded in 1999, when Bill and Kathy and their two sons, William and Daren, decided they wanted to start a family business. Bill was previously in the auto sales industry, but had built several homes as well. “We like construction, felt comfortable in it.” They had purchased land to build a log cabin and this inspired a vision to get into the log home builder/dealer business.
“When we started researching the log home industry, we found out there is a huge difference between log packages, what manufacturers offer. We eventually found Katahdin.”
Besides being FSC certified, the Katahdin system is really excellent to work with, Seymour says. “They mill their logs to extremely precise dimensions and they are counter sunk to receive lag bolts. It’s just a very smooth system that goes together well and makes for a tight envelope,” Seymour says.
“Green building has always been a passion of mine. It stems back many years ago when I was a certified pipe welder. I built our first home in 1979. I built my own wood boiler with a heat exchanger and installed radiant heat in the floors of the home. I really enjoy being creative and saving money on energy. If we can break free from our dependence on oil, I think this country will be in a much safer position. So we do our part to help that along.”
Carolina Diversified Builders built eight log homes last year, with another dozen on tap for 2009. “We have been blessed. We understand that the market is not strong right now. But I’m a longtime fan of sales and marketing consultant Jerry Rouleau. He points out, correctly, that there are still buyers out there. So we will hang on and just go after those buyers who are still in the market.”
