Why Epoch Homes?|Why Build Modular?|Epoch Homes Design Center
Specifications|Suppliers|Resources/White Papers

NH-based manufacturer out to re-invent modular homes      

Manchester Union Leader – 8/27/06

By SARAH SHEMKUS, Union Leader Correspondent

Pembroke – For many people, the term "modular housing" conjures up images of uniform, rectangular structures that are low on architectural interest and high on cost savings. Pre-built in a factory setting, this line of thinking goes, they are all of a similar design and lack individual character.

The success of Pembroke-based Epoch Homes, however, is demonstrating that today's modular homes are anything but standard.

"If you want a really custom house, built to your specifications, this is the way to build it," declared John Ela, the Concord businessman who recently purchased the company and is taking on the role of chief executive.

With a range of available custom options, sturdy construction, and quick construction time, modular housing is becoming an increasingly attractive choice for the higher-budget buyers who have often shunned such homes in the past.

And Epoch, said Ela, is poised to take advantage of the trend.

"I am enthused about this opportunity," said the newly installed executive. "I think it's the right place at the right time -- this is a company with a strong brand and a strong niche."

Every home Epoch builds -- from a modest $150,000 cottage to a sprawling $5 million mansion -- is a custom creation designed in consultation with the individual client.

Building a home

The design becomes a reality slightly more than a week after work begins in the Epoch factory.

The house is built as a series of modules-called "boxes, "which will be joined together to create the finished house.

The outer walls are framed and then the inner partitions are added. Sheetrock, cabinetry, bath fixtures, and rough plumbing and electrical work is installed. The roof is attached as two hinged panels, which fold down flat for transport. Siding is hung on the exterior walls and most of the finish work is completed.

"Roughly eight days after it starts, a gorgeous home is ready to be sent on its way," said Ela.

The construction, Ela emphasized, has to meet all the same building standards as a site-built home. Indeed, modular homes are often sturdier because they are constructed to withstand the rigors of transportation.

Epoch's creations are often much larger and more complex than might be expected for a factory-built structure. The average home, said Ela, consists of four boxes comprising 2800 square feet, though eight-module houses are not uncommon.

The grandest home the company has built -- and the largest modular home in the country -- was a 33-box, 16,000-square-foot mansion assembled in Greenwich, Conn.

Once the finished products are installed on site, the homes, which often include such luxury features as whirlpool tubs, wine cellars and gas fireplaces, are virtually indistinguishable from a house built in a more traditional manner.

"As you walk through, it's kind of hard to say what's different because it's modular," said Ela, while giving a tour of the company's model home.

Strong market

Ela is confident that there is a strong market for Epoch's approach to home-building, and the numbers bear him out.

Modular housing production has been steadily increasing over the past decade. From 2002, when 36,000 such homes were shipped, sales have grown sharply, jumping to 43,000 in 2004 -- an increase of nearly 20 percent.

"I think the industry is strong right now," said Thayer Long, executive director of the National Modular Housing Council in Virginia. "Nationally we are seeing a huge interest in modular housing."

Epoch's New Hampshire location is an added advantage for the company: The Northeast has traditionally been more receptive to modular housing than other regions of the country.

"You certainly have the modular industry well-entrenched in New England and the Mid-Atlantic and building a whole range, from a simple Cape Cod to million-dollar mansions," said Long.

Given this business landscape, Ela has plans to grow Epoch's business aggressively. The company is currently working on process changes that will allow them to accommodate increased orders as they expand the network of builders through whom it sell the homes.

As internal changes are made, said Ela, the focus will remain on supporting the customer and helping them achieve their ideal home.

"Building a custom home is one of the scariest things a person can do because so much is uncertain," said Ela. "We can take some of that risk away."