About five years ago, I was introduced to modular building while
touring several of the largest housing factories in Japan. North of
Tokyo, I watched a fully finished house assembled by crane from eight
modules that were produced in just 45 minutes on a factory assembly
line.
Since that time, I've had a chance to look at what's available from
U.S. manufacturers. While I was developing a 15-unit "for sale" modular
housing project for St. Louis this past year, I visited factories and
developments across the country to evaluate the "industrialized"
approach. I came away impressed with the benefits that modular construction
can have for the small builder. The quality