Schelton Assoumou and Brownstone NYC to build modular homes in New York City in 2020

Schelton Assoumou, the managing director of Brownstone NYC (“Brownstone”) is working on several Modular Projects in the Greater New York City Area (Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Westchester, etc.)

Brownstone is in the process of selecting one partner who specializes in building Modular Homes. Schelton and his team visited several modular home factories in Pennsylvania in December 2019. They were strengthened in the idea that modular homes construction are the wave of the future of the new construction industry in New York City; especially since the major historical barriers to entry in this valuable market are being resolved.  Therefore, the cost savings of this prevalent building technology most United States markets will now be a viable option for construction in New York City.

In addition to specific New York City building codes constraints now being lifted, another issue to modular homes in New York City is the logistical challenge. Indeed, the homes are currently built in out of state factories and must to be transported to the site and installed with the crane, roads and overpasses make this little more difficult for New York city. In spite of all these challenges, Brownstone has concluded that Modular Home is a viable alternative to traditional Frame and Brick Houses. Brownstone projects up to five pilot projects completed before the end of 2020.

Modular Home

Modular buildings and modular homes are prefabricated buildings or houses that consist of repeated sections called modules. “Modular” is a construction method that involves constructing sections away from the building site, then delivering them to the intended site. Installation of the prefabricated sections is completed on site and it takes 3 to 4 days to assemble it on the site. Prefabricated sections are sometimes placed using a crane. The modules can be placed side-by-side, end-to-end, or stacked, allowing a variety of configurations and styles. After placement the modules are joined together using inter-module connections, also known as inter-connections. The inter-connections tie the individual modules together to form the overall building structure.

There are three main benefits to going modular over traditional in real estate.

Speed: The building process for the main shell module can be completed in a factory in just five to eight days, with the builder assembling and doing finishing work at the building site.

Cost: Modular home construction may cost less than a traditional home, because the new homes can be manufactured faster and requires less man-power.

Quality: A manufactured home may actually be of superior quality to a site-built home, primarily because the materials are built in a climate-controlled environment, not exposed to the elements, from cold to precipitation to humidity.