There’s no denying the Northern Neck has experienced a home-building boom in the last couple of years, and Leonard Stevens has been a big part of it. Stevens, the president of Burgess Modular Homes in Lottsburg, built 33 area homes in 2002.
What’s behind those numbers? The secret lies in modular construction, which Stevens said makes building a home faster and less expensive. Those two qualities alone contribute to the growing popularity of modular construction, but Stevens, who is affiliated with Cardinal Homes of Wylliesburg, Virginia, says improvements in the product also contribute to popularity.
“Cardinal is always adding new designs, giving homebuyers a lot more options,” he said.
Cardinal is also at work taking some of the more popular house plans from Home & Garden and other designers and creating modular versions.
Modular homes are built in factories, in sections, instead of being assembled on the construction lot.
“They’re put together just like a ‘stick-built’ home, except it’s done indoors, in a controlled environment, and assembled in sections. Their process gets better all the time,” Stevens said.
The sections are then transported by truck to the building lot. That’s where Burgess Modular Homes takes over. Stevens, who bought the business 19 years ago, is assisted by a crew of up to 16 people who lift the sections with a crane and place them on the foundation they have built for the house.
Once the sections are securely in place and seamlessly joined together, the finishing work begins. With drywall, fixtures and countertops already in place, workers concentrate on touchups, laying flooring and adding customizing features. If the homebuyer wants a garage, Stevens and his crew build that from scratch. The result is a finished home in very short order.
“In most cases, it only takes four months from the time we break ground on the foundation until the family moves in,” Stevens said.
Another benefit is cost. A modular home in almost all cases will cost less to build than a comparable ‘stick-built’ home. One of Stevens’ recent customers said when he called his insurance agent and told him what he paid, the agent told him he couldn’t replace it for that – and would have to insure it for a higher amount.
Modular homes also come in all sizes. Burgess Modular Homes has handled a dwelling as small as 768 feet to a home they built in White Stone last year that came in eleven sections and totaled more than 4000 square feet of living space. They can also build modular apartment buildings and duplexes.
What advice does Stevens have for people planning to build a home?
“They should take their time and make up their minds about what they want before they get started. They’ll save a lot of time, money and aggravation if they do,” he said.
After 19 years, Stevens’ reputation for reliability and quality is firmly established, and much of his business comes word of mouth, though he also gets some referrals from the Internet. He has been Cardinal Homes’ top-selling builder for the last ten years.
Burgess Modular Homes is located on Route 360 in Lottsburg, next to the Get ‘N Zip. Call them at 529-7016.
