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Posted by usm-admin on Jul 4, 2016 in Blog |

San Bernardino Wildfire-Helping Fire Victims Rebuild

A small but fast-moving brush fire that broke out on a Southern California hillside has burned five structures and injured three people. A spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department says the fire broke out in the northern part of the city Saturday afternoon and quickly spread to about 10 acres before firefighters got a handle of the blaze. Capt. Jeremy Kern said authorities evacuated residents in the four blocks closest to the fire. Kern said investigators were trying to determine what kinds of structures were burned and the extent of their damage. If you, a neighbor, a family member or a friend has been a victim of the fires, then we would like to offer our sincere condolences for your extreme loss, and perhaps some important information on rebuilding. What is your best option for rebuilding? There are newer construction techniques available in California that can shave months off your rebuild and we want you to know about this. Here are a few tips that may shorten...

Posted by usm-admin on Jun 29, 2016 in Blog |

Border Fire Victims – County Waives Rebuilding Fees

San Diego — People who lost homes and buildings in East County’s Border fire will get some financial relief when they rebuild, along with assistance cleaning up the damage. San Diego County supervisors agreed to waive two building-related expenses, cutting the monetary burden that comes with rebuilding a burned property, and give victims trash bins so that they can dispose of fire-damaged property. Five homes and 11 other buildings on eight properties were destroyed by the Border fire, a blaze that started on June 19 near state routes 94 and 188. Cal Fire said more than 7,600 acres were burned and firefighters were approaching 100 percent containment as of late Tuesday afternoon. “It’s an absolute tragedy for anyone who has lost everything and to put ourselves in that position is very difficult unless you have been there,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob said at Tuesday’s board meeting. She emphasized that the benefit will only be available for legally rebuilt structures. Supervisors unanimously agreed on Tuesday to waive the fees and to...

Posted by usm-admin on Jun 10, 2016 in Blog |

Building a Prefab Home that is Water Wise

Water and energy efficient features are abundant in homes built using Prefab Construction With water use in California at an all time high and facing unprecedented drought conditions, the State Water Resources Control Board plans to adopt water reduction mandates on May 6 to implement Gov. Jerry Brown’s April 1 executive order mandating a 25 percent statewide reduction in water use. That decision is one of several important actions that will impact the San Diego region’s water supplies and conservation targets over the next year. The Water Authority has submitted formal comments to the state board about its proposed framework for water use reductions because the initial draft would undermine investments in water supply reliability projects and harm the state and local economies. In addition, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s board of directors on April 14 approved a 15 percent water supply cutback to the San Diego County Water Authority and its other customers starting July 1. The Water Authority’s Board of Directors will consider establishing fiscal...

Posted by usm-admin on May 19, 2016 in Blog |

San Diego Couple Goes with Prefab Construction

San Diego Couple Builds Their Home Using Prefab Construction to Avoid Standard Costs Location: Carmel Valley Road, Del Mar Terrace Description: 4,000 square feet in two-story configuration on 60-foot-wide lot Manufacturer: Guerdon Enterprises, Boise, Idaho General contractor: Lusk Custom Design & Construction, San Diego Architect: Joseph Remick, Orinda Cost: Modules: $646,000 Transportation and installation: $21,000 Other costs: $350,000 Total: $1,017,000 Source: Lusk Custom Design & Construction When Cliff Hanna and his wife, Lana Le, bought a dream lot overlooking Torrey Pines State Reserve, they hired an architect to design a dream home to match. The trouble was that the price tag came out at $2 million. “The cost was way too much to build,” Hanna said. “We couldn’t afford it.” So the couple turned to Hanna’s father, Charles Hanna, a civil engineer who recommended a cheaper construction method: modular housing. This week, the results of that detour from standard, site-building construction will arrive. A caravan of flatbed trucks will deliver four modules built in Boise, Idaho. A crane will...

Posted by usm-admin on Oct 5, 2015 in Blog |

Senior Living Embraces Modular Construction

Modular buildings are revolutionizing the way some senior living providers approach the development process from start to finish—driving costs down while creating more appealing spaces than some might realize. Tigard, Ore.-based assisted senior living provider Elite Care has used modular construction in the development of its campuses since 2013, starting with Sylvan Park in Vancouver, Washington and then Oatfield Estates in Milwaukie, Oregon. The company also has two more Oregon-based developments in the works. Knoll Summit is expected to open in 2016 and Oak Hills is expected to break ground in 2016. In addition, the company has plans to expand into northern California. “Modular construction gets a bad name,” Elite Care CEO Jason Hess tells SHN, noting the negative public perception may be due to images of tornadoes tearing through mobile home parks. “But modular construction is rooted in technology and sophistication. You wouldn’t want a BMW built in a muddy field. You would want that BMW built in a factory offering laser-guided precision. That’s how we view our developments.”...

Posted by usm-admin on Sep 29, 2015 in Blog |

So Cal’s Largest Multifamily Modular Project

Valencia Grove, a multifamily community at the corner of Orange Street and Lugonia Avenue in Redlands, CA was built more than 70 years ago. The entire community is currently undergoing a major revitalization. For this multifamily project, the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB) is partnering with its affiliate non-profit developer, Housing Partners, Inc. (HPI), in an effort to move away from the traditional public housing model towards a multifamily mixed-income housing community. The site plan for the revitalization of Valencia Grove in North Redlands includes three parks/playgrounds and a multi-use community center. Construction and financing costs are lower, the project permitting and construction was faster, so the project will have earlier occupancy due to the use of innovative Modular Construction! The project includes the following partners: HPI, Chase Bank, PNC Bank, US Modular Inc., City of Redlands, Redlands Unified School District, and the County of San Bernardino. These partners are working to revitalize this North Redlands neighborhood to create a vibrant multifamily mixed income community...