This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
The exterior of a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
The master bedroom in a product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
An open concept living and dining area in a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
The kitchen with chevron pattern subway tile the kitchen walls in a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
The backsplash in a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
An open concept living and dining area in a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
Photos of the model home being built in new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
Finishing touches like the mailbox on a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
The kitchen with chevron pattern subway tile the kitchen walls in a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
A new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
Photos of the model home being built in new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
The exterior of a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
A second bedroom and full bathroom by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
Robert Fiederlein, senior director of real estate development with Avenue CDC, from left, Rame and Russell Hruska of prebox, sit for a photo in a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
Robert Fiederlein, senior director of real estate development with Avenue CDC, from left, Rame and Russell Hruska of prebox, sit for a photo in a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
Robert Fiederlein, senior director of real estate development with Avenue CDC, top, with Rame and Russell Hruska of prebox, on the back patio of a new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
A new finished product by Avenue CDC, an affordable housing nonprofit, on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 in Houston. The modular home was designed and built by Russell Hruska of Intexure Architects. Benefits of this kind of home are a shorter construction time, strong foundation, greater construction control, better security and quicker delivery.
The affordable housing market is taking an interesting turn as Avenue CDC and its design-build contractor, boxprefab, open the doors of their first modular home, a 1,296-square-foot contemporary dwelling that’s low maintenance and has features that showcase resilience and energy efficiency.
On a sunny day recently, Robert Fiederlein, senior director of real estate development at Avenue CDC, and architects/builders Rame and Russell Hruska of boxprefab welcomed visitors curious to see the new home in the Northline neighborhood that could be another way for nonprofits to create affordable housing.
The home at 813 McDaniel sits on helical piers about three feet above ground, allowing for better drainage during heavy rains and to steer clear of high waters even though the neighborhood has never flooded.
Outside, it’s a gray and white building that’s narrow and deep and has a cheerful apple green front door. Inside, the three bedroom, two bathroom home is a bit of a surprise. Its finishes aren’t luxurious but they’re nice: on-trend white subway tile, durable quartz counters and low maintenance luxury vinyl wood-look flooring.
Not so obvious are a couple of materials usually reserved for much more expensive homes: super tough geosiding that can withstand just about anything and spray foam insulation, which is much more expensive than the fiberglass variety but can save big on energy bills in the long run.
This is a new method for Avenue CDC and a new application for the Hruskas, who have built other modular homes in higher price ranges.
“We are always trying to find ways to build affordable housing more economically. The challenge is with building costs, labor costs, site costs,” said Fiederlein of their decision to try modular homes. “We studied it and finally decided that the only way to really figure out if it works is to do it, pilot it.”
As they researched modular housing, they found the Hruskas, principals at Intexure Architects, and owners of their boxprefab operation that designs and builds modular homes.
Many confuse modular housing with manufactured housing, but the two are markedly different.
Modular homes are partially built — in modules — in a factory, then trucked to a home site, put together on a foundation of some sort and then finished inside. They are built about 60 percent in a factory with the remaining 40 percent done on the home site, according to Fiederlein and the Hruskas. That method can cut the time it takes to build and finish a home in half.
Those homes are built with the same materials and must meet the same city code inspections as traditional site-built homes. And once it’s placed there, it’s permanent.
Manufactured housing, however, is often built with different materials and must met HUD codes — not local city codes. These are often called “mobile homes” or “trailers” and can be moved from one site to another because they’re not on a permanent foundation.
Fiederlein hopes to have the home listed for sale on har.com by Nov. 1 and in the meantime he’s been showing it to other affordable housing groups to share what they’ve learned and to help grow interest because if more groups are doing it, that can help lower some of its costs.
For Avenue CDC, this pilot project is about finding new ways to deliver affordable homes, since housing prices are soaring faster than salaries, and many Houstonians find themselves “cost burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Fiederlein said that in the Northline area, nearly a quarter of homeowners spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing in 2014.
Building the shells inside a factory means the labor schedule and costs shift because no time is lost to bad weather. Helical piers are more costly than traditional pier-and-beam methods, but they’re also more durable. And using them also means they don’t have to worry about weather-related delays of pouring a concrete slab. The time savings can cut the cost of interest in financing a home-building project.
All in, this home on McDaniel street cost about $250,000 — $139 per square foot — and Fiederlein and the Hruskas are already thinking of ways to get even that cost down.
Rame Hruska noted that this 1,296 square foot home is different from many they create at their Intexure Architects firm where clients often want site-built luxury homes in the $1 million range.
She noted that they want to use architecture and design to solve problems, not just make nice homes. For example, one community they developed in Museum Park was about creating a sense of community in the grouping of homes.
They’re aware of the lack of affordable housing, and hope boxprefab — located in a facility near the University of Houston, where they both went to architecture school — can be used to help address it.
Diane Cowen has worked at the Houston Chronicle since 2000 and currently its architecture and home design writer. Prior to working for the Chronicle, she worked at the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune and at the Shelbyville (Ind.) News. She is a graduate of Purdue University and is the author of a cookbook, "Sunday Dinners: Food, Family and Faith from our Favorite Pastors."
How did investigators find Holly Marie Clouse, the child of a murdered Texas couple? It all came down to a question about spelling — and a birth certificate.