Letter: Mobile, Trailer, Modular, Stick Built — What Is It?

Letter to the Editor04:00PM / Thursday, May 18, 2023Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

It was abundantly clear before, during, and after the Williamstown town meeting on Tuesday night, that there is an erroneous understanding of the distinction between mobile, manufactured, and modular homes resulting in most people confusing manufactured with modular.

The name "mobile homes" was a simple name change to make this type of home seem better and preferable to what they were originally called, "trailers."

Trailers, like mobile homes, were living units built on a chassis with wheels making them easily movable over the highway.

As time progressed and construction methods and standards improved, in June of 1976, the name for trailers and mobile homes was again changed to make these portable dwellings sound more "acceptable" to "manufactured homes." These homes, like their earlier versions, are built in a factory setting on an assembly line and transported to their future location, over the highway, on their own wheels. We often see them pulled, like a trailer, behind a tractor (truck) with escort vehicles with flashing lights due to their size.

Manufactured homes periodically improve building standards including better insulated windows, more insulation in the walls and ceiling, more efficient heating systems and updated appliances as compared to prior years, in the same way that new and automobiles are constantly improving. A mobile, manufactured, or trailer home, call it what you will, is still a mobile home.

A modular home, by contrast, is a stick-built home built indoors in sections, delivered in those sections, and then assembled into the final configuration, on a permanent foundation. These homes are virtually indistinguishable from an onsite built home in design, appearance, and code requirements.

There is more flexibility in design and layout in a stick-built home, the larger the house. On the other hand, modular construction offers several major advantages over stick-built homes including:

1) Because the construction takes place indoors, in a factory setting, there are economies available in labor, logistics, materials purchasing that are passed along to buyers that are not available to stick-built home builders

2) Because the construction takes place indoors, in a factory setting, there is no exposure to the elements, inclement weather, loss through theft, that effects the materials themselves as well as cost

3) Modular homes take less time to build and occupy than a stick-built home

4) Because modular homes must withstand the rigors of being trucked over the highways, some smooth, some rough, they must be sturdier and more robust than a comparable stick-built home. This result in less movement in the home over time and better performance in severe weather *

5) The identical design in stick built vs. modular results in a lower cost finished product for modular

6) Besides the ability to build an identical look, finish, and style with a modular home to stick built, every interior detail from flooring, light fixtures, kitchens, and bathrooms, can be identical between the two

7) Widespread consumer acceptance of modular homes and the ever increasing demand for homes in general means modulars, just like stick built, have come a long way since their early days and they offer an
excellent more affordable faster option than stick built

* Some 20-plus years ago, when I was interested in learning more about modular homes, a modular company provided some remarkable photos showing the contrast. A small tornado had ripped through a new subdivision in the Pioneer Valley. Every stick built home was so badly damaged they had to be demolished and replaced new. The modular homes only sustained minimal damage like some missing roof shingles or a few sections of vinyl siding. I was immediately impressed and convinced to use that method of construction for our next home.

To sum up, there is a fundamental difference between a manufactured mobile home and either of the other two types of construction which in many respects are virtually indistinguishable, one from the other. Today, there are many variations on new home construction. For example, the innovative company Boxable offers a unique cube-like home that comes folded up. Unfold it, on site, and voila, a new home. This is a complete, 400-square foot home for $49,000 plus land and utility connections. In addition, it's easy to add more units, to the side or on top.

Paul Harsch
Williamstown, Mass.

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Guest Column: Full Steam Ahead: Bringing Back the Northern Tier Passenger Railroad

by Thomas HuckansGuest Column
03:00PM / Monday, July 15, 2024

You only need a glance outside to see a problem all too familiar to Berkshire county: closing businesses, a shrinking population, and a stunning lack of regional investment.

But 70 years ago, this wasn't an issue. On the North Adams-Boston passenger rail line before the '60s, Berkshires residents could easily go to Boston and back in a day, and the region benefited from economic influx. But as cars supplanted trains, the Northern Tier was terminated, and now only freight trains regularly use the line.

We now have a wonderful opportunity to bring back passenger rail: Bill S.2054, sponsored by state Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester), was passed to study the potential for restoring rail from Boston to North Adams. In the final phase of MassDOT's study, the project is acquiring increased support and momentum. The rail's value cannot be understated: it would serve the Berkshire region, the state, and the environment by reducing traffic congestion, fostering economic growth, and cutting carbon emissions. The best part? All of us can take action to push the project forward.

Importantly, the Northern Tier would combat the inequity in infrastructure investment between eastern and western Massachusetts. For decades, the state has poured money into Boston-area projects. Perhaps the most infamous example is the Big Dig, a car infrastructure investment subject to endless delays, problems, and scandals, sucking up $24.3 billion. Considering the economic stagnation in Western Massachusetts, the disparity couldn't come at a worse time: Berkshire County was the only county in Massachusetts to report an overall population loss in the latest census.

The Northern Tier could rectify that imbalance. During the construction phase alone, 4,000 jobs and $2.3 billion of economic output would be created. After that, the existence of passenger rail would encourage Bostonians to live farther outside the city. Overall, this could lead to a population increase and greater investment in communities nearby stops. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, adding rail travel options could help reduce traffic congestion and noise pollution along Route 2 and the MassPike.

The most viable plan would take under three hours from North Adams to Shelburne Falls, Greenfield, Athol, Gardner, Fitchburg, Porter, and North Station, and would cost just under $1.6 billion.

A common critique of the Northern Tier Rail Restoration is its price tag. However, the project would take advantage of the expansion of federal and state funds, namely through $80 billion the Department of Transportation has to allocate to transportation projects. Moreover, compared to similar rail projects (like the $4 billion planned southern Massachusetts East-West line), the Northern Tier would be remarkably cheap.

One advantage? There's no need to lay new tracks. Aside from certain track upgrades, the major construction for the Northern Tier would be stations and crossings, thus its remarkably short construction phase of two to four years. In comparison, the Hartford line, running from Hartford, Conn., to Springfield spans barely 30 miles, yet cost $750 million.

In contrast, the Northern Tier would stretch over 140 miles for just over double the price.

So what can we do? A key obstacle to the Northern Tier passing through MassDOT is its estimated ridership and projected economic and environmental benefits. All of these metrics are undercounted in the most recent study.

Crucially, many drivers don't use the route that MassDOT assumes in its models as the alternative to the rail line, Route 2. due to its congestion and windy roads. In fact, even as far west as Greenfield, navigation services will recommend drivers take I-90, increasing the vehicle miles traveled and the ensuing carbon footprint.

Seeking to capture the discrepancy, a student-led Northern Tier research team from Williams College has developed and distributed a driving survey, which has already shown more than half of Williams students take the interstate to Boston. Taking the survey is an excellent way to contribute, as all data (which is anonymous) will be sent to MassDOT to factor into their benefit-cost analysis. This link takes you to the 60-second survey.

Another way to help is to spread the word. Talk to local family, friends, and community members, raising awareness of the project's benefits for our region. Attend MassDOT online meetings, and send state legislators and local officials a short letter or email letting them know you support the Northern Tier Passenger Rail Project. If you feel especially motivated, the Williams Northern Tier Research team, in collaboration with the Center for Learning in Action (CLiA), would welcome support.

Living far from the powerbrokers in Boston, it's easy to feel powerless to make positive change for our greater community. But with your support, the Northern Tier Rail can become reality, bringing investment back to Berkshire County, making the world greener, and improving the lives of generations of western Massachusetts residents to come.

Thomas Huckans, class of 2026, is a political science and astronomy major at Williams College, originally from Bloomsburg, Pa.

Survey: This survey records driving patterns from Berkshire county to Boston, specifically route and time. It also captures interest in the restoration of the Northern Tier Passenger Rail. Filling out this survey is a massive help for the cause, and all responses are greatly appreciated. Use this link.

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