Facing a Nov. 21 deadline, residents at Milner Mobile Home Park harness hope in race to buy the land under their homes Steamboat Pilot & Today
Facing a Nov. 21 deadline, residents at Milner Mobile Home Park harness hope in race to buy the land under their homes Steamboat Pilot & Today
Gadsden County issues mandatory evacuation for all mobile homes ahead of Hurricane Helene WFSU News
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Gadsden County issues mandatory evacuation for all mobile homes ahead of Hurricane Helene - WFSU News
Search mobile homes for rent, including double-wide and trailer homes for rent throughout the country.
Renting a mobile home is similar to renting any other form of real estate. The transaction includes a landlord allowing a renter to occupy their mobile home (sometimes called a trailer home or a manufactured home) for a specified period of time according to the to an agreed upon contract or rental agreement form.
Search our selection of mobile homes, trailer homes, modular homes and manufactured homes for rent by selecting the state or country above.
The primary benefit of mobile home trailer rentals is the cost. A mobile home for rent is typically much cheaper than other forms of rental properties. A major benefit of owning a trailer home is that they are mobile and can be moved if needed from one location to another.
Popular locations for renting manufactured homes include Florida, Texas, Alabama and California. Find your next trailer home for rent today on RentalAds.com.
In cases where mobile homes are located in mobile home parks, be sure to check out the mobile home park for amenities that you desire or ask the landlord directly. Meet with the landlord of the park to go over any questions you may have about it. For landlords, be sure to check with the mobile home park about whether or not you are allowed to sublet your lot. When renting a mobile home consider the size that you need. There are single wide trailer and double wide trailers for rent.
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Mobile Homes For Rent, Trailer Homes For Rent - RentalAds
An aerial view of a stormwater pond at Heritage Plantation, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in Vero Beach. Marco Bello for NPR hide caption
An aerial view of a stormwater pond at Heritage Plantation, Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in Vero Beach.
A lot of mobile homes aren't actually that mobile. They're brought in trucks in big pieces, then screwed together and put up on foundations.
At that point they're basically just houses, with one major exception: the people who own those houses, if they live in a mobile home park, often don't own the land underneath them.
That can leave them at the mercy of the big companies that own and manage the mobile home parks.
NPR's Chris Arnold and Robert Benincasa have the story of a group of residents who are suing their corporate landlord, and what it might say about the mobile home industry in America.
You can read an in-depth version of the story here.
In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Graham Smith. It was edited by Bridget Kelley and Uri Berliner. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
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Mobile Home Park Residents Sue Their Corporate Landlord : Consider This from NPR - NPR
Three families received new mobile homes through the Webb County Community Action Agency Self-Help Reconstruction Program this week.
According to the county, the new homes are energy efficient that may help amid the blistering heat of Laredo, and it praised Commissioner Rosaura Wawi Tijerina for her efforts and contributions.
Commissioner Tijerina, we thank you for your dedication and hard work for the residents of Precinct Two, and especially in making sure that the needs of the citizens of our colonias are taken care of, Webb County said in a statement.
The three families -- the Davila, Fernandez and Martinez families -- were stated to have lived in homes that were deemed hazardous and unrepairable. The new homes will allow them to live risk-free and will all be up-to-code in regards to the sanitary code complaint mobile home regulations.
The center, while providing the means to bring a new home to the families, also provides additional support for county residents in unincorporated colonias. It was established in 1995 with the purpose of establishing the self-help centers along these economically disadvantaged counties is to give concentrated attention to the abundance of colonias in these counties with sub-standard living conditions.
In 2020, for example, residents were assisted amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, especially those that were registered with 50% below the Webb County Area Median Family Income. Further help includes tool lending for living condition improvements, small home repairs, housing rehabilitation, new constructions, construction classes, financial literacy classes, clean-up campaigns and more.
The county stated that it encourages members to reach out for help throughout the variety of resources available within the center. Per the financial literacy classes, the center helps provide residents on how to manage household budgets, identity theft prevention and managing a checkings/savings account. Computer literacy classes also help residents with computers and like the financial literacy classes are available to any resident within the targeted area.
The five areas include the colonias located along State Highway 359 are Los Altos, San Carlos I, San Carlos II, Ranchitos 359 East and Pueblo Nuevo. The county states that the services provided to colonia residents of these targeted areas include housing and community development services, infrastructure improvements and outreach and educational services.
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Three families receive new mobile homes through Webb Co. program - Laredo Morning Times
Corporate landlords are gobbling up mobile home parks and quickly driving up rents heres why the space is so attractive to them
The hunt for yield has pushed private equity firms and professional investors into new segments of the real estate market.
In recent years, sophisticated investors have snapped up multi-family units and single-family homes. Now, corporate landlords are targeting the most cost-effective segment of the real estate market: mobile home parks.
Manufactured homes or mobile homes are considered the most affordable non-subsidized housing option in America. Thats because the owners own only the prefabricated unit and not the land under the home. The land is usually leased from the landlord of a trailer park.
The average monthly rent for a mobile home in 2021 was $593. Thats significantly lower than the average one-bedroom condo rental rate of $1,450. The mobile park rental also often includes utilities and insurance.
Rents typically rise 4% to 6% annually and renters have the flexibility to move their housing unit to another park. These factors make the manufactured home highly attractive to low-income households.
As of 2020, nearly 22 million Americans lived in mobile homes. Thats 6.7% of the total population or about one in 15 people across the country. However, the economic inefficiencies that make these manufactured homes affordable also make them attractive to professional investors.
Factors such as below-market rents and disrepair make mobile home parks attractive for investors seeking to add value. The typical mobile home park lot costs $10,000, which means 80 lots would be worth $800,000 on average.
Story continues
Put simply, the entry price for these parks is much lower than multi-family apartments and condo buildings across the country.
Professional investors can also raise rents significantly to improve the valuation of the property. Attracting tenants with higher incomes or improving the parks amenities and infrastructure are other value-add strategies that make this asset class appealing.
The fact that moving a typical mobile home costs between $3,000 to $10,000 also means that most tenants are unable to afford the move. This gives landlords immense pricing power.
Meanwhile, the yield is much higher. The capitalization rate (the ratio of net operating income to market price) could be as high as 9%, according to real estate partners Dave Reynolds and Frank Rolfe, who together are the fifth-largest owner of mobile home parks in the U.S.
The largest mobile park landlord is real estate veteran Sam Zell. Zells Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) owns 165,000 units across the country and the asset is a key element of his $5.4 billion fortune.
In recent years, larger investors such as Singapores sovereign wealth fund GIC and private equity firms such as The Carlyle Group, Brookfield, Blackstone, and Apollo have also added exposure to this asset class.
Even Warren Buffett is involved. His firms subsidiary, Clayton Homes, is the largest manufacturer of mobile homes in the U.S., and also operates two of the biggest mobile home lenders, 21st Mortgage Corp. and Vanderbilt Mortgage.
Retail investors looking for exposure to mobile home parks have plenty of options. Acquiring a park is, perhaps, the most straightforward way to access this asset class. However, publicly-listed stocks and real estate investment trusts offer exposure too.
Sam Zells Equity LifeStyle Properties is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker ELS. Sun Communities Inc. (SUI) owns 146,000 units across the U.S. and some in Canada, while Legacy Housing Corp. (LEGH) builds, sells, and finances manufactured homes.
Retail and institutional investors could see more upside from this segment as the economic inefficiencies are ironed out.
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Watch out Big Internet, T-Mobile is turning the Northeast magenta! Today, T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced it has expanded the footprint of its 5G Home Internet service across Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, where more than three million households still have no access to home broadband. With this latest expansion, more than 9 million homes throughout these states are now eligible for T-Mobile Home Internet.
Fast, reliable home broadband has never been more important, but for families across the country, access to home broadband is still out of reach. In Connecticut alone, more than 320,000 households approximately 23% of total homes across the state and more than 100,000 children lack high-speed internet. And in Pennsylvania, more than 800,000 residents lack access, with more than 500,000 of those living in rural areas. And it doesnt stop there, a 2021 study by BroadbandNow confirms that more than 42 million people nationwide do not have access to broadband. Thats a disaster. Luckily, T-Mobile is here to help clean up the mess.
Todays expansion reinforces the continued demand and need for T-Mobile Home Internet and follows recent announcements in California, Texas, the Southeast, Midwest and South. During Q2 earnings, T-Mobile announced that it now has more than 1.5 million Home Internet customers, making it the fastest growing broadband provider for the third quarter in a row. Now, more than 40 million households a third of them in rural America are eligible for 5G Home Internet. Theyll get broadband speeds that handle multiple devices at the same time for working, streaming, zooming, online learning, gaming and more!
What People Are Saying
Here in Connecticut, our administration has made expanding access to broadband internet a top priority because until we tackle our underserved broadband challenges in our urban, suburban, and rural areas, we will not have equitable access for all and achieve the economic recovery that we need, said Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. As we continue our focus to ensure Connecticut residents are connected, I am glad that we have partners like T-Mobile that are working to address this need, as well.
Rochester is lucky to be one of 64 cities in the Northeast where T-Mobile is expanding their Home Internet service to thousands more households, said Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Duffy. We thank T-Mobile for their investment in our region, which will help many more individuals and families work, learn, and stay remotely connected in todays rapidly shifting world.
Expanding broadband in my district and throughout the commonwealth has always been a longtime priority of mine, said Senator Sal DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate. I want to thank T-Mobile for their investment in our area. This will allow more of our communities access to reliable internet.
Millions of people across this country still have little to no choice when it comes to home broadband. Thats because traditional ISPs have continued to underserve customers year after year, even as reliance on connectivity grows, said Mike Katz, Chief Marketing Officer at T-Mobile. So today, were doubling down on our mission to bring connectivity to more people, expanding Home Internet in states across the Northeast. As weve seen quarter after quarter, people are desperate for a new option in home broadband. With 5G Home Internet, were delivering just that.
About T-Mobile Home Internet
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is home internet for just $50 a month with AutoPay, or $30 per month for families with Magenta MAX, T-Mobiles most popular phone plan. Its fast and reliable home broadband without all the Big Internet BS.
Expanded Access
5G Home Internet is available to more than 40 million homes nationwide. And now, millions more homes in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania are eligible for 5G Home Internet too. Availability is based on network capacity, which is increasing all the time. Check if T-Mobile Home Internet is available for your home at https://www.t-mobile.com/isp.
Connecticut
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Not available in all areas; customers ineligible for 5G Home Internet may be eligible for 4G LTE or other fixed wireless options. During congestion, Home Internet customers may notice speeds lower than other customers due to data prioritization. For use only at location provided at activation. Credit approval required. AutoPay: $5/mo. discount may not reflect on 1st bill. Regulatory fees included in monthly service price for qualifying accounts. If canceling Home Internet service, return gateway or pay up to $370. $30/mo. for families with 2+ qualifying Magenta MAX lines and Home Internet Service. Via $20 monthly bill credit. Credits may take up to 2 bill cycles; credits will stop if you cancel any lines or change plans. Price Lock guarantees your regular monthly rate for your current qualified home internet service plan (excludes taxes/fees, limited-time promotions, per-use charges, third-party services, devices and network management practices).
About T-Mobile
T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is Americas supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobiles customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Sprint. For more information please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com.
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T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Takes Over the Northeast - Business Wire
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Co-author byPeter SeltenrightCo-Founder& COO (PrefabPads LLC)
Gould & Ratner presents the next installment of ourConstruction Interview Series. As a continued effort to keep ourclients informed of new building techniques and processes, we willcontinue to periodically sit down with leaders at some of the mostinfluential companies in the construction industry to discuss theirinsights on relevant and pressing topics of interest in theindustry.
Patrick Johnson, a partner in the firm's ConstructionPractice, recently discussed the creation of PrefabPads as well asnew design methodologies in the construction industry focusing onpre-fabricated and modular construction with Peter Seltenright,Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of PrefabPads LLC.
Founded in 2022, PrefabPads, is focused on manufacturing anddistributing innovative prefabricated homes to the United Statesunder the My Cabin brand. Although the designs are purposely smallin footprint they provide the feel of an actual home rather thanthat of a traditional tiny home or recreational vehicle. The focusis to provide an affordable living space built with high-endmaterials and a structure that will last.
Pat: Peter, thank you for sitting down with meto discuss this interesting topic and your new endeavor. Could youtell me a little more about this new journey of yours withPrefabPads? What interested you in the prefabricated and modularconstruction sector?
Peter: Pat, thank you so much for having me.I'm always excited to chat about this new business and theproduct we're building. The long answer is that I come from afamily in construction and design of high end homes in northernMichigan so building is kind of in my blood. I had been working intech for years but I had been following the trends in prefab andmodular building, especially when it comes to quality design insmaller structures.
When Covid hit I could see the shift to remote living, morepeople looking to escape into nature, but also the need forhousing. I first explored the idea of a boutique nature resort withmy co-founder, Hemang, where we would place 8-10 very cool prefabcabins on a property for short term rental. We just couldn'tfind the property we wanted in the location we had in mind and ourfavorite designs seemed to be stuck in Europe. We then got prettylucky and found this brand, My Cabin, in a Dwell article and Iimmediately reached out to the founder. He put his trust in us tobring the My Cabin brand to North America and here we are now in30,000 sq ft of factory space in Waukegan, IL building out the MyCabin product.
Pat: Regarding the units themselves that youare currently distributing, what is unique about them and who doyou foresee as being your target customer or user? Since these arelargely prefabricated, is there any ability to customize from thefactory?
Peter: Well we were a bit naive and thought wecould just import the materials from Europe and build from theirplans right away. We quickly learned that we needed to go into anextensive engineering process to bring the units to US code. Wethen made a decision to ensure these are top of the line cabinsstructurally and also with materials and finishes. It's notthat in Europe they're building a substandard product, but weknew for the US market that high-end materials that last would beappreciated and the increased price of the units would be worthit.
While these units may have a rather traditional shape andlayout, what's really unique is that we've convertedthese to what we feel is the most structurally sound and high-endcabin on the market for this price point. Our cabins can meet130mph wind loads and comply with seismic requirements, andinsulation levels for every state in the country. It's alsojust a beautiful Scandinavian design with tons of natural light andspace. While our competition focuses on compliance with RVregulations or ease of shipment capabilities which restricts layoutconfigurations, our prefabricated design is much wider making youfeel like you're in a real home.
Our target customers range quite a bit. On one end you havesomeone trying to take advantage of Additional Dwelling Unit(ADU) regulations and placing a unit in theirbackyard for an extra bedroom or an office, we also have customerslooking for a few units for a remote property as a vacation homeand/or a rental property, and then we have conversations withdevelopers looking to build out their resort property. We'reable to cater to all of it due to our pre-fabricated designprocess.
In terms of customization, it's limited but that'sby design in a manufacturing environment like this. The dimensionsof the unit can't change as we don't want to get intoengineering changes for all projects but we can work with customerson finishes or non-load bearing items. Right now, we have twofinishes for the exterior siding color and can offer differentflooring finishes, and cabinet colors. Our design also affords usthe ability to remove kitchens and bathrooms if customers preferblank spaces and even small customizations with windows.
Pat: I have talked previously about thebenefits of using prefabricated and modular construction methodsbut I am curious as to what your thoughts are on the topic?
Peter: There are plenty of advantages to thismethod. The obvious ones are speed and price. We can build theseunits in a month and have them to you in two months (if materialsare arriving on time). Our fabrication process also allows us totake advantage of bulk ordering materials to bring price down andthe pre-fabrication process also reduces material waste in theprocess. Additionally, a key advantage is a controlled buildingenvironment. With everything happening indoors, we're able toensure that no moisture gets into the structure before it'sclosed up and finished and always be building year round. So whilewe're building the cabin, the customer can be installingtheir foundation in a parallel path, which really speeds thingsup.
Overall the pre-fabrication process is environmentally friendlyand allows us to produce structures in a fraction of the time andat lower prices than a traditional stick-built home. But Iwon't say that it's all advantages. In order to makethis work we have to limit customization and we have to makechoices on the units to meet code in nearly all states. But at thesame time, the repetition of building these over and over makes usexperts on what we do compared to stick-built that essentiallyreinvents the wheel and brings in new processes and methods foreach project.
Pat: What are your thoughts on trends in thisindustry and do you think these trends will continue in the future?From your perspective, has the pandemic impacted your business atall?
Peter: It's certainly a hot industryright now and it will continue to grow as traditional builders arebacked up, building costs are up, and there's a housingshortage. We are seeing a ton of competitors popping up all overthe world and more and more in the US but you tend to see a lot ofconcepts and renderings, not an actual project built at a highscale. This industry certainly addresses the housing shortage andthe difficulties of getting things built right now but we stillhave issues with outdated zoning ordinances. ADUs are still notallowed across the country, many places have restrictive minimumsquare footage rules or even restrictions on the number ofdwellings on a property.
I think these restrictions are holding the industry back alittle bit ,but I am hopeful with all the interest this sector isseeing that these outdated codes can be updated to conform to thisnew type of construction.
Pat: Do you see any specific regions/statesutilizing these types of units more than others? Why do you thinkthis may be?
Peter: It's certainly clear thatCalifornia and the West Coast seem to be the early adopters, ingeneral they have less regulations against smaller square footageand more acceptance of ADUs. It also doesn't hurt that a lotmore of that population really wants sustainable products both inhow they're built and how they operate on the land. Most ofthe companies in our industry tend to be out there addressing thatdemand. But this will spread across the country and demand isreally taking off in the East in places like upstate New York andNorth Carolina, which is exciting for us being in a location thatcan more easily address those customers.
Pat: With the trends of people leaving citiesand things like glamping taking off, are you seeing demand fromdevelopers and hoteliers?
Peter: Yes, there's a major trend towardsunique escapes and nature focused retreats. I think we'reseeing the old campgrounds and cabin properties being updated withbetter rental units and concepts that connect people with nature inunique ways. We're seeing a lot of glamping ideas with safaritents or RV concepts and I think that now that we'reproducing unique cabins with lots of glass and exposure with thefeel of an actual stick built home rather than that of a trend,I'm certain we'll see more of a shift towardsstructures like ours.
Pat: Have you seen any pushback from anytrades/municipalities on the use of prefabricated/modularconstruction techniques?
Peter: Yes, as I previously had mentionedthere's an unfortunate misunderstanding of the product and alack of willingness to go against their outdated zoning ordinances.There's also a common confusion between modular andmanufactured homes. We build modular homes to US building code withpermanent foundations. While they're small, these are realhigh-end homes. Manufactured homes are mobile homes but it'sa confusing term as modular homes are built in a manufacturingfacility.
Pat: Many construction industry professionalsare experiencing material shortages and delays with constructiondue to a myriad of issues such as labor constraints and supplychain bottlenecks. Has your business been affected by any of theseissues from? What steps have you taken to minimize theseimpacts?
Peter: It has certainly made things moredifficult but I have been pleasantly surprised with theavailability of items that we need. Although that doesn'tcount windows and doors, the costs and lead times for those areincredibly frustrating given what has been happening in theconstruction industry. But outside of that, we have luckily had noissues with lumber, siding, flooring, cabinetry, etc.
Our method is to prefabricate the framing of the units but placelarge orders for finish materials as orders come in and those leadtimes work with our schedules. The one exception is the need topre-order windows and doors and to take on that cost upfront.
Pat: Materials selection has becomeincreasingly important and we have seen unique and specialtymaterials being specified on recent projects. Have you seen yourclients making similar requests with their designs and how doesthis impact the prefabricated nature of your product?
Peter: Customers seem educated about materialsand sort of test us on what we use. Fortunately, our choices ofhigh-end materials has made this almost a non-issue. We alreadybring in a design with European style tilt and turn windows anddoors and really high end wood paneling inside and out. Wecertainly listen to the requests of our customers and if we see acommon trend, we try to address that with changes to the product webuild moving forward. When we first started, we had to take a lotof feedback on the design from Europe and make it more US-friendly.For example, we couldn't have a tiny bathroom sink or nowashing machine for our design. Those kinds of things requiredthought and edits to the flow of the units. Fortunately, we seem tobe meeting the requests for specialty materials.
Pat: We have clients with projects all acrossthe United States. Is this sort of design methodology moreapplicable to any specific geographical region, project site, orclimate zone in your opinion?
Peter: Our designs seem widely accepted acrossall parts of the country and we have tried to create a product thatcan be installed almost anywhere. I would say that any of the hotreal estate markets seem to have multi year waits for builders sonaturally we're a great option as a quick solution. Prefabbuilding is going to succeed in those areas where wait times andcosts have gone through the roof. Also, anyone looking for an addon to their main residence would really benefit from ourmethodology. No one wants a construction site on their property fora full year just to build a few hundred square feet. Why not put inan easy foundation and have a modular unit delivered in a matter ofmonths.
On the flip side, it's only fair to note that we do havesome limitations. A prefab builder has a big challenge in creatinga product for all 50 states when addressing extreme areas likeFlorida coastal zones that require 150-180 mph wind loads,it's really not possible to expect to use our same productunless we create a completely new product for those areas. Rightnow, we don't want to do that because it would either besomething with a less desirable design or requires a design thatsignificantly increases cost while reducing aesthetic appeal. Forour design, climate zones are easier to handle and we decided toaddress that with extreme insulation that also provides betterenergy efficiency for all customers.
Pat: Although these units are largelyprefabricated off site, there is likely some additional work to becompleted prior to final completion. What additional work typicallyneeds to be completed on site before these units are ready fortheir intended use? What benefits does this provide over a moretraditional ground up construction type project of a similarfootprint?
Peter: I really do wish we had the operation tobe our customer's contractor across the country and toprovide an all-in-one service but that's just not a reality.Our customers need to work with a GC to install the pier foundationwe have designed and route their electric, water, and sewage to thecorrect locations per our design and their site layout. The greatthing about this is that they can be doing that work whilewe're building their units instead of waiting to do thatbefore construction can begin. Beyond site prep, thecustomer's GC will also need to coordinate the installationonce the truck arrives with the unit(s). This might seem dauntingbut it's really just a crane that lifts the completed unitoff the truck and it places it on the foundation where the finalconnections are made. Installation happens in a day and thenit's move-in ready.
Of course other additional work could be customizationscustomers decide to make after the unit is installed on theexterior or interior. That could be building connections betweenunits, which is yet another benefit of utilizing our pre-fabricateddesign process, or installing their own kitchen design.That's their choice.
Pat: Are there any other issues you thinkshould be considered when contemplating using a prefabricated ormodular construction type structure as opposed to a moretraditional ground up construction?
Peter: Customers need to be comfortable withminimal customization, that's the obvious drawback. Anotherkey item that could be challenging is financing. At this squarefootage it can be challenging to find a bank that will be open to ahome loan due to lack of comps. They also seem to struggle tounderstand modular vs manufactured and how exactly our constructionprocess works, which might prevent them from offering a trueconstruction loan.
Pat: Finally, before we wrap up, I wanted totouch briefly on green design. It has become quitecommon in my experience for a design to incorporate certain greencomponents, whether that be through solar panels, reflective windowpanels, innovative heating and cooling systems. I was curious whatyour thoughts were on green design. Since your unitsare largely prefabricated, do they have any greendesign aspects? Is there any ability to modify during theprefabrication process to make the unit moregreen?
Peter: We kind of ended up with agreen design without even really focusing on it. Ourhigh insulation levels, very efficient windows, energy recoveryventilation in the units and reduced building waste has all givenus a product that I would consider sustainable and highlyefficient. We're doing some initial research on LEEDcertification and I don't think we're far off. Over thenext year we also plan to address off-grid installation ideas.Solar is a no-brainer and rather simple to add and plug into ourproduct. Other items like rain water collection, gray watersystems, composting toilets, etc. are all things we'd like tobe knowledgeable on for our products. My goal is to have cleardirection on how that will work with our product line so thatcustomers know their options and what they can do.
Pat: Peter, thank you again for sharing yourknowledge and experience, especially as it relates to theprefabricated and modular construction industry. I believe thatdemand for these types of structures will only increase in thefuture and think it is important to stay abreast of innovative waysto meet this demand. Best of luck with this new endeavor andperhaps we can speak again soon to see how things are progressingin the industry.
The content of this article is intended to provide a generalguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be soughtabout your specific circumstances.
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Innovations In The Pre-Fabricated And Modular Construction Sector - Real Estate - United States - Mondaq
When Rodger Mitchells wife started yelling something about flames rushing toward their modular home in Barrett Junction, the 80-year-old remained calm. Small brushfires are commonplace in the community east of Jamul.
However, the gravity of the situation set in when Mitchell stepped outside into whipping winds and triple-digit heat.
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The fire was rolling, creating its own atmosphere, he said a week later, looking over three obliterated metal storage containers on his property. It came through that canyon, and it wasnt waiting for nobody.
Rodger Mitchell stands next to his new propane tank he recently had installed after the original was destroyed in the Border 32 fire.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The Border 32 fire which started Aug. 31, destroying 19 homes and critically injuring at least two people was just one of many conflagrations across California ignited during a recent record-breaking heat wave.
Scientists warn that humanitys ever-increasing carbon footprint is largely to blame, driving up temperatures especially in the late summer and early fall when dry conditions and high winds can turn a small spark into a deadly fire.
The best estimate right now is that global warming has approximately doubled the annual burned area in the West, said David Romps, professor of climate physics at UC Berkeleys Department of Earth and Planetary Science.
Whats terrifying to me is the trajectory were on, he added. Were not tamping down the cause of global warming. Were burning fossil fuels at an ever increasing rate.
The situation has recently taken a surprising toll on emergency crews across the state. At least 14 firefighters in San Diego County, for example, have suffered heat-related illnesses over the last week and a half, including during the Border 32, Sandia, and Caesar fires.
The high number of firefighter injuries on these incidents is not a common or typical occurrence, said Capt. Thomas Shoots, spokesperson for Cal Fire in San Diego. The long duration heat wave coupled with multiple fires in San Diego County added to the already challenging firefighting conditions.
A firefighting helicopter drops water onto a brush fire that threatend homes near Barrett Lake Mobile Home Park.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
When firefighter Joshua Kremensky arrived at the Mitchells home that Wednesday afternoon it was 105 degrees. Winds reportedly blowing up to 27 mph had fanned flames through a dry creek bed filled with thick brush and cottonwood trees surrounding the structure.
When stress is at that level, Im not thinking too much about the heat, said the 30-year-old. Im hyper-focused on the fire and the structure and the safety of the civilians. But as it starts to progress, you can really start to feel the fatigue set in. Thats why its so important to be aware of hydration.
Kremensky hosed down the vegetation around the home as best he could, at one point ripping flaming brush away from a propane tank that eventually exploded with a bang, shooting a jet of flame into the air.
The fire continued to spread so quickly that many in the area were forced to shelter in place as more fire crews arrived. The Mitchells survived without injury, but up the road, others werent as lucky.
We had two victims who had sustained critical burn injuries, said Kremensky. At this point the fire was very intense and rapidly growing.
The people were treated and flown to UC San Diego Healths Regional Burn Center in Hillcrest, where they remained in critical condition as of last Sunday, according to Cal Fire. Their names were not released, and its unknown if they survived.
Fueled by a parched landscape, extreme heat and high winds, the Border 32 fire roared to more than 4,200 acres by 10 p.m. the first night. The blaze wouldnt get much larger before being completely extinguished five days later.
The rapid spread of such fires also highlights a growing concern across the state about how best to notify residents of life-threatening natural disasters. Many people have ditched their landlines in favor of cellphones, which can lose service if flames destroy the nearest cell tower. And such alerts often dont reach residents before theyre in harms way.
Mitchell said his cellphone never received an alert about the fire, which are routinely sent out by the county Office of Emergency Services. His stepson, who lives across the road, said he received one but only after he had already evacuated.
A scorched childs bicycle at Barrett Junction stands at the lot where Micael Quintanillas home was burned to the ground.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The county said it sent out a wireless evacuation order around 2:40 p.m. However, by then David Quintanillas mother was already trapped in the area, watching her mobile home burn to the ground.
She wasnt able to get any belongings, said the 46-year-old. It was seconds, and the home was engulfed.
The Border 32 fire was one of about half a dozen blazes that started in their community this summer, Quintanilla said. The first couple fires, they had helicopters and firefighters on it immediately. This fire for some reason just snuck up on everybody.
Thats probably because San Diego had enjoyed a relatively mild summer until the recent heat wave blanketed the state.
Tropical Storm Kay brought much needed precipitation to San Diego on Friday. However, any relief provided by the 1 to 4 inches of rain that fell in eastern parts of the county may be short-lived.
The rain wont have much of an impact on the live fuels, said Eric Just, unit forester for Cal Fire in San Diego, who added that vegetation will likely be bone dry again in a couple weeks.
Its not just that California is getting hotter under climate change but that temperatures are rising fastest in August through October when wildfire conditions are at their worst, said Noah Diffenbaugh, a climate scientist at Stanford University.
Were getting more severe daily-scale heat events and not just in the summer months, but critically in the fall period prior to the onset of the rainy season, he said.
Rising autumn temperatures and decreasing rainfall over the last four decades have contributed to an increase in wildfire across the state, according to a paper from Stanford and UCLA published in 2020 in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Specifically, the frequency of extreme fire weather has more than doubled since the early 1980s.
Californias warming over all 12 months, but the most rapid warming is in September, followed by August and October, said Diffenbaugh, who was a co-author on the study.
San Diego is now gearing up for its traditional fire season, when Santa Ana winds start blowing in from the east. Another extreme heat wave under those conditions could trigger a disaster on a scale the region hasnt seen in over a decade.
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San Diegos recent wildfires a harrowing harbinger of global heating - The San Diego Union-Tribune
For three years, the residents at the Oasis Mobile Home Park in the east valley have been without clean water. On multiple occasions, the EPA has found high levels of arsenic in the park's water system.
The issue continues to this day, but now some of the park's residents are dealing with another major issue on top of being without water, no electricity.
Residents say for several days now, power failures have forced them to endure the hot weather of the desert without air conditioning.
Cecilia Hernandez told Telemundo 15's Marco Revuelta that she and her family are going through unbearable days.
"It's a desperate thing, for me, for my children," Hernandez said. "Sometimes, when my baby can't take it anymore, she won't stop crying."
Hernandez is one of more than 200 families, or 1,100 people, living in the troubled mobile home park. She says the power outages began last Sunday.
"Since that day they have been shutting down for an hour, half an hour, sometimes for three hours," Hernandez said.
On Wednesday, Hernandez said she spent a total of four hours in the heat wave.
"For me this is an emergency, for these families, I'm not the only one here, my neighbors also have a baby," Hernandez said.
A spokesperson for the Imperial Irrigation District said they are aware of the situation. They add that the failures are in the infrastructure of the site which falls under the responsibility of the RV park managers.
Activists point out that this is a reflection of the discomfort faced by those who live there.
"The problems in the park go far beyond the water. It's the lights, the garbage, the problems with the handlers, there are many more problems in this parking lot and that's why we are asking for the relocation of the Oasis residents as soon as possible," said Omar Gastelum, a member of the Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability.
Riverside County has been working to relocate residents. In June, the Board of Supervisors approved the allocation of$7 million for phase 1 of the Oasis Villas Apartments. The project will create new affordable and safe housing opportunities for families living at Oasis Mobile Home Park and other dilapidated housing in the east valley.
The $7 million for the project comes froma $30 million state grant Riverside County receivedto provide relocation assistance for the park's residents.
Gastelum said that with temperatures in the triple digits, action needs to be taken urgently.
"We know the effects that being exposed to extreme heat for a long time can have, so that problem has been going on for more than a week and a half now, so we think it's time for someone to take some kind of action," Gastelum said.
Hernandez tells us that there are 15 homes impacted by the power outages.
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Residents of troubled Oasis Mobile Home Park now dealing with power failures amid high temperatures - kuna noticias y kuna radio