Home sweet home
RICHLAND TWP, Venango County — Pennwest Homes, a modular home manufacturer now entering its fourth year of production, brings technology and handmade workmanship together at its facility in the A-C Industrial Park near Emlenton.
Entire homes, interior and exterior, are built under the roof of its 90,000-square-foot production center. Viewed from the catwalks above, the flurry of constant activity resembles a beehive.
About 135 craftsmen use everything from precision jigs to their hands to construct Pennwest homes. They also have the advantage of an indoor environment, eliminating climate problems and allowing year-round construction.
In addition to preventing lumber and materials damage by weather, the indoor facilities discourage worksite theft of items such as tools and copper, common in outdoor projects."We build a house the same way as any other house — from the ground up. It's just at the end of the day, it goes on a rolling chassis," said J. Tracy Kirby, general manager.Pennwest actually builds "boxes," components used to assemble a modular home. Each box can be up to 75 feet long.A ranch home might require two or three boxes, while a two-story home will use four or more.Workers begin by building floor framework, and the floor itself, on a precision jig — picture scaffolding laid on its side. They then move the entire jig to another part of the facility to have interior walls installed.The jigs float from place to place in the building on a cushion of compressed air. For most of production, a single worker can move a box, though more than one worker does that for safety reasons.Interior walls and cabinetry are prefabricated in-house.Once interior walls are installed, complete with wiring and plumbing in most cases, pre-assembled roof and shingle sections are lowered by crane onto the frame and attached.
The drywall is painted, then cabinets, and kitchen and bath fixtures are added. Siding and windows complete each unit.A quality control team inspects homes throughout the construction process. Independent, third-party inspectors also visit the facility several times a week to make sure each unit meets the state and local building codes in the home's area before delivery.Pennwest serves the northeastern United States. It ships homes to Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, but its primary markets are Pennsylvania and New York.The company offers 80 to 100 basic floor plans, but the number of available home models is higher."It actually gets into the hundreds because of the pre-engineered options and customization we offer," Kirby said.Pennwest offers standards in its homes usually considered options by other builders. These include hardwood molding, installed plumbing and water lines, prefinished door jambs and 30-year shingles.
Buyers can even request a stone fireplace, hand-laid from floor to ceiling.Once production is complete, boxes are raised simultaneously by eight 10,000-pound jacks, and a trailer is placed underneath. The box then is secured and pulled outside the building through massive, 20-by-16-foot garage doors."Final inspections take place outside because it's easier to see imperfections in natural light," Kirby said.Boxes are then taken to their sites by truck and lifted by crane onto a foundation. Builders on site complete final details and utility connection.Pennwest homes began production on Jan. 10, 2005. It is one of The Commodore Corp.'s six subsidiaries. The Commodore Corp. has been building homes since 1952 and has five locations in Virginia and one in its home state of Indiana.Although the cost of each unit varies by customer specifications, Kirby said Commodore Corp. builds thousands of homes each year and can bring immense buying power to bear on its bulk materials, allowing the savings to be passed on to customers."When we started here, we produced about one box a day. That number grew to three a day in our second year and now we have a maximum capacity of about five boxes a day," Kirby said.The number produced is subject to change, as the home-building industry inevitably slows during winter months.Pennwest added two new models to its offerings recently, the Pennflex II and the Ridgefield.
The Pennflex II is a larger version of Pennwest's original ranch home, adding larger bedrooms and a garage.The Ridgefield is a combination of Cape Cod and two-story styles."We are constantly developing new models," Kirby said.Company representatives attend two trade shows each year, a spring show for industry executives and competitors to view homes from various manufacturers, and a fall show for retailers and builders. Between 50 and 100 homes are on display at each show."We keep a minimum of two display homes on the property at all times, for sales training and customer display purposes," Kirby said. "Our primary path to the market is through authorized dealers (model home lots)."He said the site is ready to expand "as business conditions permit." The facility was designed with a 30,000-square-foot addition possible when it is needed.
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