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- Modular Mountain Retreat > Episode 1: Modular Home Construction and Site Preparation
A Visit to the Berkshires
Project: Modular Mountain Retreat, Episode 1, Part 2
Bob and his crew travel to western Massachusetts to feature the construction and on-site assembly of a modular home in the Berkshires Hills.
Simplex Industries is building the home in Scranton, PA. Bob visits the Simplex factory to witness the the prefab process. Pat Fricchione, Jr., owner of Simplex, tells Bob the history of the company, remarking on how the image of modular construction has changed over the years.
While touring the building site, Bob gives an overview of the rustic Berkshires area before joining general contractor Michael Shiels to discuss the foundation prep work that is underway.
Simplex Industries is building the home in Scranton, PA. Bob visits the Simplex factory to witness the the prefab process. Pat Fricchione, Jr., owner of Simplex, tells Bob the history of the company, remarking on how the image of modular construction has changed over the years.
While touring the building site, Bob gives an overview of the rustic Berkshires area before joining general contractor Michael Shiels to discuss the foundation prep work that is underway.
- Part 1: Building a Modular Home
- Part 2: A Visit to the Berkshires
- Bob meets with Bill Wilson of the Berkshire Visitors Bureau. The two discuss the beauty of the region, which is located along the Massachusetts Turnpike from Boston to Stockbridge.
Around the turn of the century, New York millionaires built cottages in the area for summer retreats. Most of these palatial mansions have now become resorts and tourist spots.
The Berkshires have drawn a number of writers and artists over the years, including Edith Wharton, Daniel Chester French, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Norman Rockwell.
The Berkshires are a vacationer's paradise with boating, biking, golfing, and hiking in the summer. Winter activities include skiing, snow shoeing and cross country skiing. In autumn, the incredible display of fall foliage is unrivaled. - Part 3: Site Work Preparing for Precast Foundation
Beautifully sited on wooded acreage with breathtaking views of some of the most beautiful countryside in New England, this Arts and Crafts style bungalow certainly doesn't look factory-built. You'd never know it was a modular home unless Bob took you to the Pennsylvania factory where it was built, almost from start to finish.
The house goes down the assembly line from framing, through wiring and plumbing, all the way to the installation of flooring and priming for paint.
The house is trucked to its pre-fabricated foundations on the lot, and start all the finishing touches that will prove that a modular house doesn't have to be a cookie-cutter affair.
The house goes down the assembly line from framing, through wiring and plumbing, all the way to the installation of flooring and priming for paint.
The house is trucked to its pre-fabricated foundations on the lot, and start all the finishing touches that will prove that a modular house doesn't have to be a cookie-cutter affair.
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