I arrived at the building site before sunrise to remove the plastic I had set in place to protect the ground from the rain. The setting of my modular home had already been delayed for a month due to rain. The first half of my house had been delivered already, but we needed 10 days without rain before the contractor would bring his 90 ton crane to the building site to set my modular home. This was the third scheduled date to set the home; the first two were rained out. It was finally going to happen this time, I could feel it.
It took over an hour to fold up all of the plastic I had staked out to ensure the ground stayed dry. The crane wasn’t due for about an hour, so I went a few miles to get some coffee. When I started pulling down our long gravel drive, ahead of me was the crane. It was actually going to happen this time!
Soon after the crane arrived, a truck with the outriggers pads showed up and then another truck with the counter weights for the crane. Next, the set crew from the modular home company showed up. They said the other half of the house was on its way and would be there by the time we got the first half of the house set on its foundation.
In no time, there was a flurry of activity. The protective material was being removed from the half of a home that was on site. Next, the hardware holding the home to its temporary trailer was being removed. While this was happening, the crane company was getting the crane positioned, outriggers placed on the railroad tie pads they had brought and extending the boom.
Soon the excavators showed up to run the track hoe and high lift we would need later. The track hoe was to be hitched to the rear of the second half of the home as it came down our steep driveway and walk it down. The truck that hauls the home would not be able to stop on the hillside with 35,000 pounds behind it. This is the same manner that we had gotten the first half of the home to the building site.
First, we had to set the 54 foot 8 inch wide flange beam that was in two pieces. This beam would span the length of the basement and support the modular home. The beam was set on jack posts which were placed in the basement on the 30 inch square, 12 inches thick concrete pier pads that had been poured beneath the basement floor. The beam was set and bolted together without a hitch. My first big relief of the day! I had measured and re-measured the beam after it was delivered to ensure it was made to the right length.
Shortly after that, the second half of the house arrived at the top of our driveway. The track hoe was maneuvered behind it and chained to the rear of the house. It slowly walked the 35,000 pounds down my steep driveway.
Next, the first half of the house was set on the foundation and the beam. Chains were hooked on either end of the house and used as taglines for guys to pull on while positioning the modular home just right over the foundation. It is a very eerie feeling watching your future home being lifted in the air! After the first half was in place, the hinged roof was raised and set in place using the crane.
At this point, the area was quite cluttered with trailers, trucks, etc. That is not a problem when you have a huge crane handy! The crane picked up the trailer that the first half of the home had arrived on and the trailer the counter weights had arrived on and set them both in what was to be my side yard. This cleared a spot for the second half of the home.
Part of a hillside had to be moved to get the home around a turn in our driveway that led up to the area near the crane. Next, there was not room for the large truck that had been used to transport the home. The home was unhitched from the truck and the track hoe was used to pull it the last 50 feet to a place where the crane could safely lift it.
Once in position, the hinged roof was raised prior to the lift. This section of the home would be raised with the roof in place. Once again the chains were attached to the ends of the home. The second half of the home was then lifted into its permanent place on the foundation and snugged up to the first half using chain blocks. The chain blocks had been attached to the first half of the home, which by this time had been attached to the sill plate which was bolted to the top of the foundation.
By this time it was late afternoon. The house was then temporarily sealed on the ends with plastic until the finish crew could come out the following week and finish the home. Everybody loaded up their tools, dismantled the crane and began leaving.
It was a very long but very successful day. I have never been so relieved! Other than some irregularities due to my building site, it had gone as I had been told by the modular home builder.
Tim Montey's modular home was set two years ago and he detailed that experience for anyone considering building one at www.modularhomechoice.com
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