Monday, May 26, 2014

Our Experience Building a Simplex Modular Home

Our 160 year old Cottage we decided to demolish and build a Simplex Modular Home using the same septic and well sites.
We salvaged the original hardwood random width plank floor boards.  Seth is going to make some amazing farmhouse tables out of them!
Before demo we had to remove the asbestos siding.
After siding removal, we could see widespread rotting to the original wood siding.  
Original fireplace.  Eventually, that was the only thing standing.
In the Cottage there is was joy.

Digging the foundation, we hit solid shale and needed to use additional equipment.

Poured basement walls.


Day of delivery was July 15th 2013.  The house came in 5 sections, on the beds of 5 trucks.  The kids in front of the front porch section.  They parked it at the fire station overnight.



Back of the same section in the firestation parking lot.


Crane rental and operator are separate from Simplex.

We had a 5 man setting crew, also separate contractors from Simplex.  They were responsible for setting each piece.






Video of section being set.













Family room looking into dining room before the finishing crew was done.
Family room after drywall, painting, completed.



We had over 20 people come over and help us paint.  The base color I used throughout the whole house (ceilings too) is Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl.  We went through 16 gallons of paint in four days with 20 people painting.  

Our Contractor Dale, teaching Josh how to drywall.
Much depends on having a good contractor.  Since the contractor is the middle person between the client and Simplex, you have to have a person you can trust.  Dale went above and beyond every time an issue came up.  











Magnetic Chalkboard wall in kitchen.  Use at least 3 layers of magnetic paint for it to hold a magnet.  Then 2-3 layers of chalkboard paint over that.  

To see the floorplan for this model click here we altered some of the floorplan as you can with any Simplex model.  As long as it is structurally sound, they will work with you to get the layout you want.  



The front porch beams and floor are still unfinished.  I love the front porch because it is 8 feet deep.