Let’s talk about the homes you piece together | Real Estate Newsletter

My first experience with modular construction was in the summer of 2022 when I watched a crane stack together pre-made pods to make an apartment building. I was working on a story about how more of Philly’s apartments were being made that way.

Now when I walk by that building on my way to buy groceries, it’s easy to forget that’s how the apartments were built.

But modular construction is not just a city thing or an apartment thing. And Habitat for Humanity in South Jersey says it can produce triple the number of homes this way compared to traditional construction.

Keep scrolling for that story and to find out why a homeowner’s lawn in a Shore town has caused so much trouble, see where developers want to build new apartments, and peek into a completely renovated Washington Square condo.

📮 Are residential lawns worth the upkeep? For a chance to be featured in my newsletter, tell me your opinion.

— Michaelle Bond

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Modular homes are built in sections in a big indoor factory. Those sections are then moved to a lot, where they’re fitted together like LEGOs.

That’s how Habitat for Humanity is building homes for families in South Jersey. And those families are getting to move in more quickly.

Compare the time it usually takes to build a modular home and an on-site, traditionally built home.

But like insiders in the construction industry told me in 2022, modular construction is harder than it looks. And Habitat got off to a rocky start when it started building using the method about eight years ago.

Now, the nonprofit has gotten into a groove and offers a catalog of different home styles.

Keep reading to meet a Burlington County family who recently moved into their new home and learn the ins and outs of how Habitat uses modular construction.

The state of New Jersey has told a pair of Avalon homeowners they need to do something about their lawn.

The owners of a recently built house with three levels and seven bedrooms added more than 8,000 square feet of lawn that replaced protected dunes. New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection cited the owners for doing more than a permit allowed them to do.

Wood chips and an irrigation system also have gotten the homeowners in trouble.

Within 90 days, the owners have to tell the state how they plan to restore parts of the land.

Keep reading to learn the other reason one of the homeowners has been in the news, the role the dunes play in the Jersey Shore town, and what’s been happening in Avalon’s real estate market.

The two-story condo in Washington Square used to belong to Natasha Vana’s mother. When it became Natasha’s home with her husband, Guy, the couple went to work transforming it.

During a two-year renovation, the Vanas completely gutted the space, except for some walls they had to keep.

Now, the first floor of their modern home has an open floor plan. It has the usual kitchen, dining room, and powder room. But it also has a two-story garden room. The couple replaced the original concrete stairs with ones that look like they’re floating.

Floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the condo let in lots of natural light. And they take advantage of one of the home’s biggest assets. Natasha said she wanted a home “where the view was the focal point.”

Peek into the Vanas’ Washington Square condo, see one of the couple’s favorite works of art, and take in the home’s city views.

Last month, a Philadelphia church brought the sound of ringing bells back to a neighborhood that hasn’t had them in a while. The sound has brought cheers and — since it’s Philly — a few complaints.

Question: In what neighborhood are these new chimes ringing on the hour?

A) Brewerytown

B) Point Breeze

C) Chestnut Hill

D) Fishtown

This story has the answer.

Do you know the location this photo shows?

📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of this spot might be featured in the newsletter.

Shout out to Daniel M., Lars W., and Kevin, who knew that last week’s photo showed the top of the Merchants’ Exchange Building.

Outside of the building has been a popular wedding photo destination for years. When I was there in November as a bridesmaid, our bridal party was one of at least three taking photos. (The first correct answer I got to the quiz came from my fellow bridesmaid Erin.)

Reader Daniel M. says he sees the Merchants’ Exchange Building every day in this 2021 photo of him and his wife, Debby D.

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This week marks one year since we started this newsletter journey together. I sent you my first edition on Jan. 26, 2023. Thanks for coming along for the real estate ride. And enjoy the rest of your week.

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