WISCASSET, Maine — In a warehouse in Wiscasset that was filled with discount store merchandise just a few months ago, one of Maine’s leading builders of luxury homes is starting a noticeably different kind of building project.
Knickerbocker Group, which is best known for building multi-million dollar coastal homes, has begun a new venture—building small, modular homes, called prefab pods, as a way to help meet the housing crisis in Maine.
"We want to build small homes," Danielle Betts, president of Knickerbocker Group, said.
The Wiscasset warehouse has been transformed into a giant construction shop, where the company plans to build multiple houses at the same time, all under cover, out of the weather, and with virtually all the work done by the in-house crew—no subcontractors.
Project manager Bill Burge said the new system is designed for maximum efficiency to lower costs.
"They will have a cut list and they will pre-cut everything on that side of the shop and put it in a cart and wheel it over and be assembled here," Burge said, gesturing to the two halves of the large warehouse space.
An architect with Knickerbocker Group, Julian Jalbert, said he studied modular building in graduate school.
"Our goal is to eventually frame floor and wall systems on [large] tables, get [it] framed flat on the ground, then the crane will pick them up and put them in place," Jalbert said of the new system.
Burge added the group hopes to have several dozen crew members and produce a completed modular house every three to four weeks. Those houses will then be loaded onto trucks and hauled to the customer’s building site, and placed on the foundations.
Knickerbocker Group says their modulars will be distinct from most others on the market because of being locally built, highly energy efficient, and with the same higher level finish details as the company’s large custom homes.
The goal, Betts said, is to help more people get homes—a serious need in many parts of Maine. She said a law passed by the Legislature two years ago helped drive the development of the modular business.
"LD 2003 was a law that was passed and gives the right that any lot entitled to a single-family home could have an accessory dwelling unit. So when you look at the power of that, that every home could have a second home or a second family, you could double the housing stick using small structures," Betts said.
She added that could range from people building a small, second house on their current land and then selling or renting the current larger house, or building a small, second house to rent or for children or others to rent or live in.
"The design is important," Betts said. "I lived in a home smaller than this one, Julian did, and we know it has to be designed for living small, have features like storage, and use every nook and cranny."
The small homes won’t be inexpensive. Betts said the 500-square-foot model will roll out the door for about $225,000, while the two-bedroom model will cost $300,000. Land, foundation, site, and utility costs will be extra. That would put one of the new houses at roughly the current average home price for Maine, though Betts said experience with building may let them lower costs somewhat in the future.
She sees a market for both "empty nesters" and young couples needing their own house, even though the modulars are small compared to many current new homes.
"So, the concept here is going back to our roots as Mainers. Start small, if you’re coming out of college and have a job start small. And if you have kids, we can build a pod and attach it to the home ten years down the road and let the home grow as your family grows."
Burge said he thinks the ideas make sense, and cites his own adult son moving out of Maine because he couldn’t afford a house here.
"I think people’s minds are changing with the way they want to live. I think a younger generation is looking to be outside more, [and] not have so much debt. So I think this is a great opportunity for younger couples, younger people to get into a house early."
Betts said they already have a few signed contracts for the modulars and considerable interest from would-be buyers. The first home is expected to be finished and ready to be loaded onto the truck in four to five weeks.
To learn more about Knickerbocker Group's prefab pods, click here.