Going Modular to Get the Lead Out
Home HeadQuarters commissioned construction of a two-story, 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath single-family modular home to replace a vacant structure that was demolished due to dangerously high levels of lead.
Last week, the more than 65,000 pounds of modular home sections, that include everything from the front doorbell to the upstairs bathtub, were set, piece by piece, by a 100-ton crane on the city's Near Northside. Final interior and exterior trim, flooring and mechanical hook-ups will be done by Home HeadQuarters’ construction crew and ultimately, the home will be sold to a first-time, low-income home buyer who has graduated from HHQs’ HomeBuyer Education Course.
The original structure, featured in a Syracuse.com story about lead poisoning, was initially slated for substantial rehabilitation, but was deemed infeasible once lead remediation costs alone were estimated to be more than $100,000. Modular building, which is all done inside a climate-controlled environment helps manage costs and provide year-round construction, especially helpful for communities like Syracuse with a limited building season.
This particular new home project was made possible with support from the City of Syracuse, The NYS Attorney General’s Office, the Greater Syracuse Area Landbank and the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation.