Factory-Built Housing Trend Is Lagging Here

California has more major building-component manufacturers than any other state, but the trend toward automated building has yet to catch on here, according to a survey conducted by the trade magazine Automated Builder.

Don Carlson, editor and publisher of the Carpinteria magazine, says factory-built sections save builders money but because homes here sell so quickly at any price there hasn’t been a compelling reason to change to the use of factory-built components.

Carlson says that although California builds more homes than any other state, its generally mild climate permits building to be done on the site for most of the year. In the East and Midwest, cold winters make the use of factory-built components almost a necessity.