Thousands tour modular open house

At the open house for the new, yellow two-story home in Lakeview, the curious opened closet doors and kitchen cabinets, peered into bedrooms and bathrooms and looked up at the high ceilings.

But what set apart the open house at 5915 West End Blvd. and drew thousands over the weekend was that it showcased a modular home erected in only seven weeks.

Modular homes, built in a factory by sections and assembled onsite, offer a relatively quick approach to home-building. The company that built the West End house, New Era Homes, aims to appeal to post-Katrina buyers who don't want to take on the months-long effort involved in the traditional approach to rebuilding.

Visitors to the West End house wanted to know things like what appliances come with the house and how long it takes for a home like it to be built, as well as cost and square footage.

Some were in the market for a new house while others came out of curiosity. Most marveled that the house looked "stick-built," or built the old-fashioned way, rather than pre-made in a Austin, Texas, factory.

from the Times Picayune