Transcript: Modular Housing
A new house is going up — just not on this lot, and not in this neighborhood.
Once it’s finished, this home could be placed almost anywhere in the county.
NAT/MARINELLI: These two it comes in six sections. This particular area comes in two right here.
Frank Marinelli is a sales manager with American Homes. He says cost is one of the biggest selling points.
These prefabricated homes cost 30 to 40 percent less than a comparable stick-built home. Builders also say the timeline is faster with homes completed in months.
Marinelli: “It makes so much sense that imagine buying a car and having eight or nine people show up in your driveway to build it. They stopped doing that years ago when they came up with the assembly lines, because it’s an efficient way to build”
It’s modular construction — homes built indoors, shipped in sections, and assembled on-site. As Syracuse looks to fill hundreds of empty lots on the South Side and Near Westside, these factory-built homes are becoming part of the conversation.
With the state’s new MOVE-IN NY program… $50 million will be spread across the state to speed up affordable “starter home” construction in cities across New York.
Sunset Boulevard behind me looks a little different. Eight different model homes sit on this lot, showing customers what’s possible with modular housing — different shapes and sizes. Here at American Homes of Syracuse, modular housing could be a big part of the housing solution in Central New York.
In Syracuse alone… over 21 thousand households are “cost burdened”… meaning they spend 30 percent or more of their income on housing…
Syracuse is looking to add homes fast… and modular housing companies believe they help make that happen.
Marinelli: “We feel that it is the solution to the problem — the availability and thrift in which you can build a home.’”
Many Syracuse neighborhoods are nearly a century old, and some critics wonder whether modular homes will blend in.
Marinelli: “That’s a misconception. Seeing is believing… we can build a manufactured home to look exactly like a stick-built home.”
With demand growing and open lots ready for development, modular builders say they’re ready for whatever comes next.
In Syracuse, Matthew Davison, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — A Central New York home builder says modular construction could help Syracuse’s housing affordability issues.
Modular homes are built indoors in sections, then delivered and assembled on-site. The method is drawing new attention as the state launches its MOVE-IN NY program, which will distribute $50 million to speed up construction of affordable starter homes.
American Homes has branches across Central New York, with model homes on display. Sales manager Frank Marinelli said modular homes typically cost 30% to 40% less than comparable stick-built houses and can be completed within months.
“We feel that it is the solution to the problem — the availability and thrift in which you can build a home,” Marinelli said. “Seeing is believing. We can build a manufactured home to look exactly like a stick-built home.”
According to the city’s 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan, roughly 21,547 households— about 45% of all households in Syracuse— are housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend 30% or more of their income on housing.
“It makes so much sense that imagine buying a car and having eight or nine people show up in your driveway to build it,” Marinelli said. “They stopped doing that years ago when they came up with the assembly lines, because it’s an efficient way to build.”
Marinelli said modular homes are well placed to meet demand quickly.
Modular housing could play a role on the South Side and Near Westside, where many of the city’s open lots are located.