GERING, Neb. – A Nebraska company that builds modular homes is helping Marshall Fire Victims rebuild.
“I would say 60-70% of our customers are from Colorado,” said Nip Fillingham of Family Built Homes.
The Fillingham family builds modular homes in a huge factory in Gering, Nebraska, then ships those homes throughout the region.
“So the floor that we’re building here is going to be turned, turned, and then eventually it’s going to go through full production assembly and then come out the door at the other end,” Fillingham said.
Although it may look like a car factory in Detroit, the family-run factory in western Nebraska produces 16 new homes at a time.
“We are a modular factory,” Fillingham said. “We build things according to the international residential code. Basically, my grandfather started when he was young in the industry.
Fillingham’s grandfather and founder of Family Built Homes, John Fillingham, is still at the Nebraska factory.
“I’ve been involved in this business for 53 years now,” said John Fillingham.
Nip Fillingham’s brother, Tuck, also works at the factory, alongside their father, Doug as well.
“I couldn’t be luckier,” said Doug Fillingham.
Nebraska modular home company helps Marshall Fire survivors rebuild
What makes their story newsworthy now is that of the 16 modular homes currently on the assembly line, at least three are on their way to Marshall fire victims in Superior and Louisville, and two are heading to East Troublesome fire victims in Grand County.
“It feels good to be able to do something like this for these people who have lost so much,” said John Fillingham.
“Nobody asked for that,” said Nip Fillingham. “It turned everything upside down. So the sooner you can get things back to normal, it’s better for everyone.
Homes are built in five to eight weeks instead of the nine to 12 months it takes to complete traditional stick construction, a more traditional way of framing a home.
“The biggest saving we can offer is time,” said Nip Fillingham.
Each of their homes is approved by the State of Colorado Housing Division and delivered by tractor-trailer.
It takes about five hours to drive half the house from western Nebraska to the Denver metro area.
They start at around $300,000+ and can cost less than half the cost of a traditional stick build.