Modular construction in Breckenridge helps speed up workforce housing during crisis

It's no secret that Summit County has been dealing with a serious housing crisis for years now. Heck, most of Colorado is having a difficult time finding affordable housing for all Coloradans at this point. 

On Thursday, leaders in the high country came together to watch a new set of workforce housing go up as they watched, with 52 units coming in by early 2024.

That project is moving much faster thanks to modular building, making the rooms in a factory, then shipping them to the site, and building them together like Legos.

"We have what would normally be 8-9 months of construction," C.J. McCray, Partner with Symmetry Building told CBS Colorado. "We just got started at the end of April."

Not only does that mean projects don't have to wait out the winter season (when not much work, if any, gets done) but that the homes are that much closer to being ready to live in, for the hundreds of people who are looking for a spot in Summit County. McCray said he's glad more people, including Summit County, are starting to see the value in modular buildings and get away from stereotypes he believes aren't true. 

"Used to be stigmatized with a double-wide kind of context, low-quality product," McCray said. "It's important to remember that this is at, if not better, quality product than conventional construction methods in not only the mountains but the front range as well."

Rep. Julie McCluskie, Speaker of the House for Colorado stopped by as well to applaud the build.

"I think this could be the first of many new projects that cuts building time, by more than half," McCluskie said. "The idea that we can save money by building boxes in advance...you know we are a culture that is used to instant coffee, instant food, microwaves right? It is powerful that we are now taking that kind of urgency to how we craft housing!"

The construction crew is using around 60 preconstructed boxes from a company in Buena Vista and said they are using a fraction of the workers to still get the project finished on a tighter schedule.