It was the day we’d been anticipating for months. Led by a California Highway Patrol escort, our proprietary AMS transports wound their way from the factory in Manteca to California Wine Country, bringing our River Vine modules home to Lodi.
Three sections were delivered—the Garage, the East Wing and the oversized Central Tower. Soaring 20-feet high, 16’ wide and weighing 50,000 pounds—25 tons—each, the Tower modules are the tallest, heaviest, most complex modules we’ve ever shipped, requiring the load to be perfectly engineered for safe transport. With a structure this large—almost twice as tall as our standard modules—an even distribution of weight is critical for stability. To reduce shipping weight, the Tower modules were shipped without their concrete flooring system reducing 25,000 pounds, which will be poured onsite, instead of at the factory—a modification that required counterbalancing during transit.
When transporting modules, safety is always our primary focus. Each module is protected by recyclable weatherproof wrap and transported on a dedicated trailer designed to balance weight evenly and keep loads flat during shipment. At the site, the River Vine modules were craned one by one from their trailers and set on 3-foot concrete stem walls. The first modules set were the four-car garage—the section that holds the roof-mounted solar hot water collectors and solar PV system. The garage also has a mechanical and control room that provides designated space for the solar heat exchanger, geothermal system and other integrated energy components. Next, we crane-set the East Wing, which houses the master bedroom suite, followed by the Tower and the lounge.
Engineered for a precision fit, the modules were joined together by our skilled set crew and bolted securely into place on their permanent foundation. We’ll set the final section—the West Wing— next month.
In all, we’ll install 16 modules. It’s exciting to finally start assembling the pieces and see our design develop day-by-day into a modern custom home.
See more photos and follow our progress in our River Vine Progress Gallery.