About Sica Homes

SICA Modular Homes
Family celebrates 50 ‘building’ years
By Asbury Park Press January 23, 1998
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TOMS RIVER-The Sica family is celebrating their 50th year in the home-building industry with the third generation at the helm.

Alfred J. Sica Jr., President of Sica Industries Inc., Toms River, is the current family member in charge. Sica specializes in the construction of single and multiple family modular homes and modular offices.

The Vicksburg model by Sica Industries Inc. blends modular technique with some panelized building technology.
The company builds in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, on the property of their clients or helps their clients locate property, in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, through a real estate agency owned by Sica

If you have an existing bungalow or a home that is in need of extensive repairs, Sica can demolish your old home and replace it with a brand new modular home of your choice.

"My grandfather, Fred Sica, began dabbling in a new home construction in 1948," said Sica, "and immediately saw the great opportunities in those Post War years and became a full-time home builder."

Sica continued, "During my developing years, my grandfather and father taught me the great value and importance of the old-fashioned word ethic. They also promised to teach me the construction business from the ground up. I began my career in construction at the age of 13 as a mason’s helper during summer recess. I continued working in the construction field during my high school and college semester breaks. After I tackled all the different trades, my final job, before being permitted to work in the office, was to work along with the roofing subcontractor. They certainly kept their promise to me!"

Today, Sica is one of the New Jersey’s most recognized modular home builders. Sica is also a licensed real estate broker, certified tax assessor, real estate appraiser, licensed building inspector, an environmental assessment consultant and a land use and zoning expert. Sica is a building systems consultant to several major modular home manufacturers.

There have been tremendous changes in the family business and the construction industry since those early years.

"Back in the 1950's we specialized in site or stick-built construction. In the 1960's we specialized in stick-built and panelized homes. In the 1970's we began experimenting with modular homes along with our stick-built homes. Then in the early 1980's, we made the decision to specialize in modular homes almost exclusively," Sica said.

"The change that I have witnessed in the modular home industry in just the past several years is dramatic. In the early years, most of our designs were simple ranches and boxy two stories. The public would sometimes confuse a modular home with a mobile home. The 1990's consumer demands total design flexibility and customization. Today we can meet that challenge and build almost anything modular from a modest ranch to an elaborate, multi-million dollar oceanfront home. The days of a modular home being mistaken for a mobile home are gone," stated Sica.

A modular home is not a type of home but rather a method of construction – just like stick or site building is a method of construction.

Modular and site-built are the same type of home and both are built to either the CABO or BOCA building codes, which are the approved building codes for all single-and two family homes in New Jersey.

A mobile home, also known as a "manufactured home," is a different type of construction and built to a different standard.

A mobile home utilizes some materials, methods and standards not accepted or approved by either the CABO or BOCA building codes.

Modular homes have a number of advantages over site-built homes.

All modular homes are built inside a factory under controlled conditions by a competent, qualified and dependable labor force. The home is never subject to inclement weather during the construction process inside the factory.

Modular home manufacturers employ stringent quality control standards and inspections.

Most manufacturers have continuous, on line, quality control inspections. Third party inspectors monitor the home, on the line, to assure that each phase of each home meets building code compliance standards. The typical modular home utilizes 33% to 40% more lumber than a site built home. More lumber means more structural strength in order to ship the home over the open road and to lift and set the home upon the foundation. Modular homes are also highly wind and hurricane resistant structures. Many modular home manufacturers build their homes from the inside out. This enables the factory crew to caulk, foam and insulate the home in ways that cannot be done in the field by site builders.

Coupled with 2-by-6 inch walls with R-19 insulation, Sica’s typical modular home is a highly energy- efficient structure.

Usually, the overall construction time is less than half the time it would take to site build the same home since the modular home is delivered to the site 65 to 90 percent complete.

Due to the economy of the manufacturing process, modular homes are less expensive than site-built homes.

"The home building company that supplies and finishes your modular home is just as important as the company that manufactured the home," claims Sica. "You can take the finest built modular home and place it in the hands of a contractor who is not quality conscience and the final result could be marginal at best. It’s important to couple a quality manufacturer with a quality home building contractor for satisfactory results," says Sica.

Sica Industries Inc. specializes in full-service, turn-key construction for their modular home clients. Basically all the client has to do is provide or buy a building lot and select a home. Sica Industries, Inc. handles all the details from that point and they can also arrange mortgage financing for their buyers at today’s low interest rates. Sica also has a program for the wholesale purchase of a modular home for the construction savvy do it yourselfer.

For more information about Sica Industries, Inc. and their modular home line call them at
(732) 270-1100 or write them or stop by their office at 1938 Route 37 East, Toms River, New Jersey 08753. Their office hours are from 9AM till 5PM Monday through Friday and from 10AM to 3PM on Saturday.

For more information call