VANDALIA — After nearly 40 years in business, Unibilt Homes has covered a lot of ground — about 11,000 homes' worth, says owner Doug Scholz.

Now Scholz has set his sights on water, with a modular home that floats. The Vandalia company has built six floating homes, including four for the Coastal Marine development at Port Clinton, which can accommodate up to 100 of the dwellings.

Scholz said the homes range between 630 square feet and 1,100 square feet and come in either one- or two-story floor plans.

They start at $140,000, but when decked out with such options as granite kitchen counters and stainless-steel appliances, a two-story can fetch more than $200,000, Scholz said.

The Unibilt home is attached to a floating platform made by Merco Marine, a Wellsburg, W. Va.-based manufacturer, that is secured to the marina's bottom by 35-foot pilings.

Scholz said the project began about a year ago when a Port Clinton developer approached Unibilt about providing the houses for the Lake Erie area project.

The concept of floating homes isn't new. Developments in California, Washington, Oregon and Tennessee have them. But Scholz said he believes demand for Unibilt's new product may grow beyond Port Clinton. Since the company delivers within a 300-mile radius, Scholz said Unibilt could provide floating homes not only in Ohio, but also parts of Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan and Tennessee.

"We think that there's a real niche for us that we could exploit and do well," he said.

Vincent Squillace, executive vice president of the Ohio Home Builders Association Inc., said he knows of no other Ohio builders involved in this segment.

But, because home construction has slowed, builders have been forced to look for new ways to keep their schedules full, such as branching into commercial and industrial construction, he said.

"Everybody is looking for different things to do," Squillace said.

Unibilt Homes

Address: 8005 Johnson Station Road, Vandalia

Phone: (800) 777-9942

Web site: unibilt.com or coastalfloatinghomes.com

Employees: 100

Established: 1969

President: Doug Scholz

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7317 or

ttresslar@DaytonDailyNews.com.