Local officials and community members gathered Nov. 13, at New Durham Estates in Westville to celebrate workforce housing solutions for La Porte County.
The open house event showcased two new Clayton Crossmod homes. The Crossmod homes have features much like traditionally constructed homes, while still being able to be manufactured and delivered on site. Attendees were able to tour the homes at the open house.
Earlier in 2025, one of the homes sat on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. as a showcase home for innovative housing solutions. When the home left Washington, D.C., it came home to its permanent home in Westville.
“In our country, whether you're starting a family, whether you're retiring, single, whatever your situation is, having a home is very crucial,” Tom Fath, New Durham Estates vice president, said.
During the event, elected officials and industry leaders spoke about the benefits of modern and workforce housing solutions in the community.
“They [New Durham Estates] are creating choices. It's not every day you see something that just passed at the federal level to allow for these single-section mods to be financed this long,” State Rep. Jim Pressel said. “These are opportunities, and they brought them from D.C. to here. And it's here because of the New Durham team, Tom Fath and their passion to bring more affordable options.”
The goal is for these homes to kick off the next phase of growth for New Durham Estates. They plan to grow to accommodate another 58 home sites.
New Durham Estates is a family-owned manufactured home community. Founded in 1967, by Mel Fath Jr, the community has experienced continuous development. New Durham Estates spans 105 acres and accommodates sites for 391 homes, with an adjacent 17 acres available for an additional 45 sites.
