modular homes

[jeanthibaudeau]

Hi, I recently visited

website and their homes seem interesting. What do you think about their design and about modular homes in general?

[Matt Barrow]

Boy, they suck! Even worse, they make fake "I just visited this website..." claims.

[Dennis]

Modular homes are built to the exact same codes and standards as site-built homes. And in some ways as better as they are usually more closely inspected (third party inspection agencies are used to supplement state inspectors). As they are intended to be moved in sections down the highways, they are designed to be stronger for this purpose (most are craned into position.) Lastly, most can sell for thousands less due to modular-type construction and lack of waste.

You might be surprised as to how many "site-built" homes are now being shelled ("hulled" if your from North Carolina) in a factory, shipped to the construction site and finished after installation (most prevalent in cold-weather climates due to construction delays in freezing weather.)

All things considered, a modular represents excellent over-all construction and good value. All are regulated by state authorities (with few exceptions which are regulated by county inspectors), thoroughly inspected in the factory by professional third party inspectors and have multi-million dollar corporations backing their warranties.

As far as design goes, nearly any design you can picture in site-built can be built in a factory. Some companies usually build only specific module sizes while others will build any thing you can afford. And if your in a hurry, a modular can be installed after the foundation is ready in as little as a few days. My last home took a little over three months and then was only 95% finished.

Our last office assistant and her husband bought a modular (3800 sq.ft) and put it on a lake-front lot. Absolutely beautiful home after landscaping. They have a walk-out basement, three-stall garage and you can not tell it was ever built in a factory. All-in-all they figured they saved between $10k - $20k over a site built from what they were quoted by two local builders (same floor plan).

[Grumman-581]

Well, if you're going to go with a stick-built home, there might be certain advantages... Considering the quality of construction that I've seen on site-built homes these days, it can't get much worse... Personally, if I was building a new house, I would go with concrete-filled concrete blocks with either a stucco or stone veneer... If concrete was good enough for the Colosseum, it's good enough for me...

[Willshak]

My son-in-law has a construction company that does the complete install from excavation to occupancy.

Everything is squared, plumb, dry, solid and complete. Modules are sided, paneled, and rocked, with windows and doors installed, electricity and plumbing installed. A complete house can be built from excavation to turn-key finish in a week or two, compared to months for a stick built house. You pay more for the modules but less for labor time. No waiting for sub contractors to show up which usually means others can't move ahead.

If I were to build another house, it's the way I would go (even if I didn't have an 'in').