Not to be confused with manufactured homes, even though they are manufactured, a modular home is built in sections in a factory and then erected on your site. Another factor that defines their differences is that manufactured or mobile homes are built on a frame, meant to be portable and subject to HUD rules for construction. A modular home does not have this type of sub-frame and is transported to land that you buy, in sections, on a flatbed truck.
Once on site the sections are placed into position, tied down to the foundation then tied together and finished. Construction of modular homes receives construction oversight at the factory and they are fabricated to meet the building codes of your area, not HUD rules. Due to this fact, lenders view modular homes the same as they would a site-built, single-family home.
Now that you know this difference, you need to know that building a modular home is one of the greenest forms of construction there is. Building to exacting standards in a production environment enables Modular Home companies to be conservative and much less wasteful than carpenters are when constructing site-built homes.
Freedom of Location
Manufactured and mobile homes are restricted by local zoning, as to where they are placed in a community or if they can be placed. In all but the fussiest communities, modular homes are viewed the same as stick-built homes and other homes of traditional construction methods. However, even though the city deems them to be stick built there is still a touch of stigma placed on modular homes so make sure that the community in which you wish to locate your home will allow you to place a modular home there.
A Modular Home is Green and can save you Time and Money
A modular home is a green home. Building your standard plan or custom modular home will be less wasteful than a site built home. Inspectors observe and correct through every step of construction and are another benefit to modular home construction. The lack of waste in the construction of a modular home is not only green; it saves money and lowers the cost of your home. The cost of construction of a modular home compared to a similar site-built home can be 15 to 20 percent.
Another factor of building a modular home over conventional site-built is time. Again, because it is constructed in a factory setting, the weather is not a factor in your homes construction until it arrives at your site. Since a modular time can be built at the same time that site prep is being done, and the foundation is being built, a modular home can be built in half the time, or less of a site-built time. Time is money when building a home and a difference of six months to go from a construction loan to a conventional loan can save you thousands in interest costs. This is another benefit of building a modular home.
A Modular Home gives you Options
Another of the attributes of a Modular Home is design flexibility. Most modular home manufacturers have stock designs but thy can also work with your to produce a custom designed home. Produced with different construction methods, from a variety of materials modular construction can use stick built of panel design for the construction of your home. Whatever the modular construction method, your home, once on your site can be affixed to a basement, crawl space, slab, pole or pier foundation. This gives you the option to build your home flat on the ground or standing with its feet dry above a tidal shore.
Getting a Local Contractor on Board
You will require a local contractor to finish your home and getting one on board that understands the construction methods of finishing the onsite construction of your modular home. According to Scott Peters, of New Era Building Systems, the challenges of building a modular home include construction volume, labor shortages, the speed of construction and the security of the job site. He also states that the willingness and ability of a buyer to purchase a modular home can be a challenge for buyers and builders.
You can do it yourself
In order to expand their presence in the modular home market, Deltec Homes now offers do it yourself kits of their uniquely designed homes. This is an industry first and may begin a move toward more modular home sales in the future. The ease of erection allows the walls to be erected in about a week and then you can spend as much time as you want to finish your modular home. Their unique round or traditional home designs already appeal to many homeowners and are worth a look if you are considering a modular home.
Current Trends
Although a niche market and accounting for less than four percent of homes constructed nationwide, there is room in the housing market for more modular home construction. There is a lack of affordable, entry-level homes for first-time buyers, and modular homes could fill this gap. The challenge, it would seem, is getting local contractors working with buyers and builders of modular homes in concert. Perhaps, as more people are exposed to modular homes, their construction ease and other benefits, we will see more of them popping up in neighborhoods across the country.
2 Point Highlight
Not to be confused with manufactured homes, even though they are manufactured, a modular home is built in sections in a factory and then erected on your site.
A modular home is a green home.
