Need Modular Home Advise

As you describe, my interest is in one that comes to the site in panels and other sub-assemblies and is erected on my foundation by a contractor associated with the home manufacturer. I am not interested in a "frame mounted" home that would be consider a mobile or "manufactured" home. I am sure this lack of distinction is part of the problem with general acceptance of the "modular" homes.

I have built the panel houses you are referring to. Only a few though, I preferred stick framing.

From a home owners perspective you will notice little difference between panel or stick frame construction, since the main factor will the quality of the contractors work.

Are you speaking "modular" home construction or "mobile" home? Either one depends on local contractors for the assembly on your site. There is no reason why a factory built home cannot be as good as a stick built home. It depends on the reputation of the local contractor. I have been told that contractors will put their less experienced people on a factory supplied home build and put their seasoned workers on the stick built homes. I had a "mobile" home assembled in California. I wasn't too happy with it and stayed there only for 2 years before moving on. A stick built home may cost a lot more, but a modular/mobile home doesn't compare.

I think BDThompson gave a good answer.

My wife and I purchased a modular home from Design Homes in 2001. We have been very happy with it. It is wood frame construction with 2 X 10 floor joists, 2 X 6 walls, good quality windows and doors, and just generally well built. The electrical service, furnace and water heater are all located in the full basement and were installed by local contractors that we chose ourselves. Our heating and cooling have costs dropped dramatically when compared to our prevoius house.

On the other hand, my brother and his wife purchased a modular home from a different company about a year later. It is steel frame construction. All the utilities are contained on the main floor and came with the house (essentially a double-wide). They have had numerous issues and are not at all happy with it. Both houses look similar from the outside but, there is a huge difference in quality.

My Grandparents bought a modular home (came to site in two halves) about 40 years ago as a lake home. My Grandfather poured pads and used cinder blocks for the piers.

Although the home required a little more maintenance than a typical home, my Grandmother still lives there.

That's a good article. WJMFIRE touched on a subject near and dear to me - the foundation. Regardless of which type building you choose, a good foundation/basement is essential for long term enjoyment. Trailers are often installed on shallow pads and piers which are guaranteed to settle unevenly and require frequent leveling. One issue to consider is whether you intend to live here 'til . . ., or if you are concerned about re-sale. Trailers tend to lose value rapidly and may be difficult to mortgage, I don't know about modular.

Build time is two days for pre-assembled manufactured homes and half the price of a similar site built home! Put in a basement first even though it would add to the cost and time, it would be worth it.

I used to 'assemble' what were called 'kit' homes for a company out of Michigan. They came to the site in two huge tractor trailers and it took longer to get it all out of the trailers than the time saved by them building the wall sections in a plant. No time saved at all overall but you actually did have EVERYTHING in the trailers right down to the kitchen sink.

We only did 3 after I proved to them I could stick frame one faster than I could get it all out of the trailers and assemble the pre-fab walls.

Reason was they packed the trailers NOT in the order pieces were needed but in a way that got everything into the least amount of trailers. Things you needed first were sometimes in the front of the trailer so you had to take everything out and sort through it all just to get started with the 'assembly'.

I've seen some modular homes going down the road on a series of trailers. One of them looked like 8 modules on as many trailers, four corners for a two story home. There was another trailer with the trusses and OSB for the roof. All the people I know who had modular homes were very happy with them. Building them like big blocks in the controlled environment of a 'factory' has some advantages. However, your layouts tend to be fairly limited due to the requirements to make them 'modular' but I'm sure with the right homework, you can find the kind of quality you desire.

But on the other hand, it might not be a bad idea to spend some money to get a local contractor or two generate a bid on a set of plans you like or see if they have various plans already in their repertoire. The price differential may be slight depending on how big you want, how far it has to be shipped, etc.

" . . . but we did want a block of flats, nice though the abattoir is."

Some technologies that might be interesting: PanAbode Homes (sort of a Lincoln Log scheme) and SIPs (structural insulated panels).

You can see one of these units being fabricated on an episode of this OLD House. Look through archives an you will find it listed. I believe it was up on the East cost that it was filmed. Looked like a very nice system and they used a crane to fly the parts into place. But of course no expense was spared due to the show.

SIPS (Structural Insulated Panel Systems) homes can be 100% custom designed, very easily, and are an excellent option. Most manufacturers have a very good design service you can use if you buy panels from them. Assembly is on a foundation, slab on grade to crawl, piers or columns, over a basement, etc. Pro's = excellent structural composition, high insulation value, minimal assembly crew required, good interior space crreation, interior finishes can be complete or very nearly so Cons= rigid design criteria (versus a good framer) plumbing and electrical chases are either carved in the panel (not bad) or pre engineered (good) but not always conducive to site changes. Plumbers tend to dislike them because of the inablity to put things wherever they please. Future expnsion can be tricky.

In Florida we called them double or triple wides or just trailers.

30 years ago we built a pre- cut house. It came in on two semi trailers and was assembled in a week. All lumber was, as he name implies, precut and numbered. it was like building a giant toy. Just assemble by number. What amazed me was everything was right and it assembled with no problems.

This one may be way off the wall for you but I would suggest building a "Straw Bale House"- not mainstream but can easily be done as straw is fire and vermin proof in these situations and 4 men can erect the exterior walls for a 2300 sq ft house less than $3000 in under 4 days -including material, and then it is just a matter of roof trusses - the added advantage is the house can be to your own design- both roof and house outline,- however as noted the basement or pad is important- these type structures have been built over 200 years ago by the Navajo and still stand-can be heated with a candle and much stronger walls- exterior finish Stucco or facing of choice- may not be your bag but the internet has some interesting ideas on this.

Rammed Earth is another type of construction, popular in Australia, using earth from the site, compressed with water and a binder, into molds A builder from Iraq or Iran, many years ago, applied for permits to build Yurts in San Bernandino County--I forgot how long it took him to get approved, because no one could think out of the box and calc out the earthquake codes for that type of building. One of the exhibits showed a series of buildings, in Iran, that have been standing for hundreds of years, through some of the most violent earthquakes in History, still standing. They glaze the surfaces , like pottery, and used kerosene fires to fire them--Really tough!! Their shapes are naturally strong. Now--Mod homes-I framed and built houses for 40 years. Have seen it all, the good , bad and the outstanding. Like mentioned above, it all comes down to the fabricator, and the assembly people. They usually have a slab or foundation sub'd out. The panels are factory made--Dried lumber, set in jigs, no shrinkage, or warpage. (Like) All mechanical chases are pre-installed,and fed later. (A bit restrictive , but if thought out properly, just fine--no framing nails through the conduit.) All insulated panels are preconstructed, with drywall applied over most of the areas. (Much better final finish that stick framed, as it done on a flat frame, no stud warpage, and only requires a fire tape and wipe on the seams of the joints.) and locked into place as assembled. Trusses and final roof coverings, and final exterior finish, interior, exterior paint, and good to go. Saw 88 houses go up in 3 months--All a bit different, so it didn't look so track-housey, and although not as custom as a quality stick framed home (My specialty), would be totally adequate for a lower cost level, and maybe even better in some instances. In Termite areas, steel studs the way to go. My 2 cents.

Moosie--Glad to know that you are still "lovin" in that house!! Any hoo, you make a very good point, and that is there is a pricepoint for everything--The quality of the newer Modular homes has risen dramatically. especially here in California. Now , I am sure in other locations, substandard construction can be a real problem, but in Cali, we have a whole set of Codes and Specs , due to earthquake, wind, etc, that many States do not have. Look maybe for a builder that builds and supplies also California, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, etc, areas that have more extreme weather and Codes. They will be exposed to failure before a "Normal" house will--Lots of reviews out there...

The New York State Building Code is just as stringent as California's Building Code and does include design provisions for earthquake and wind loadings, as well as snow loadings, pursuant to the ASCE minimum design standards.

The primary problem w/ modular homes is the use of substandard fasteners.

I had an excellent experience with the modular home I had built. The company poured a full basement, waited thirty days for the concrete in the walls to cure, then brought in the house. It was in two sections, somewhat like a double wide, but with a major difference. My house, once the five man crew finished setting up, was a two story Cape Cod style.

They unfolded the two halves of the roof, and attached all electrical and plumbing connection. Water was supplied by a cistern, my front porch sat over it.

From arrival at the site to move in condition: five days. And it was one of the best built homes I have ever lived in. The ex-wife had it for about a year then sold it at a loss to get my name off of it. Sigh....

Dragon

Great perspective --- thanks to all who took time to respond. Like most things in life you seem to get what you pay atenton to and what you pay for.

Look for a HUFF HOUSE on the net .. Prepare to be amazed..

Hi Handy,

I've been buying and selling rental properties since the late 80's. I've seen some modular homes that seemed pretty nice when new (or nearly new), but they didn't age well. I also know that in our state, a seller must disclose to the buyer if the home is a modular home. Why would the state require this? I feel the answer lies in the lower resale value of a modular home. Why is a modular home worth less? I feel it is due to being less attractive to the buyer and potentially more problems.

My recommendation is to look at the cost of both options (stick vs modular). Also, consider how you will use the house and how long you will keep it. If resale is a consideration, factor in the lower re-sale value and the longer time to sell. I also think it would be a good idea to look at 10-20 year old stick and modular homes. See what you think about the quality and longevity.

I hope this helps.