Modular homes

[Snapdragon]

Anyone have any personal experience (good or bad) to share regarding modualr homes? FOr those who don't know what they are they are not mobile homes but rather homes built  in a factory and shipped in pieces. I am exploring many different types of housing possibilities and had never even really known about this one till this week- so I am just exploring it.

[Caneel]

Lots of experience :)  What would you like to know?  I have worked in the industry in various ways since 1993.

In between mobile homes, which are built on a chassis and true modular homes are double-wides, which generally aren't the greatest quality.  I mention this because there is a big difference in quality and double-wides/manufactured/modulars are terms sometimes used incorrectly.

True modulars are generally considered to be built to a level as good as and often better than stick built homes.  After all, they need to survive a 70mph trip down the highway!  

Have you met with a builder that specializes in modular homes?  Just like traditional stick built homes, the quality and skill of the builder and finishers is important.  Make sure you use someone that has experience under their belt.

One of the big advantages is speed, a house can be finished rather quickly.

[Snapdragon]

thanks- I am just at the absolute beginning of even considering it. I am a bit overwhelmed! I have called a couple companies and need to call back the right people-

the house I would be selling is beautiful all wooden house- just a hard location for now.(ETA- I am thinking of selling currnet home tho beautiful tricky isolated location- and having trouble finding a house in the area we want to be in- saw I cuold build a modular much cheaper so am considering it- would have to sell nice house first)

 So I am wondering if I can get a modular home with nice wood siding and a more natural type of thing- lots of wood- I am not interested in a house with vinyls siding and plastic everywhere.

Also- how good of a quality can a modular house be?

It seems like most companies sell the plans to the builder- how do I even know which is a good company or good builder?

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by Snapdragon 

 So I am wondering if I can get a modular home with nice wood siding and a more natural type of thing- lots of wood- I am not interested in a house with vinyls siding and plastic everywhere.

Also- how good of a quality can a modular house be?

You can get whatever you are willing to pay for.  We considered going modular for a cabin and many manufacturers offer "vacation" lines of houses that had real wood siding.  These were just variations of their normal houses, designed and finished to look like lake houses/cabins.   As far as interior finishes, its just like building a regular house, you tell them what you want.

Quality?  I regularly see $750,000-$1 million homes going to Maryland and the metro-DC area.  The higher-end manufacturers will build you whatever you want and put in whatever upgrade you are willing to pay for.  They will also do custom design and engineering.

Originally Posted by Snapdragon

It seems like most companies sell the plans to the builder

The builder probably has a variety of floor plans and designs, provided by the manufacturer(s), for customers to pick from.   After you decide on the house you want, the company sells the boxes to the builder who "sets" the house. The builder would have the foundation prepared and the other trades lined up to do the connections (plumbing, electric and such), finish the exterior siding, etc.

[Snapdragon]

so how do I determine who is a high quality company? I am unable to find ANY reviews online. I look through the websites and so far the plans all look pretty similar. Any suggestions on how to choose the right company to work with? I am still confused about if I find a company or a builder. I like the idea of having a company having their own builders do ing it from start to end, with us only decideing the details.

[Caneel]

What part of the country are you located?  PM me if you like.

[MamaWeb]

Our experience has been a great one.  We had our home built 2 years ago and could not be happier with our new home.  The builder helped us through the process and there were only little items that we ran into when we first moved in that they they took care of right away.  The house is very well built being that it comes from a factory where they control the quality.  Plus watching it built was amazing.

One word of advise is to do your research since it is such a large investment.  We purchased one of the books on Modular construction here at http://www.modularhomesnetwork.com and it was the best money that we spent.  I would highly recommend it since it gave great information on what to look for.

Good luck with your house!

[Snapdragon]

Mamaweb- did you find the pricing to be reasonable? Do you know what you ended up paying per square foot for the whole thing? I have read 120 to up to150 for higher end per square foot- which is way cheaper than building a house from scratch.

I ordered 2 books about it too. waiting for them to arrive.