Modular Homes (Sanford, Clayton, Oak Island: real estate, countertops, how much) - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

RuralCoastalGuy · 01-21-2008, 04:38 PM

Blue Lily 7:
I too would be interested in hearing how your modular home progress is going as I own one myself.

A few suggestions, maybe minor to you but major in the long haul:
1. Be certain they install temperature controlled air vents in the brick wrapped foundation walls...not the type you have to open and close by hand. The added cost is around $15 per vent.
2. Make sure they install a full vapor barrier with a pipe outlet at the lowest corner of the home so that any condensation buildup will run to the low spot and out into the yard. This hardly happens but in the event you get rain water under the home you will be happy you have this. This should be included in the construction costs but one never knows if they may forget something.
3. If you have a well installed be certain it has an extra electrical outlet so you can use it for outdoor power equipment and be sure the well is sealed. Some counties require this but I am not sure if yours does.
4. Ask the builder how long you have to create a punch list and after that how long it will take to have the repairs done.
5. Be certain to get a copy of the surveyor's report.

Just my two cents in trying to help you with your progress.

blove · 02-26-2008, 12:14 PM

Modular homes are generally built with 20% more lumber than site built homes. If you are moving to the coastal area then you will be in an upgraded wind zone. Homes By Vanderbuilt is a reputable company in that they stand behind their product. I would recommend you purchase a home from them....I personally know a lot about the company becasue I worked for them for almost 11 years.

BlueLily7 · 02-26-2008, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Ritz Craft seems to do a pretty nice looking home from what I have seen. Please come back periodically and update us about your experience with them and your home as they complete it, I would love to hear about it

I sure will, I've seen a lot of people ask about them and wish I'd heard more stories before we went looking. Luckily, the dealer we are using has a really good reputation- impeccable. The bank's loan officer told us no one ever has any issues with him and his company, or their houses. He is a very nice man and has been wonderfully helpful.

I'll do updates when our house comes in, the paperwork is all completed and our land finally has all its permits and so our house should be here in 5 weeks, I doubt it will be ready to move in before May though. I will definitely post updates, firstly being whether our home is delivered on time.

Everything has been smooth so far. (The ordering process.)

BlueLily7 · 03-21-2008, 03:15 PM

They've started our foundation and our house should be in here within a couple of weeks or less. I know this isn't the modular brand or sales company per se, but the foundation contractors are doing a solid job. Little do they know that someone highly picky, who knows what to look for, is checking up behind them.

Once the house is on the foundation the structure is properly done, everything should move quickly from there. The plumbing and electrical will be inspected and to code obviously, we're going to be watching that the drywalling is done well...but so far everything's been ok. Sometime in May we should have a finished product to review, I'm leaving the technical stuff to the husband and I'm going to worry about the aesthetics- the floors, etc, being well done. We're picky. As anyone building a house should be, it's your money..but so far a-ok.

From everything I've seen and the specs as we ordered them, I have every reason to think this house is going to be rock solid in a hurricane. (We're 5 miles from the beaches).

Otter Lover · 04-11-2008, 04:23 PM

We own a site-built home with so many nail pops and sheet rock problems that our walls resemble a teenager with a bad case of acne. This isn't some cheap house either, it just appraised at $500,000.

Also our previous home (also site-built) was sagging b/c the hired-hands cut the floor joist too short and it co$t big buck$ to have it jacked up and repaired. I think the quality control in the factory of a modular manufacturer would have caught this "little" problem, where as our stick-built builder did NOT.

We also own a modular home in the NC Mtns. The walls there are straight and true and as smooth as a baby's bottom. The difference in quality is tremendous. I may never buy another site built home again. F.Y.I., Our builder used Nationwide Custom Homes.

The house inspector told me that Modular Homes will be the wave of the future and was very hard pressed to find much wrong with the house, safe for the traditional punch list he had to create to make him look credible and detailed-oriented.

If you saw a picture of my mountain house you would be amazed. It is beautiful with stone and cedar shakes and siding. Loads of personality inside and out. It looks nothing like the matchbox design that "Deacon" claims modular homes to be.

Also we had NO PROBLEMS getting a loan, insurance or anything else. If you run into someone that starts down that road my suggestion is to move on and find another mortgage company, ins, co., etc... Most lenders understand that the quality of modular homes is continuously improving.

Good luck.

skylee · 04-11-2008, 07:51 PM

Try finding Vanderbuilt under ncmodulars.com Vanderbuilt is located in Sanford, about an hour west of Smithfield, Dunn, etc. They have alot of model homes to go through and will give cost onsite. FEMA has actually stated that modular and brick homes have stood up better than site built homes in a hurricane.

fzc · 04-12-2008, 02:35 PM

We are also thinking of a modular home in the mountains. So many places in NC my head is swimming! Was the company you mentioned the one that did the modular in the mountains? Also, how are the winters? Are they warmer than Long Island, NY?

Otter Lover · 04-13-2008, 11:36 AM

FZC,

Not sure about winter temps in Long Island but the avg. Jan. low temps for Boone are about 19 or 20, but obviously the higher elevations have lower temps.
Yes, Nationwide Custom Homes was the company we used for our modular home, actually our builder was the one that recommend them.
You are right, there are so many NC locations to choose from, my recommendation is to visit. Certain areas/towns attract people from different regions so do your homework. Our town is comprised mainly of people from N.C.

whereas other towns/areas are comprised with people mainly from Florida, New York, etc...

Hope that helps.

lovesMountains · 04-13-2008, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter Lover

We own a site-built home with so many nail pops and sheet rock problems that our walls resemble a teenager with a bad case of acne. This isn't some cheap house either, it just appraised at $500,000.

Also our previous home (also site-built) was sagging b/c the hired-hands cut the floor joist too short and it co$t big buck$ to have it jacked up and repaired. I think the quality control in the factory of a modular manufacturer would have caught this "little" problem, where as our stick-built builder did NOT.

We also own a modular home in the NC Mtns. The walls there are straight and true and as smooth as a baby's bottom. The difference in quality is tremendous. I may never buy another site built home again. F.Y.I., Our builder used Nationwide Custom Homes.

The house inspector told me that Modular Homes will be the wave of the future and was very hard pressed to find much wrong with the house, safe for the traditional punch list he had to create to make him look credible and detailed-oriented.

If you saw a picture of my mountain house you would be amazed. It is beautiful with stone and cedar shakes and siding. Loads of personality inside and out. It looks nothing like the matchbox design that "Deacon" claims modular homes to be.

Also we had NO PROBLEMS getting a loan, insurance or anything else. If you run into someone that starts down that road my suggestion is to move on and find another mortgage company, ins, co., etc... Most lenders understand that the quality of modular homes is continuously improving.

Good luck.

Would you consider sharing a photo of your mountain place - if not here, than on email? I would so love to see it!

Monel · 06-11-2008, 09:37 PM

My wife and I bought a modular home from Homes by Vanderbilt (Homes by Vanderbuilt). We got the VG102 model. We have been very pleased with the process thus far. The company that did the foundation was wonderful.

The crew that arrived to set and roof the home has been wonderful and so informative about the process. We were able to put a lot of custome features in our home and we have been very impressed with the quality. The people across the street from us in our new neighborhood actually got thier home from Homes by Vanderbilt as well and they have been there about 4 years and still love thiers. There are 5 houses out of the 9 in our neighborhood that are modular homes and you cannot pick out which are modulars and which are site built. My next door neighbor's house is a good example because I thought for sure his was a modular but in fact it was site built.

Our house should be finished in the next month or so, once they finish the finish work inside but so far our experience with Homes By Vanderbilt has been very pleasant.