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I know there are 'stigmas' with a modular home, but have they disappeared these days due to the huge improvement in quality? I just really cannot stand the new style of homes from local builders. It would be nice to be able to pick something out that I'd like. The issue here in MD is that home builders often build HUGE houses that go for over a million dollars. They want to make as much money as possible and run up the size of new homes to maximize profits. We don't need a massive home and don't want to spend $1-1.5 M to buy a house. I'd much rather spend half to a third of that and invest the rest. A modular home would give more flexibility wrt choice.
They ARE beautiful but I don't know if they would be allowed in my city. They have a lot of strict rules here and the house would have to meet our hurricane specifications. We are sometimes referred to as the biggest HOA in the USA.
There are no stigmas with modularhomes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with modular homes and since they are factory built sections, shipped to site and assembled, they are very much more consistent in quality than stick built homes.
If you can find a modular home design you like and can have it built by a quality company then go for it!
The above is pretty much what I was going to say. Its spot on. I have done extensive research on modular homes. In the end I decided to not get a modular home because I wanted something that was highly customized and modular home builders could not accommodate me. Otherwise, they are a fine choice. Let me address some of your questions and a few points he did not mention.
-Safety: Modular homes are built to the safety standards of the region they are located in. For example, I live in S. Florida. A modular home built here can be built to the current hurricane codes. Just be sure to confirm with the specific builder if they meet minimum requirements for safety or give you the choice to pay more to build up to to the maximum safety level.
-Cost: It varies quite a bit by region. In my initial search there were some regions where I saw savings of 10%. In my area it was about 5% lower to buy a modular home over a brand new construction that had similar specification. Compare cost of "recently sold homes" in your area, a custom estimate from a modular home builder and a custom estimate from a traditional home builder to get the best idea regarding savings. Be sure to only compare homes with similar square footage, land and in similar type of neighborhoods. Honestly this is the only way you will get a spot on estimate of your potential savings.
-I can confirm what people on other forums stated. In general, modern modular homes are of better quality then custom built homes.
-Permits will not be an issue you deal with if you hire a company for the entire building process. Most HOA's SHOULD NOT give you a problem with a modular home. There are very little differences between finished traditional homes and modular homes. However, please take my HOA comment with a grain of salt. There may be regions I'm unfamiliar with where HOA's won't permit modular homes. Your most likely challenge is going to be purchasing land.
Some modular home builders have their own lots for sale to remove that hassle. However, companies will this usually charge a bit more from their overall product so you will minimize your cost saving by going this route. Hire a reputable RE agent familiar with land in your area and buy it yourself. There are many highly informative websites that will teach you how to buy land properly. Its straightforward information that you can learn in a few hours. One thing you want to do before you buy land is have your own survey, water and soil test done. Make the closing contingent on satisfactory results from those items. Good luck with your future home!
I know there are 'stigmas' with a modular home, but have they disappeared these days due to the huge improvement in quality? I just really cannot stand the new style of homes from local builders. It would be nice to be able to pick something out that I'd like. The issue here in MD is that home builders often build HUGE houses that go for over a million dollars. They want to make as much money as possible and run up the size of new homes to maximize profits. We don't need a massive home and don't want to spend $1-1.5 M to buy a house. I'd much rather spend half to a third of that and invest the rest. A modular home would give more flexibility wrt choice.
If you are worried about the stigma get something with two floors, no one will mistake it for a mobile home and no one will ask you if it is modular or mobile. Also one with a higher room line would never be confused for a mobile home.
A modular house has its panels put together in a factory and those panels are transported, assembled, and put together as a house on site. Sort of halfway in between the other two.
It shouldn't surprise anyone then to learn that stick built houses are the most expensive option, modular homes are much cheaper, and manufactured homes are the cheapest yet. Although it depends on how big the house is and where it's located. Some large manufactured houses can more expensive than smaller modular houses and many times a manufactured house in this area where I live is more expensive than a stick built house somewhere in another part of the country.
You have the most flexibility when you buy a floor plan that can be modified for a stick built house and very little flexibility in the plans of a manufactured house.
Unless you exchange the word "SECTIONS" for the word "PANELS" in the red highlighted sentence, the entire statement is wrong. Panels indicate small assemblies, typically short pieces of walls, that are literally nailed together in a factory then delivered to the jobsite. Sections, boxes, units, etc... are nearly completed, large portions of a home, that are still small enough to transport on public roads.
There are two product categories that use the word "Modular", they are HUD code modulars and state code, or IRC code modulars. The first being essentially mobile homes, trailers, or manufactured homes. The easiest way to cut through the BS when dealing with the "is it manufactured, HUD code, state code, IRC code, etc..... is to look at one clear cut fact. If the product is built on a steel trailer frame that remains a permanent part of the structure, it's a trailer. If it get's lifted off the trailer and placed on a foundation, it's a modular home. Real modulars are stick framed, local and national code compliant homes that are built in large sections in a factory, then delivered on a removable trailer, and finished on the building site.
Modulars can be extremely well done, or they can be fair to marginal quality. Builders and dealers of modulars can be honest, and capable of quality work, and fair pricing, or they can be scum. There is no hard and fast rule that you will save money building one product over another, or that a stick framed home will automatically be more expensive. I built for decades in a market where simple modulars, typically two box ranches, were much cheaper than site built homes. Larger, more complex homes were always cheaper to build onsite. Now if you were 100 miles closer to the nearest giant city, and looking at the numbers, placing a modular was ALWAYS significantly cheaper that stick building. After the great recession hit, I could build any style and size of home cheaper, and as well, or better than the best of the regional modular home builders, since the recession left a lot of hungry subcontractors, very little work, and a huge overhead nut to carry for the big factory home builders.
The facts involved in making a decision about going with a modular are extremely location dependent. In the rural mid-Atlantic states, they can be a great idea, since there is a thriving and competitive market. In other areas they are not well regarded, or understood, and they are looked down upon.
I've been browsing though catalogs of modular homes and was shocked to see their sticker price - they're often way lower in cost than what I could buy around where I live. Of course it doesn't factor in land, labor, fees etc., but I'd estimate that I could get a brand new modular home put on a chunk of land for where we live for a significant savings in cost compared to buying an older home or a new stick built home from a builder. The advantage is, we can pick from way more options and customize much more a modular home vs a new stick home built by a local builder. Also, most of the builders around here build horrifically designed homes that are wayyyyyyy bigger than what we need. I'm fine with a tinier house. People on other forums have also stated that the quality is often better in modular homes than newer homes built by a local builder for around where we are. True? If you own a modular home, did you get cost savings, how hard was it to deal with all of the permits/finding land/getting on the grid etc? Did a company do all of it for you? Overall, was it worth it?
There is one larger modular home -6000 sq ft built by very well respected prosperous realtor nearby.
It took around a couple of days to pour the foundation with the basement. A month or so later the house arrived on 3 or 4 trucks. It was up seemed like overnight and the owner moved in at the end of the summer.
Not sure what did it cost them.
One could not tell the difference really with nearby homes. Maybe less ornate- that is all.
Unless you exchange the word "SECTIONS" for the word "PANELS" in the red highlighted sentence, the entire statement is wrong. Panels indicate small assemblies, typically short pieces of walls, that are literally nailed together in a factory then delivered to the jobsite. Sections, boxes, units, etc... are nearly completed, large portions of a home, that are still small enough to transport on public roads.
There are two product categories that use the word "Modular", they are HUD code modulars and state code, or IRC code modulars. The first being essentially mobile homes, trailers, or manufactured homes. The easiest way to cut through the BS when dealing with the "is it manufactured, HUD code, state code, IRC code, etc..... is to look at one clear cut fact. If the product is built on a steel trailer frame that remains a permanent part of the structure, it's a trailer. If it get's lifted off the trailer and placed on a foundation, it's a modular home. Real modulars are stick framed, local and national code compliant homes that are built in large sections in a factory, then delivered on a removable trailer, and finished on the building site.
Modulars can be extremely well done, or they can be fair to marginal quality. Builders and dealers of modulars can be honest, and capable of quality work, and fair pricing, or they can be scum. There is no hard and fast rule that you will save money building one product over another, or that a stick framed home will automatically be more expensive. I built for decades in a market where simple modulars, typically two box ranches, were much cheaper than site built homes. Larger, more complex homes were always cheaper to build onsite. Now if you were 100 miles closer to the nearest giant city, and looking at the numbers, placing a modular was ALWAYS significantly cheaper that stick building. After the great recession hit, I could build any style and size of home cheaper, and as well, or better than the best of the regional modular home builders, since the recession left a lot of hungry subcontractors, very little work, and a huge overhead nut to carry for the big factory home builders.
The facts involved in making a decision about going with a modular are extremely location dependent. In the rural mid-Atlantic states, they can be a great idea, since there is a thriving and competitive market. In other areas they are not well regarded, or understood, and they are looked down upon.
Thank you for the correction. Sections was what I should have said. I was thinking walls and things of that nature, so I chose to use the word panels. That was obviously not the correct word to use.
I do take exception to you saying that if a home is lifted off a trailer and placed on a foundation that it's a modular home. I bought a manufactured home and had it placed on some land. It was built on a trailer, placed on a foundation when delivered, the wheels and tongue were removed, and it was still considered a manufactured home.
I think a lot of it depends on what part of the country you're in. Where I'm living, mobile homes and manufactured homes are very common and they not only hold their value, they increase it as well. It's not uncommon here to see a mobile (not manufactured) home (maybe 1970 or 1980 vintage) that has been well kept up in a trailer park and is being sold for $50,000 or more. Many new manufactured homes here will go for $100,000+ and that's without them being placed on land.
If you are worried about the stigma get something with two floors, no one will mistake it for a mobile home and no one will ask you if it is modular or mobile. Also one with a higher room line would never be confused for a mobile home.
Just an aside, I find it funny when people are concerned about stigma but think noting of buying a mass-produced home that's almost identical to the neighbors. And I live in a neighborhood where the houses are largely the same.
We've been researching modulars for months now. Found a dealer we like with a beautiful house. The problem isn't the home, it's the lender and trying to get all the numbers straight. Then there's the issue of well tests for the water, in our case, the pump is bad so we've been waiting over a week for the land seller to get it replaced so we can do the test.
Then there's the issue of "on v off frame" for the modular (look it up). My lender says they can do it on the frame but everything I see tells me it's harder to get underwritten that way. He says it's fine. I guess I have to take his word for it. With a modular, you have to have a certain type of foundation laid and you pay extra to get it built to the IRC codes. On top of that, you have to factor in electrical hookups, extra upgrades and don't forget sales tax which killed me when I realized in our state, that tacks another 8+% onto the purchase price! We're just starting out and it's already extremely stressful...
My girlfriend has a modular home. She bought the land in 2016. The house came out in sections and was assembled onsite with a crane.
She lives in a pricey area of western NC where the cost of anything is through the roof. You can often do better by buying land, taking on the site costs, and putting a modular on it than even buying preexisting homes.
We owned a modular home in Alaska. It definitely had some problems, but I don't know if they originated in the factory or during assembly. My in-laws also owned one made by the same company (I don't remember the name) and it developed a huge crack in the ceiling that kept expanding. Somebody finally troubleshooted the issue and it had to do with how the roof was bolted together. Once it was structurally repaired the cosmetic fix was minor.
I remember when we sold the house the inspector the buyer hired noticed the whatever it's called, all modular and manufactured homes have a steel stamped thing on them on one side of the home that is required by DOT or somebody for transport. And he mislabeled the home as a manufactured home. Like a mobile home. Even though it was over 2600 square feet, plus 2.5 car garage, two stories high, and included a 2 bedroom apartment with separate entry. All of it on concrete foundation and slab garage. Like all that's going to fit on an axle. Long story short, because of that it threw a wrench into the closing. We got it sorted out, but it was a ridiculous thing to go through. If you have a modular home you might want to pry that thing off or cover it with something before some undereducated home inspector sees it.
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