Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A good friend of mine in Eastern NC could not find anyone to build a home for her after relocating from Va. She lives near the beach and all the builders would not touch homes under 750K range. She was not in that category. So she and her husband went the modular route. What she told me was that the company they used builds for a number of states. And since they have to meet state building codes, they took the strictest building codes from each state and used them on each house. For instance in PA you probably need a higher R factor for insulation (I'm guessing here) so they would use that higher R factor on her NC home too. Oh, and she was excited because she got a full length porch that was really deep... not wrap around, but it rivals my full length 1916 Craftsman porch.
She had this home built on property that has been in her family since King George stole it from the natives and she never plans to sell. So resell is not a real issue for her.
I did read an article with in the last year that some of the modern prefab homes such as those done by Sunset magazine are getting good appreciation in some markets. But it seems like most of those markets were more urban than Raleigh. Some people think they will be like the Eichler homes in another 30 years. But these are not the prefab Cape Cods. They are much more funky.
I personally would love one of the modern prefab homes as vacation home... oh, that is after I win the lottery.
PLEASE! Modular homes ARE NOT the same thing as manufactured (HUD approved) homes
Quote:
Originally Posted by lolligrump
Ok, my husband thinks that modular/mobile homes, at least built in the last 10 years or so, are actually built as good as site homes, and sometimes better. He thinks since most site built homes are not on a solid foundation, that puts them in the same category as modular/mobile. I have lived in a, "doublewide" with tie downs before in AZ and said that I really didn't ever want to live in one again. Should I be looking at modular/mobile as well as site built? We are looking into 200K or less, with at least .05 acre and not more than 30 minutes from RTP. Seems there are quite a few modular/mobile homes in this category. By the way, I have pretty much given up on my first hope/dream of finding a sweet house with a wrap around porch! Now I just want a house that isn't smack up against someone else; doesn't just look like a mobile home and that will stand the test of time.
TRUE MODULAR HOMES ARE NOT THE SAME THING AS MANUFACTURED/MOBILE HOMES!
Take the time to educate yourself about this and you will find that your husband knows exactly what he is talking about.
True modulars - more correctly - System Built Homes, ARE stronger than stick built homes. There are huge advantages to going with one like an approximate 25% cut in the price of the home, something that will withstand stronger winds, having a more energy effecient home. And the time to construct the home is only about a third of the time it takes to build stick built on site. And companies are very flexible about designing the home YOU want, so guess what? In that price range you can find that wrap-around porch you want
Your husband is wrong. Put $200,000 into a 60's rancher on a nice lot before you ever consider a mobile/manufactured/HUD code home.
Even if you are happy while there, unfortunately, resale will killl you.
Modulars, being built to local codes, are a little better, but you are at a price point and in a location where your investment will be better placed in conventional homes.
FWIW, I spent 21 years in mobile and modular home production.
You may have spent 21 years building mobile homes and what some mobile home manufacturers are trying to pass off as "modular" homes, but there is no way you were with a company building True Modulars or System Builts. If you had been you'd know that these homes are highly regarded and more than just a "little better" when built to local codes.
This is the problem...no one company can own the name "modular" so big manufacturing companies like Clayton have incorporated the word into their products in hopes of fooling people who would never otherwise invest in their product. DON'T BE FOOLED. True modular/system built homes were proven in a study by FEMA to have withstood and survived when other stick built homes in the same neighborhoods didn't during Hurricane Andrew. There is a huge push on now to have as many true modular homes as possible built in the gulf coast region. This way the potential for the need for huge insurance payoffs is greatly reduced when the next big hurricane comes along - because true modulars have a better chance of surviving a high wind situation.
But don't just take MY word for it - Check out what Bob Villa has to say about them, or the NAHB (National Association of Homebuilders) or Popular Mechanics Magazine's May 2006 issue, or even Country Living Magazine who chose a true modular as its house of the year last year.
"You may have spent 21 years building mobile homes and what some mobile home manufacturers are trying to pass off as "modular" homes, but there is no way you were with a company building True Modulars or System Builts. If you had been you'd know that these homes are highly regarded and more than just a "little better" when built to local codes."
You are wrong about my former career.
But that often happens when we assume things about other people without knowledge. And then these errors are compounded when we paint with a broad brush.
I believe modulars are a little better, as a class,
than HUD code homes as a class.
"...Highly regarded..." Sure they are. By some people. FWIW, some people have high regard for President GW Bush, while some people do not hold him in "high regard."
I also know many people with a "high regard" for HUD code homes. It's all about opinion, isn't it?
Does FEMA's opinion infer that ALL modulars are superior in construction to ALL conventional homes? I would be fascinated to see a link to such a FEMA report.
I agree that many, modulars have the potential to be a great building option, in some circumstances. Control and/or supervision of the process from manufacture through installation, including accessory structures like garages, chimneys, porches, and decks build a credible quality program, IMO.
To reach that potential, I would love to see ALL mod companies only sell homes with a payroll-based construction manager working the site with authority, and held accountable to the parent company for quality. Shipping homes as a component to be installed by any subcontractor a modular "builder" can find is often a recipe for less than stellar results. Too many mod installers are out of the HUD code installation side of things. Been there. Seen it. On off-frame mods.
The original poster, Lolligrump, discussed mobile/modular in the same breath, without noting definitive standards that you and I know. She has not clarified whether she means HUD code homes or mods, and my responses are directed to her post, and Justchar's post. Further, the question arose in the Raleigh Metro Forum market, not in a Gulf Coast forum. She expressed a desire to be within 30 minutes of the RTP, and on a minimum .5 acre. 30 minutes is not far, and growing closer daily as we continue to grow in population.
In the Raleigh Metro market, I see no compelling reason for someone who is in the sub-$200,000 range to buy a product with some stigma attached due to its origins that will affect them at time of resale.
Right, Wrong, or Indifferent, that stigma is a public perception. I find it hard to work at convincing someone they should buy because some people say perceptions are turning, when conventional options exist that meet her parameters and have "withstood the test of time."
I believe modulars are a little better, as a class,
than HUD code homes as a class.
"...Highly regarded..." Sure they are. By some people. FWIW, some people have high regard for President GW Bush, while some people do not hold him in "high regard."
I also know many people with a "high regard" for HUD code homes. It's all about opinion, isn't it?
Does FEMA's opinion infer that ALL modulars are superior in construction to ALL conventional homes? I would be fascinated to see a link to such a FEMA report.
I agree that many, modulars have the potential to be a great building option, in some circumstances. Control and/or supervision of the process from manufacture through installation, including accessory structures like garages, chimneys, porches, and decks build a credible quality program, IMO.
To reach that potential, I would love to see ALL mod companies only sell homes with a payroll-based construction manager working the site with authority, and held accountable to the parent company for quality. Shipping homes as a component to be installed by any subcontractor a modular "builder" can find is often a recipe for less than stellar results. Too many mod installers are out of the HUD code installation side of things. Been there. Seen it. On off-frame mods.
The original poster, Lolligrump, discussed mobile/modular in the same breath, without noting definitive standards that you and I know. She has not clarified whether she means HUD code homes or mods, and my responses are directed to her post, and Justchar's post. Further, the question arose in the Raleigh Metro Forum market, not in a Gulf Coast forum. She expressed a desire to be within 30 minutes of the RTP, and on a minimum .5 acre. 30 minutes is not far, and growing closer daily as we continue to grow in population.
In the Raleigh Metro market, I see no compelling reason for someone who is in the sub-$200,000 range to buy a product with some stigma attached due to its origins that will affect them at time of resale.
Right, Wrong, or Indifferent, that stigma is a public perception. I find it hard to work at convincing someone they should buy because some people say perceptions are turning, when conventional options exist that meet her parameters and have "withstood the test of time."[/quote]
Okay Mike, please let me backtrack, as I would like to have a conversation with you about this and not an argument
I apologize for offending you in my previous post. No excuses, it was just late and I was tired. I realize now I could have been a bit more diplomatic!
Fortunately there is less and less stigma on true modular homes the more the public is educated as to what they are and what they aren't. But you are right, in a large metro area like Raleigh the residual stigma may hinder a homeowner when he tries to sell. The compelling reasons to buy a modular anyway would be if 1)this was a home the owner planned to never sell and 2) If a person already owned some land they could put up a modular at a cost savings of at least 25% of a stick built home.
I only mentioned the gulf coast region of the country to make the point that FEMA, insurance companies and home builders groups are supporting the building of TRUE modular homes to reduce the chance of property damage during future hurricanes.
This is a dirct quote from the FEMA report I referenced,
"The catastrophic failure of one and two story wood frame stick built buildings was observed more frequently then the catastrophic failures of other modular site built structures."
"Overall, relatively minimal structural damage was noted in true modular housing developments. The module to module combination of the units appears to have provided an inherently rigid system that performed much better than conventional residental framing. This was noted in both the transverse and longitudinal directions of the modular buildings."
This report presented the findings of the Building Performance Assessment Team of the federal government. The number for ordering the report is something I could get for you if you really want to see it. They mail it to you for free.
I understand what you are saying about how something being "highly regarded" can be a subjective thing. However, I am willing to trust the opinions of people like Bob Villa (the man does know a thing or two about home construction).
I love your idea that all modular home manufacturers should have payroll based construction managers working the home site, THAT would be a big plus.
Hey! This IS a conversation!
No offense implied or inferred.
I am a believer in the potential of modular construction, but too often have seen that potential diminished by homes that were most definitely not acceptable in achievement of quality.
The racking of two sections that don't fit together puts astounding stress on the entire structure. And it is common enough that every set-up crew carries jacks and power pulls.
It put a lot of stress on me when I was 2 stories up on the roof in the dark, 75 miles from home, and the ridge drop-ins didn't fit, and the house had to be dried in.
The misalignment of utilities in tight chases between 1st and 2nd floors is a common issue.
Poor training of set-up crews in terms of code requirements and manufacturer design, and manufacturing teams with no field experience are a drag on quality.
I would treat the purchase of a mod similar to a stick-built, in terms of having an engineer present during assembly, and having the engineer sign off on the stages of assembly and final quality, endorsing that the final installation meets the factory design standards. There are various ways to meet codes and factories may select a method that the crew is unfamiliar with and cannot execute. As a consumer, I would want the assurance that a qualified third party was satisfied this quality was achieved.
Bob Vila did not give his endorsement without compensation, I surmise. He hawks products for high bid, doesn't he?
Hey! This IS a conversation!
No offense implied or inferred.
I am a believer in the potential of modular construction, but too often have seen that potential diminished by homes that were most definitely not acceptable in achievement of quality.
The racking of two sections that don't fit together puts astounding stress on the entire structure. And it is common enough that every set-up crew carries jacks and power pulls.
It put a lot of stress on me when I was 2 stories up on the roof in the dark, 75 miles from home, and the ridge drop-ins didn't fit, and the house had to be dried in.
The misalignment of utilities in tight chases between 1st and 2nd floors is a common issue.
Poor training of set-up crews in terms of code requirements and manufacturer design, and manufacturing teams with no field experience are a drag on quality.
I would treat the purchase of a mod similar to a stick-built, in terms of having an engineer present during assembly, and having the engineer sign off on the stages of assembly and final quality, endorsing that the final installation meets the factory design standards. There are various ways to meet codes and factories may select a method that the crew is unfamiliar with and cannot execute. As a consumer, I would want the assurance that a qualified third party was satisfied this quality was achieved.
Bob Vila did not give his endorsement without compensation, I surmise. He hawks products for high bid, doesn't he?
Mike, yes I'm sure Bob Vila was compensated in some way for choosing the particular true modular manufacturer he did, BUT, he did spend an entire season on his show - something like 14 episodes, just building the modular home on site. He may have been "endorsing" a particular manufacturer, but shows about that manufacturer (Simplex) were only in the first 2 episodes. He still went on to sing the praises of true modulars for 12 more episodes while he showed how you put one together on site. I just don't think he would have devoted a whole season to this type construction just for the money. He really believes in true modular construction.
Anyway... I like your idea of having a third party engineer on site to make sure things are as they should be. How does one go about finding an independent engineer? I also agree with your idea that the builder on site needs to be someone who knows and has built a lot of the particular manufacturers home that the buyer chose.
Please tell me, do you have anything good or bad to say about some of the bigger manufacturers - Mod-u-Kraf, R-Anell, Excel?
If these true modular homes are assembled, or rather secured together than is it not subject to a building inspection before anyone can live in it? And would not problems show to an experienced inspector?
If these true modular homes are assembled, or rather secured together than is it not subject to a building inspection before anyone can live in it? And would not problems show to an experienced inspector?
Of course - building inspection and following all local codes is part of the process.
Assume the inspector will do a good job.
And hire an engineer to confirm the inspector did a good job.
That advice applies to purchasing a mod or a mansion.
Pick a cliche that "floats your boat":
"Trust in Allah, but tie up your camels at night."
"Belt and Suspenders."
"Redundancy reduces error."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
PLEASE! Modular homes ARE NOT the same thing as manufactured (HUD approved) homes
