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What amuses me is the the one place I know of that handles modular home design and build has maybe 20 such buildings on site as examples.
They are quite nice. BUT while they have been standing there 15 plus years, and were designed to have simple architectural elements, all of the new stick built homes are mimicking their facades.
The new developments tend to be “cookie cutter” with no interesting variation, not even painting colors. So driving past it would be hard to see any difference.
Modular homes built to local/state standards may or may not have a steel frame that is structural to the unit and stays on the unit after installation.
An "On-Frame" modular is a common unit when price is all important and local zoning does not permit a HUD-Code manufactured home.
In terms of bill of materials, there can be a great deal of overlap between HUD-Code homes and on-frame modulars. They often come from the same plant, off the same production line.
Separate lines are wise when producing off-frame modulars, whose designs, methods, and bill of materials diverge much more from HUD-Code units.
Installation of the units is hugely important in the picture regarding durability and function of the completed home. Manufacturers often have proprietary methods for marrying multiple pieces together and too often rely on dealers and contractors who rely on "This is how I have always done it," rather than learning and adhering to the installation manual.
We lived in a modular home. We didn't buy it new but the neighbor watched it being put together and she explained how the cranes etc put the various pieces together in just a couple of days (the foundation had been placed months before the house showed up). It was a large 2-story building with a separate apartment on the bottom floor. It was well constructed, maybe better than some of the other homes on the block. The finishings were builder-grade, but that's what the original owner ordered for it. There would have been no way to tell it was a modular home from the street. The only indication was up in the attic where you could see the huge bolts they used to bring some of the pieces together. It was the only home we owned with vaulted ceilings. We really liked that feature.
I bought a 7-year-old modular home in 2013 for $310k. Based on detailed inspection, it was obviously well-built and used premium materials. Lived there 10 years and sold it for $625k. Buyer is still thrilled, five months later.
But for those who don't know the difference.
"Manufactured" homes are mobile homes that are usually delivered in one or two pieces ( single vs double-wide ), are rather economical, and do not use premium materials.
"Modular" homes have a number of basic pieces built in a factory, usually with premium materials. Those basic "modular" pieces are delivered to the site and assembled/finished in the same way stick-built homes are finished.
Was it disclosed as modular when you bought it? I think I am seeing more with similar design appearance in our surrounding towns popping up. Very modern looking with flat roof line. I would like to take a look at some examples.
Was it disclosed as modular when you bought it? I think I am seeing more with similar design appearance in our surrounding towns popping up. Very modern looking with flat roof line. I would like to take a look at some examples.
I don't recall if it was disclosed or not by the seller or her agent, but I knew it was a modular before I made the offer. I do know my pre-purchase home inspector told me it was a modular, showed me the quality of materials, etc., and that he ( as a retired Class-A contractor ) had done the final assembly of some similar modular homes.
My home was in Virginia, but here is a link to a company that sells them in North Carolina.
There was nothing in the listing or inspection reports that would have indicated our house was modular before we bought it, but the neighbor who told us was a friend of ours before we became neighbors.
However...
When we were selling the home the "inspector" found a metal tag on the exterior of the home near the foundation and mistakenly labeled it as a HUD tag for a MOBILE HOME in the inspection report. Because most mobile homes are two story goliaths with a separate apartment, 2x6 wood framing, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, etc... right?
Anyways, this moron's report triggered something with the lender that almost threw the transaction out the window.
I can't remember exactly what the tag was for, but it had nothing to do with HUD or mobile homes. It might have had something to do with transporting it interstate or bug control (I don't remember exactly).
I don't know if all modular homes have a tag on the exterior but ours did.
I am curious if you are beginning to see any newly constructed modular homes in your neighborhood?
We saw our first one and was surprised at the speed of building for 2300 sq two story compared to another stick build one on our street. Soon as it was completed, it went pending and sold. Stick build house is more than 3500sq though.
Back in 2005 my dad bought a modular home a few blocks from me. The builder who my hub and I were friends with, used Excel Homes in Pennsylvania. My dad and I went through their web site to find which model he thought would be best. He went with a ranch house that had a front porch and a two car garage.
The builder let him customize it by making the garage wider, plus the attic was also customized with regular steps and a few feet were added so that it could be made into another bedroom with bathroom if someone moved in to care for he and my mother as they got older. It also had a basement that had a full bathroom in it.
It did not take long for the modular company to build their house; from memory, about two months. It also didn't take long for the builder to finish it, a month or two. The builder did other modular homes in that town. You couldn't tell they were modular homes.
My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer two weeks before the house was finished. He died 8 months later. My mother ended up selling the house a year after he died. I don't remember it being listed as a modular home.
The buyer eventually lost the house to foreclosure when the housing market crashed in 2008. It was for sale a few times, the last was in 2017. Those listings also did not say it was a modular home.
Back in 2005 my dad bought a modular home a few blocks from me. The builder who my hub and I were friends with, used Excel Homes in Pennsylvania. My dad and I went through their web site to find which model he thought would be best. He went with a ranch house that had a front porch and a two car garage.
The builder let him customize it by making the garage wider, plus the attic was also customized with regular steps and a few feet were added so that it could be made into another bedroom with bathroom if someone moved in to care for he and my mother as they got older. It also had a basement that had a full bathroom in it.
It did not take long for the modular company to build their house; from memory, about two months. It also didn't take long for the builder to finish it, a month or two. The builder did other modular homes in that town. You couldn't tell they were modular homes.
My dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer two weeks before the house was finished. He died 8 months later. My mother ended up selling the house a year after he died. I don't remember it being listed as a modular home.
The buyer eventually lost the house to foreclosure when the housing market crashed in 2008. It was for sale a few times, the last was in 2017. Those listings also did not say it was a modular home.
BTW, we are also see prefab ADUs as well popping up.
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