Good modular home mfgs/dealers in WA? (assessor, modular homes)

[WhiskeyPapa]

Does any one have experiences to share about modular home manufacturers and dealers in Washington state?

My wife and I are considering building a new modular home on a piece of property here in Western WA (note: I am not talking about manufactured/mobile).

We have heard great things about the quality and customer service of Timberland Homes (they sell direct, not through a dealer). We suspect that they may be very high priced, however.

I have read some customer reviews of Palm Harbor Homes. All bad ones, it seems.

Thanks.

[chris]

my in-laws used Timberland for their Island county property, and it was rediculous in terms of the cost. Of course everything is more expensive on the Islands but it was more than 2x the cost of building a stick built, and the quality? It looks nice but I wasn't that impressed overall, especially with the chemical smell to the house now still almost 2 years later (I'm unusually sensitive to that kind of thing though, I have a nose like a dog).

It really depends on where your property is, but you will probably have several options. I'm no expert on manufactured homes but I was told by someone that something like 60-80% of them are made by one company, so it just comes down to pricing and options.

[WhiskeyPapa]

Thanks for the input.

A funny smell, huh? What do you think it is from?

[chris]

it's a combination of formaldehyde and glue adhesives used in most OSB/wood based construction materials. I think you'd be "hard pressed" (little joke there) to find manufactured homes that don't use it (or most new homes for that matter).

Supposedly the odors dissipate within a year with good ventilation but the OSB smell can take years to go away. There's probably a good reason why most European countries don't allow it to be used in home construction.

[swsha4]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyPapa

Does any one have experiences to share about modular home manufacturers and dealers in Washington state?

My wife and I are considering building a new modular home on a piece of property here in Western WA (note: I am not talking about manufactured/mobile).

We have heard great things about the quality and customer service of Timberland Homes (they sell direct, not through a dealer). We suspect that they may be very high priced, however.

I have read some customer reviews of Palm Harbor Homes. All bad ones, it seems.

Thanks.

I can't vouch for any of these but you may want to look into them. I was thinking of building and did a little research a couple of years ago but never ended up building so cannot say how good these are.

Double "S" Cedar supplies in WA: Prefabricated Homes, Prefab Houses - Double S Homes BC Canada and Pan Adobe has two WA distributors. Pan Abode Cedar Homes, Supplier of Custom Cedar, Post & Beam, Timber & Log Homes : Home Cedar Deisigns out of BC used to be reasonable and handy but with the US dollar tanking they may not be a good option: http://www.cedardesigns.com/country.htm

[LordBalfor]

I highly recommend you buy a copy of the "The Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes" and "The Grissim Buyer’s Guide to Manufactured Homes & Land" - very useful books that give manufacturer ratings (and details on how the ratings were derived) and spell out all the details about how to go about purchasing a home.

Ken

[sweazeym]

Did you ever find a modular builder for your project? If so how did it go and who did you use and where in Western Washington are you?

[Sobefobik]

You might consider HiLine Homes. They aren't modular, but I believe they are pretty cheap. I think it's like $38 a square foot.

[jertheber]

I also looked at Modular houses for a lot I had in Grays Harbor county, I really think HiLine homes puts up a better structure than most Mods. You might want to look at the modulars that are built by Silvercrest, a champion home product, they are very well built and they are substantialy better constructed than their manufactured line. Adair is another builder that has a lot of houses in the NW.

[rkcarguy]

I haven't had much luck with modular homes, mainly because alot of the new developments are all CC&R'd and won't allow them. Plus many of them have gotten so expensive you're better off with a stick built home instead.
If you can find land that allows them, they are nice for avoiding the high property taxes most get with a new stickbuilt home. The assessor is the most feared financial "grim reaper" in this state.
IIRC, the Palm Harbor ones were supposed to be better quality.