Let's talk about Modular homes

[Dobela]

We have been house hunting for 6+ months now and it is begining to wear on us. 3 deals have fallen thru, not due to us, and honestly, we are tired of looking. Houses in our price range are just not coming up for sale in our area. So last night my dh came home and announced that he wants us to consider a modular home. We know nothing about them. Until last night (I guess in his fatigue and desperation) he was against them. He sells insurance and knows that they have to be rated (here anyway) as a mobile home no matter how large they are.

 

Can anyone educate me on them? Have experience living in one or having one built? I think this is a passing phase for him, but I need to be educated in case it isn't.

 

Thanks so much!

[rfhsmom]

Well, we ended up buying one because of the same reasons--everything in our price range was a dive! We had ours put on a foundation on our own lot and love it! There are differences in quality depending upon the company so be sure you pay attention to details closely. Our neighbors bought one a few years before us and he was a building contractor and she a realtor so that eased our mind a lot. The resale value in our area is great! Our home would sell for a lot more than we have into it. You can pm if you have any specific questions for us.

[OH_Homeschooler]

DH owned a modular home built in the 70s when we met and I moved into that home and lived there for a few years after we got married. I wouldn't have guessed it was a modular home-in fact, it had a basement! It was a good sturdy house, no problems at all.

[Hillary in KS]

Wait. Modular homes? The kind that are stick-built homes but built in a factory and then driven to your lot? Those aren't rated as mobile homes.

 

We purchased a home once that we are 90% was a modular home. It was fine, quality-wise, and when inspected and appraised rated no differently that an on-site built home. It had a finished basement, and was no different than any other home we've lived in. We never had any appraisal issues when buying or selling that home.

 

We had once looked into purchasing/building a modular home, for reasons you described. They were cheaper. But look into the company carefully. There are good companies and bad ones, as with any industry. Do your research.

 

A manufactured home is what your dh is talking about, I think. I've seen those, and those appear to be mobile homes put onto a foundation. Honestly, we wouldn't consider purchasing one of those.

[Purpledaizy]

From a buyer's perspective, my only concern would be resale. If you plan to set down permanent roots and be there forever, who cares about that. I rented one for several years and had no complaints. I found it no different than living in a stick built home.

[ElizabethB]

I know little about them...but when we lived in Arkansas, the governor lived in one to save money for the state, although his was on the expensive side, it was donated (and great publicity for manufactured homes, they were smart!)

 

http://littlerock.about.com/cs/government/a/redneckgov.htm

 

So, you can claim to be in good company, if it's good enough for the Governor of Arkansas...

[BeckyFL]

Doesn't Dave Ramsey have some negative comments on these??? Might be worth searching.

[jewellsmommy]

Doesn't Dave Ramsey have some negative comments on these??? Might be worth searching.

 

 

I found this on Dave Ramsey's site. daveramsey.com

 

Build a Modular Home?

Nita is a Dave Ramsey success story and now wants to build a modular home.

QUESTION: Nita is 32, remarried and completely debt free. She and her husband are looking at building a modular home. Should they do that?

 

ANSWER: There are many different types of modular homes. Modular homes can mean anything from a trailer to a very nice home build in sections. If it looks “stick-build” and not like a glorified trailer, then you’ve probably bought a home that will go up in value. Trailers go down in value and houses go up. You just need to make sure you buy a home that goes up in value.

[Dobela]

ok, so where do I go to find reputable dealers? Or do research? My google searches are not turning up anything helpful, but then I may not be using the right terms or something. We would want a site built one- not like a mobile home. I finally found house plans for modular homes but not any local dealers except for those who are mobile home dealers as well.

 

I live in Arkansas, so I very much remember the governor's 'mansion' LOL.

 

If I am not mistaken many of the houses built on Extremem Home Makeovers are modular homes as well.

[Liz CA]

I know little about them...but when we lived in Arkansas, the governor lived in one to save money for the state, although his was on the expensive side, it was donated (and great publicity for manufactured homes, they were smart!)

 

http://littlerock.about.com/cs/government/a/redneckgov.htm

 

So, you can claim to be in good company, if it's good enough for the Governor of Arkansas...

 

I would DEFINITELY look at craftsmanship and quality! We lived in a trailer before we built a conventional home and I dare say there is a world between a trailer and a modern modular, however, inside some of the newer ones even, the walls are thin, the finish is so-so and in some it is blatantly obvious that you are standing in a mobile/modular.

 

If you are thinking of possibly building yourself, I would not build a modular but look to build a framed house for less by investing sweat equity if possible or enlisting friends / neighbors and do an old-fashioned barn raising event where you feed the workers all day.

There are also a lot of "package" homes out there. By package I don't mean Modular but stick-built, however you decide on a already existing floorplan and your options of making changes is somewhat limited. The advantage of this may be a set price (no overrun) and since the floorplan already is drawn up, the price for the blueprints is less than if you march to an architect and start from scratch.

 

Think of resale value in your area as well. Also, don't know where in the country you live, but in tornado alley, hurricane areas, etc., modulars don't hold up very well as you probably already know.

[mycalling]

We own a modular home and it's amazing! It's 4300sf...I'd never heard of a modular so large. When we were purchasing it (2yo foreclosure, didn't build it) the inspector said it was perfect, as all pieced-together type modular houses he inspects. :D

 

He says they are built better. The framing has to withstand being shipped, then hoisted with a crane, so more is built with 2x6s instead of 2x4s. They're usually all built to the most strict building standards so they can be put up in any state's county (hurricane or tornado quality). The factory employs better workers and each stage of the build is closely overseen...unlike on-site builders that often employ or subcontract to the cheapest worker or bid. He says even the materials are better quality because they are housed indoors before being used, whereas on-site built materials are exposed to or stored out in the elements.

[....]

We own a modular home and it's amazing! It's 4300sf...I'd never heard of a modular so large. When we were purchasing it (2yo foreclosure, didn't build it) the inspector said it was perfect, as all pieced-together type modular houses he inspects. :D

.

 

 

Do you know what company made your home? We've also looked at some of these and are interested in purchasing one... We went to a Palm Harbor sales center and they said their homes are supposed to be made better than regular houses. :tongue_smilie: They had all these pictures after a hurricane in Florida and their houses were the only ones standing.

[LizzyBee]

Do you know what company made your home? We've also looked at some of these and are interested in purchasing one... We went to a Palm Harbor sales center and they said their homes are supposed to be made better than regular houses. :tongue_smilie: They had all these pictures after a hurricane in Florida and their houses were the only ones standing.

 

When we were looking for our house, we looked at some manufactured homes. In a 5-year old doublewide Fleetwood, the kitchen cabinets were sagging and looked like they were ready to come off the wall. In a brand new one, we found all kinds of little things that needed to be fixed. But a 5-year old Palm Harbor we looked at was still in nearly new condition. If the lay out had been better, we would have considered buying it. We ended up buying a site-built home, but if we ever buy a manufactured or modular home, Palm Harbor is the only brand we'd consider. There are a lot of things they do differently than other manufacturers, such as using real dry wall and laying the carpet the same way as in a site-built home. They cost more than other brands, but the differences are obvious.

[ereks mom]

Here is a link, where you can look at floorplans, etc.: http://www.hortonhomes.com/

 

Our house is a Horton. It is NOT a trailer; it is on a real foundation and is valued as real estate, which means we pay property tax just like any other homeowner does. We've lived here for 18 years, and we have built two additions to our home; we added a sunroom on the front and three rooms (office, school room, storage room) plus a half bath on the back. It does NOT look like a "cookie cutter" modular/manufactured homes. Most people don't know that it wasn't "stick built".

 

This one is similar to ours (before the additions, of course):

http://www.hortonhomes.com/floorplans/S2768RNR(SMH604)%20%20RUS.pdf

Edited May 15, 2010 by ereks mom

[BikeBookBread]

These are soooo COOL! But really expensive...

[Dobela]

Thanks for the input! This is really turning into a learning curve for us and is a lot to take in.

[simka2]

Just wanted to add...my grandparents had one built on their property. They added a wrap around porch, covered driveway, and a garage. You could bot tell it was modular :)

[DarlaS]

Just want to mention that manufactured homes and modular homes are not interchangeable terms.

 

They are constructed differently and shipped differently. Do investigate the pros and cons of each for your area.

 

I live in what is partially a manufactured home (We added on 2 br, 1 bath and a family room in 2005.). This is what used to be called a "double-wide". We put it on a full basement and there are 4, 26' wide "I" beams running across the width for support. It was a 26' x 52' 3 bed/2 bath home. It's not going anywhere. There is no sagging. (I wish I could say the same for our stick-built addition...) Our home was $39,000 not including the improvements to our 5 acre property. Exterior walls are 2 x 6, interior walls are 2 x 3. Insurance has not been an issue as it is constructed with the same materials (no more or less flammable) as any house. My bank does not consider it a trailer. It does not have a title because it is on a permanent foundation.

 

Since moving here, we have torn out carpet and replaced with diy laminate flooring, ripped out and replaced some drywall (not done with that yet), replaced several doors, and replaced the siding. This year we plan to re-do the kitchen as the cabinets are these awful built-in units. Soon it will need a new roof and windows. (It is 16 years old now.) The master bath needs to be redone. If we added it all up, we will still be nowhere even close to what a 2000 sf 5 bed/3 bath house in this area would have cost us in 1994 when we bought the place. Many of the improvements (doors, trim, paint etc) would also need to be done in any house as things do wear out over time, and people do like to redecorate even with the best of construction--and who wouldn't want to rip out an awkwardly laid out kitchen if they could?

 

That said, if we could have AT ALL afforded it at the time, we would have bought the modular rather than the manufactured home. I wonder if it worked out for the best anyway, because I have been in modulars that were sagging and unlevel in places. Several times over the years--and these houses were no doubt way more costly than mine. Be sure whoever sets it up knows what they are doing. I think the foundation itself and how they place it on the foundation has more bearing on how it holds up than how it's made.

[Angie in VA]

We looked into modular homes (among other options) before deciding to build an ICF house. We acted as our own GC (general contractor) and saved tons, and I do mean TONS. That savings is even after a few years of paying rent, since we had a terrible sub-contractor who held us up and added months to the process, and whom we had to sue (and won, but haven't gotten our settlement, so we have a lien on his house). We still came out way ahead of quotes for builders to build our home. It's cheaper to insure (fires, hurricanes, etc. Look here) and we've never had as big a house before, and never had lower bills for heating and cooling. Friends said some snide things about our taking so long (even church friends) but we did it and it was worth it. I think of those friends and their comments every time we get a LOW electric bill! :) HA!

 

You pay more for the concrete v. stick built, but you start saving on bills immediately. We also oriented the house to maximize the winter sun and did some other energy-efficient things, so those features help keep our bills low too. :)

 

ICF stands for insulated concrete forms They rock!

 

Whatever kind of house you build/move into, consider how efficient it is and what it will cost to heat and cool. Long after a mortgage is paid off, you still have heating and cooling bills!

Edited May 15, 2010 by Angie in VA
typos!!!

[Keniki]

I agree with those who say that modular homes and manufactured homes are two different things. Believe me, the tax assessor and the insurance company know the difference!! We live in a modular home built 11 years ago by All American Homes and I couldn't be happier. I still remember my kitchen flying through the air while the crane lifted it into place. :)

 

http://www.allamericanhomes.com

[LizzyBee]

Just want to mention that manufactured homes and modular homes are not interchangeable terms.

 

 

 

Just to add one more bit of info to what you wrote, modular homes are required to meet local building codes. Manufactured homes (trailers) are not, but there are federal standards in place for them. Modulars are always placed on permanent foundations; trailers can also be placed on permanent foundations (and a basement) if desired.

Edited May 15, 2010 by LizzyBee

[DarlaS]

Believe me, the tax assessor and the insurance company know the difference!!

 

I sure wish the tax assessor thought our house was worth less! Our property values are right in line with similar sized stick houses in our area. A lot depends on your region I guess. Maybe we're just getting screwed. :glare:

 

I don't get why the insurance company would care. It uses the same siding, the same plywood, same framing studs, insulation & drywall as any stick built house (I've seen inside these walls.). My insurance is comparable to homes in this area as well. Definitely something to look into though.

[DarlaS]

Just to add one more bit of info to what you wrote, modular homes are required to meet local building codes. Manufactured homes (trailers) are not, but there are federal standards in place for them. Modulars are always placed on permanent foundations; trailers can also be placed on permanent foundations (and a basement) if desired.

 

 

Yes, this is very true. When we had our siding re-done, we added some kind of foam insulation under it because our home meets standards for Florida. We are in Michigan. We have also added central air and replaced the heating system entirely with a furnace in the basement (twice now actually as when we added on, it couldn't handle the additional space) and real metal heat ducts. I had forgotten about that. Very little "trailer" remains of this house. Just the kitchen and 2 baths to go! (And they are going to GO! ASAP! :tongue_smilie:)

Edited May 16, 2010 by darlasowders

[Keniki]

I sure wish the tax assessor thought our house was worth less! Our property values are right in line with similar sized stick houses in our area. A lot depends on your region I guess. Maybe we're just getting screwed. :glare:

 

I don't get why the insurance company would care. It uses the same siding, the same plywood, same framing studs, insulation & drywall as any stick built house (I've seen inside these walls.). My insurance is comparable to homes in this area as well. Definitely something to look into though.

 

 

Maybe these depend on area and/or insurance company. I agree that I would look into these if I were debating between the two.