KristenR Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Question about modular, prefabricated homes--- Anyone here have one? I'd love to hear some honest experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I think you are talking about modern prefab/modulars? If you were talking about a mobile home I would advise against it if you have choices. Real prefabs come in all kinds of stages. Instead of stick built on site, many come in pre-assembled walls that get erected on the building site. Is this what you are referring to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 My parents just ordered a top of the line Marlette that is custom designed. I was at all the meetings on everything from design/construction to delivery. Maybe I can answer? I was pretty surprised by these things, they look and feel like houses inside and they can make them HUGE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 Yes, it is the modern modular homes. My husband and I have been looking to move out to the country and found a nice piece of acreage that caught our attention. We started looking into prefab homes and it almost seems too good to be true- pricewise that is. I'm trying to do my research and all and see who's been there and done that and might be able to give me some advice. We are looking at bigger homes. Around 2500-3500 square feet. I guess my main question is if modular homes are so efficient and therefore less expensive but just as solid,sturdy, and up to code (important in hurricane Florida!) why aren't these more mainstream? What, if any, is the down side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 A friend of mine has a prefab home. They made a photo book that showed it being put together and it's amazing. They told me that the neighbors were so amazed because the day they put it in, many of them went to work with only a basement on the lot and came home to see a whole house! It's a very nice house and looks well made. I would not have a problem with that kind of house if we were building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 My parents had a Palm Harbor several years ago and they loved it. Modular homes keep their value, manufactured homes do not, the depreciate like a mobile home, even tho the quality far surpasses those in the past. Maybe because they can be moved? Not sure. They all have to be built to code, modular is a little more stringent, I think. It can all depend on the upgrades you choose. Some still look like mobile homes, but if you choose tape and texture walls and decent doors and cabinets it looks very very nice. We're looking at having one built by Destiny. Beautiful homes. Choosing a house plan is very difficult! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Oh another thing that appeals to me, the warranty! Destiny provides a ten year warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I hate mine. We have one made by Clayton homes. Everything in it is crap. We paid for an upgraded appliance package and ALL of our appliances have broken with in 7 years. If you do get one make sure that ALL the doors and windows are standard size so that when you have to replace them, you do no have to special order. Some of ours are standard, some are not. Make sue you ask about insulation and floor joists and if your walls are made with 2x6's and not 2x4's. The hole they cut for our refrigerator is 35 inches and not 36 and so we cannot get the biggest size frige they make and so we had to pay the same amount of money for a 33" frige. Even though ours is a modular and is supposed to be "just like a house" we have found a LOT of things that are not just like a house. Just make sure to research every single thing. For example, we had trouble with a water line and found out that we needed a special crimping tool for these "modular" lines and had to spend $75 for it. We had to special order our patio door screen- extra $200. Things like that. Our manufacturer did not stand behind its warranty and we only ended up getting some money back after we hired a lawyer and were on our way to court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 My grandparents had one put in when we lived on Bainbridge Island. They did a couple things that I thought were very wise. First, they added a wrap around deck around half the house that connected to a sun room (actual greenhouse type that came off their dining room). They put in a covered carport out the front door that was a drive thorough with a circular driveway. Then the put a covered causeway over a side door leading to a 3 car garage. Recently, I think that property sold for near a million ( a huge part of that is location). Good luck! I would love to be in a position to look at modular's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I hate mine. We have one made by Clayton homes. Everything in it is crap. We paid for an upgraded appliance package and ALL of our appliances have broken with in 7 years. If you do get one make sure that ALL the doors and windows are standard size so that when you have to replace them, you do no have to special order. Some of ours are standard, some are not. Make sue you ask about insulation and floor joists and if your walls are made with 2x6's and not 2x4's. The hole they cut for our refrigerator is 35 inches and not 36 and so we cannot get the biggest size frige they make and so we had to pay the same amount of money for a 33" frige. Even though ours is a modular and is supposed to be "just like a house" we have found a LOT of things that are not just like a house. Just make sure to research every single thing. For example, we had trouble with a water line and found out that we needed a special crimping tool for these "modular" lines and had to spend $75 for it. We had to special order our patio door screen- extra $200. Things like that. Our manufacturer did not stand behind its warranty and we only ended up getting some money back after we hired a lawyer and were on our way to court. Ugh! I looked at Clayton and wasn't impressed. You've just verified my feelings on that. I think a LOT depends othe manufacturer. So sorry this happened to you. I will say that I know some one that had a house built, mansion in fact, and every window leaked. So any contractor of any type home can cause a disaster.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 I hate mine. We have one made by Clayton homes. Everything in it is crap. We paid for an upgraded appliance package and ALL of our appliances have broken with in 7 years. If you do get one make sure that ALL the doors and windows are standard size so that when you have to replace them, you do no have to special order. Some of ours are standard, some are not. Make sue you ask about insulation and floor joists and if your walls are made with 2x6's and not 2x4's. The hole they cut for our refrigerator is 35 inches and not 36 and so we cannot get the biggest size frige they make and so we had to pay the same amount of money for a 33" frige. Even though ours is a modular and is supposed to be "just like a house" we have found a LOT of things that are not just like a house. Just make sure to research every single thing. For example, we had trouble with a water line and found out that we needed a special crimping tool for these "modular" lines and had to spend $75 for it. We had to special order our patio door screen- extra $200. Things like that. Our manufacturer did not stand behind its warranty and we only ended up getting some money back after we hired a lawyer and were on our way to court. I'm so sorry for your horrible experience Kwickimom! How miserable! I appreciate you sharing it with me and giving me those pointers- especially about having things build in a standard size. That makes sense but I probably wouldn't have thought of it. Oh another thing that appeals to me, the warranty! Destiny provides a ten year warranty. We are currently looking at Nationwide-Homes. The warranty is very appealing-- as long as it's honored, of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 Any other prefab experiences here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dm379 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 I know this is a few days old but we are renting one now. We moved into it in September. I'm not all that crazy about it but I'm not sure how much is the manufacturer or how much is due to the homes overall. It is LOUD. There's no sound absorption so you can hear all footsteps and doors. Drives me crazy. It doesn't seem to hold heat very well. Things are breaking already and it doesn't seem to be very old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted November 26, 2012 Author Share Posted November 26, 2012 I know this is a few days old but we are renting one now. We moved into it in September. I'm not all that crazy about it but I'm not sure how much is the manufacturer or how much is due to the homes overall. It is LOUD. There's no sound absorption so you can hear all footsteps and doors. Drives me crazy. It doesn't seem to hold heat very well. Things are breaking already and it doesn't seem to be very old. By any chance do you know who the manufacturer was? I have been in a few model homes and purposely tested out the sound absorption because I had a fear it would be bad. But the models I toured, with my three loud little girls, was about the same as the site-built home we are in now. I wonder if they just amp up the model or if it depends on the builder.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 We bought one. This is our floor plan: http://www.maniscustombuilders.com/BC805.htm I love our house. It is very well built. I did make a few changes. We have the optional island in the kitchen. In the dinning room instead of windows we have a sliding glass doors. I added a door between the laundry room and the kitchen. The door way between the parent retreat and master bedroom was moved down and a door was added. (We used this as a nursery when the kids were smaller and now it is my sewing room). We did add the stairway in the living room. Currently the upstairs is unfinished but will become our homeschool room as well as a game room when the kids get older. When we finish the upstairs we will be adding a kitchenette as well as as bathroom. I communicated this with the builder so the plumming lines are alread run we just have to attach to them. There is also room on the electrical box to add the upstairs wiring as well. Before buying we did a lot of homework. We visited all the sales offices in our area and took my fil who is a plumber and my stepfather who worked as a builder. We walked through the model homes. When we went through the Clayton model home the dads came up with a whole list of problems. The sales manager became so mad at the list he threw down the papers, went into his office, slammed the door then refused to come out until we left :glare: Our experience with Palm Harbor was just as bad. Then we went to the last one. My inlaws had purchased a home from them about 4years before us and bought a Manis house. There were a few things I didn't like but our salesman was excellent and listened to my concerns and when he wrote up the contract he added building notes to address my concerns. The salesman and manager worked hard to get us into our house quickly and affordably. We have been in our home 4 years now and still love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 our house came up the road in three parts. they bolted it to metal beams which are bolted to bedrock (1 mile from the san andreas fault). it has a 2 X 6 construction, and lots of insulation. people are shocked to discover it wasn't built on site. i love it. we are currently replacing all the windows and the siding (after 25 years). we've already noticed how much quieter it is, and they haven't even put the siding on yet, just the plywood that is under the siding. so for some that would have been a downside. i'm sort of sad its quieter; i loved hearing the wind and the birds. i wouldn't hesitate to do it again. given the cost difference between it and a custom built home, i could have two or three of them for the same cost. or fix whatever troubled me. hth, ann ps. dh bought it before we met, so i don't have a clue who made it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 My SIL had one. They put several decks on it and a very nicely finished basement. It was a nice home but everything was pretty much standard on the prefab part of the house. When they decided to move, the realtor told them that a prefab house would only be worth x amount no matter how many improvements they made. My aunt has one. She upgraded the trim and flooring and probably other things as well. It is a very nice house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I hate mine. We have one made by Clayton homes. Everything in it is crap. We paid for an upgraded appliance package and ALL of our appliances have broken with in 7 years. If you do get one make sure that ALL the doors and windows are standard size so that when you have to replace them, you do no have to special order. Some of ours are standard, some are not. Make sue you ask about insulation and floor joists and if your walls are made with 2x6's and not 2x4's. The hole they cut for our refrigerator is 35 inches and not 36 and so we cannot get the biggest size frige they make and so we had to pay the same amount of money for a 33" frige. Even though ours is a modular and is supposed to be "just like a house" we have found a LOT of things that are not just like a house. Just make sure to research every single thing. For example, we had trouble with a water line and found out that we needed a special crimping tool for these "modular" lines and had to spend $75 for it. We had to special order our patio door screen- extra $200. Things like that. Our manufacturer did not stand behind its warranty and we only ended up getting some money back after we hired a lawyer and were on our way to court. We almost went this route. It was supposed to be a true modular, not a mobile. However, I happened to visit a friend who had almost exactly the same house we were going to get, and it was already looking rough. The quality looked nothing like the showroom. We ended up going with a stick built, mostly because there were no other modular offices nearby for us to visit in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted November 27, 2012 Author Share Posted November 27, 2012 We bought one. This is our floor plan: I love our house. It is very well built. I did make a few changes. We have the optional island in the kitchen. In the dinning room instead of windows we have a sliding glass doors. I added a door between the laundry room and the kitchen. The door way between the parent retreat and master bedroom was moved down and a door was added. (We used this as a nursery when the kids were smaller and now it is my sewing room). We did add the stairway in the living room. Currently the upstairs is unfinished but will become our homeschool room as well as a game room when the kids get older. When we finish the upstairs we will be adding a kitchenette as well as as bathroom. I communicated this with the builder so the plumming lines are alread run we just have to attach to them. There is also room on the electrical box to add the upstairs wiring as well. Before buying we did a lot of homework. We visited all the sales offices in our area and took my fil who is a plumber and my stepfather who worked as a builder. We walked through the model homes. When we went through the Clayton model home the dads came up with a whole list of problems. The sales manager became so mad at the list he threw down the papers, went into his office, slammed the door then refused to come out until we left :glare: Our experience with Palm Harbor was just as bad. Then we went to the last one. My inlaws had purchased a home from them about 4years before us and bought a Manis house. There were a few things I didn't like but our salesman was excellent and listened to my concerns and when he wrote up the contract he added building notes to address my concerns. The salesman and manager worked hard to get us into our house quickly and affordably. We have been in our home 4 years now and still love it. The link you included didn't work properly for me. Do you mind trying again? From what you are describing it sounds like a cape house where the upstairs is unfinished. We've been looking at a few of those as well. I'd love to see yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 The link you included didn't work properly for me. Do you mind trying again? From what you are describing it sounds like a cape house where the upstairs is unfinished. We've been looking at a few of those as well. I'd love to see yours! http://maniscustombuilders.com/images/BC-805-flrpln-lg.gif Lets see if this works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Thanks to you ladies, I've been looking up these types of houses all day! And I've decided that I'm completely in love with http://www.maniscustombuilders.com/MCB84.htm Correct me if I'm wrong (cause I'm trying to sell DH on this!), but these houses can go up in...a day, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Yep they can. My horror story began when they dropped my house off in 2 pieces and the company that sold it to us went out of business and disappeared off the planet :cursing: It took a lawyer and 1,000 phone calls to get Clayton homes to reimburse us the 10% we paid to have it put together so we could hire a second company to put our house on our basement. Then my husband had to do all the inside work himself. They actually put the house together in a day and then it takes them awhile to finish the inside and siding and all that jazz. My mom got a 2 story modular that came in 4 pieces and it took them about 1 week to finish the inside and hook everything up. She also had a lot of problems with hers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 Thanks to you ladies, I've been looking up these types of houses all day! And I've decided that I'm completely in love with http://www.maniscust...s.com/MCB84.htm Correct me if I'm wrong (cause I'm trying to sell DH on this!), but these houses can go up in...a day, right? The ones we have been looking into said it normally takes a week or two to make it live-in ready. This is the one I'm currently eye-balling. Only I like the picture of it in white with black shutters. I would love a wraparound porch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 The ones we have been looking into said it normally takes a week or two to make it live-in ready. This is the one I'm currently eye-balling. Only I like the picture of it in white with black shutters. I would love a wraparound porch! Ooooh. That is delicious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 From the time we ordered until the time we moved in it took about 4 weeks. Once the pieces were here it went really fast. It took more time getting the building inspectors out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Well, now I'm really curious about this! We've been eyeing a piece of land in a neighboring county for a while now. The land has a run-down house already on it that needs to be torn down - you can't even enter the house if you go to see the property. Is it a huge hassle to have one of these houses delivered when your property is in the middle of a town? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 Well, now I'm really curious about this! We've been eyeing a piece of land in a neighboring county for a while now. The land has a run-down house already on it that needs to be torn down - you can't even enter the house if you go to see the property. Is it a huge hassle to have one of these houses delivered when your property is in the middle of a town? Living in Florida, I oftentimes see large sections of a house being transported down the interstate. I've never actually seen one being put together though and not sure how such a "wide-load" navigates down narrower streets.... I would imagine it would be possible.. just not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted November 28, 2012 Share Posted November 28, 2012 Living in Florida, I oftentimes see large sections of a house being transported down the interstate. I've never actually seen one being put together though and not sure how such a "wide-load" navigates down narrower streets.... I would imagine it would be possible.. just not sure. DH drives a truck for a living and he said that he's seen these things going down the road quite a bit and he's not sure how they'd get down residential streets. I'm almost afraid to call up local town/city halls and ask. I don't want my dream deflated quite so quickly. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted November 28, 2012 Author Share Posted November 28, 2012 DH drives a truck for a living and he said that he's seen these things going down the road quite a bit and he's not sure how they'd get down residential streets. I'm almost afraid to call up local town/city halls and ask. I don't want my dream deflated quite so quickly. :laugh: This is probably a dumb question--- since everything is prefabricated - but maybe they can make "smaller pieces"? I don't know. I would imagine it would have to be possible though. I get so caught up in going over blueprints and daydreaming now. We're still leaning towards the house I linked previously but this one is a close second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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