Looking for info on Modular Homes

[Krisu]

Does anyone have one? I know you have to find a builder who deals with the Modular company, but who takes care of sewer/septic and water? Wondering if it's worth it if you still have to buy land. Would love any input

 

[kellydizfan]

Hi,
We put up a mod back in April of 2000. Went to a contractor who specialises(sp?) in Mod's. He took care of the land clearing, septic, well, etc. He actually helped us find the land. Thank god we built the house when we did as house prices in our area are thru the roof as we are 1 1/2 hours from NYC and my house has at least double in value since 2000. Our house came from Premier in PA. It took about 4-6 weeks to build - ordered it in March and moved in 1st weekend in May. I would highly recommend it. It was a very good experience - and it was our first house. Good luck in your decision making. Any questions, please let me know.

 

[loisg1]

We built a modular back in 1984. It was a development of like modulars... mostly bi-levels. All the work was done by the contractor in charge of the development. Just like any other home, you pick colors, can upgrade carpet, cabinets, etc. Actually, it's better having your home built in a factory because it's not exposed to the weather during construction. It comes to the site in how ever many pieces are required, all sided and ready to be set on the foundation.

We moved from CT in 1991 but the house is still there.

Good luck!
Lois

 

[ilovepcot]

A few days ago I saw modular homes being shown on the t.v. show called DOUBLE AGENTS. They were gorgeous! I couldn't help but wonder while I watched if they were a great deal less in price per square foot than a traditional home. Anyone know?

 

[Tiggeroo]

A vg friend of mine builds modulars. They are delivered in pieces and his company/sub-contractors do the septic, plumbing, hvac, painting, everything. For a good many of his customers he locates the land too. Since his are generally starter homes, empty nest homes or folks looking to keep costs down he's very good at locating inexpensive land. They are very nice and hold a good resale value, increasing as your neighborhood increases like a stick built.

 

[chrissyk]

My friend just had a really big modular home done. It's awesome! She posts to the disboards, so I'm going to send her this thread to see waht she can add

 

[chris1gill]

I'm Chrissyk's friend who just built a modular in Massachusetts! There are some great aspects to building a modular & there are some pitfall's as well. First, the quality of the home is usually better than stick built homes. They must pass requirements for all fifty states, they're built in a dry enclosed factory, materials aren't left out in the elements....

The costs of a modular can vary dramatically depending on what you are looking for... You can build a small basic modular on your property for as little as 72.00 a foot, our home was completely custom, built from specs we developed and cost in the area of 127.00 a foot...

We found that our builder wasn't able to provide some of the custom options that we were looking for, we did have to subcontract out some of the work ourselves, which meant we had to find the contractor's.... We already had the land, so that wasn't something that we had to rely on.... the prices per square foot doesn't include the land costs.. The builder provided the excavation (including septic) & all services that were required to get the occupancy permit (which we are actually still waiting on)... The problem with any builder is that you have to sit on them & you can't always rely on modular builder's to provide a service that you need (such as paved driveways, walkways, granite work, hardwood flooring, etc....) unlike the previous poster, because we had such a custom job, we ordered the house at the end of August, it was delivered to the property in early December & the custom work wasn't finished until early May... Given the opportunity, I would build another modular... yes, there were some pitfall's, but I think we'd have had them whether the home was modular or stick built on property...

HTH's!

 

[chrissyk]

Chris left out the ultimate pitfall of building a modular house...when one "section" of your house has a breakdown on the highway, LOL! Watching them put the house in was pretty wild, too. They use a crane, and they "place" each section as if it were Legos or something! I've seen 2 modular houses being "placed" now, and it's the neatest thing.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

We are more than likely doing a modular next year.Ours will be about 4200 sq ft and It is Beautiful.I also think that having it built in a factory would be alot better.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

The guy across the street put up a modular and said we were silly to go with stick built.... as he was getting his so much "cheaper". Well, he finished his home just as we were starting ours. Throughout the process of our home going up from scratch.... this guy was over asking our builder if he could "fill this gap" or make a trim piece to hide this crack.

Also, it turns out he got hammered extra for siding, shingles, etc that were upgrades and he was not TOLD they would be upgrades. (Or he did not listen).

Anyhow, I think there are great modular companies out there.... our neighbor was just not careful with his choices. Personally, If we were to build again.... we would stay with stick built. We were very lucky to have a very flexible builder that let us be very involved and make changes throughout the process. I realize that not many people have that luxury.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[chris1gill]

Originally posted by chrissyk
Chris left out the ultimate pitfall of building a modular house...when one "section" of your house has a breakdown on the highway, LOL! Watching them put the house in was pretty wild, too. They use a crane, and they "place" each section as if it were Legos or something! I've seen 2 modular houses being "placed" now, and it's the neatest thing.

Uh yes, I did forget that little detail... or when it breaks down twice in the middle of the seasons first snow!!!

Chrissy's right, it is as if they were putting lego's together... Our home had seven pieces to it, but once every unit arrived (in one piece) they just went to work assembling and securing it.