OT: Anyone have a prefab or modular home?

[RN01]

Just wondering what you thought of them and how the prices compare to a stick built house. I would just like info on the prefab or modular homes, not the double wides that look like trailers. Thanks!!!

 

[Disney*Dreamer]

I don't have one, but we looked into one. They told us that they were more expensive than a stick built because they were built better, not sure about that. I didn't like that you have to chose between a very limited selection of finishings and such.

This is who we visited.
http://www.newhomesfaster.com/

 

[zigfam4]

My friends did a stick built home and they would both agree that it's better than a modular. Of course, that all depends on the builder of your stick built home. The area contractor we have here does standard contract work and stick built and they're very well known in the area as having very high standards of work. I, personally, don't think the selection / options are very good on modular homes - with a stick built, you can opt for a varying degree of plans, etc.

 

[brobrosmom]

We purchased our modular home about a year and a half ago and absolutely love it. We live in Louisiana and at the time we purchased our home new stick built houses were selling for over $100 a square foot. Our modular was $56 a square foot so we ended up paying about 1/2 of what it costs for a stick built house.

We were given an option of floor plans and then modified it to fit our needs. We were able to move rooms and make some rooms larger. They also offered a nice selection when it came to cabinets, wood or tile flooring, hardware, lighting, etc.

Since we purchsed our home I have seen a big increase in the number of modular homes in our area. Our home survived a direct hit by Hurricane Gustav with no damage. We drove around town to check out the other modular homes and none of them had damage either.

We have a "Franklin Home" and would recomend this builder/manufactuer to anyone. These are not trailers or double wides. They are built to meet and even exceed the building codes in your area.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

We have been looking into them & they are cheaper to build than a regular built house & they are better made because they are made in sections & inside rather than be exposed to the elements at all times. And with today's pre-fab homes, you can customize how you want it the same as a stic built house. There are very few restrictions on it. You choose a design & can amend or customize it if you want something changed which is great. And the best part is it takes 1/2 the time to do so you are not out of your house as long as a stick built house.
A friend who has a pre-fab addition to her stick built house says that the pre-fab section is sturdier & better built than the stick built part.

 

[LovePug]

I don't have one, but I sure did want one and looked into them last year. Some of them are gorgeous! They are supposed to be better made than a stick built from everything I read while researching them. Unfortunately, the cost of land where I wanted to build was way out of range for me so I had to stay put.

 

[dyna]

I have a 30 yr old modular that I've lived in for more than 20 yrs we had to replace roof once but would have had to do that with a stick built house, we have replaced some windows an need to replace others prolly would need to do that with stick built as well since windows are made more energy efficent all the time. Still got the original flooring in bedrooms an bathrooms it's holding up very well considering how old it is.

In other words the few problems we've had we would have had with a stick built house the same as a modular.

 

[summermac]

We almost went with a pre-fab but for us it was cheaper to build (we did the work ourselves). There are some AWESOME pre-fabs out there.

Another thing to possibly consider is a home kit. Our home is basically an 84 Lumber home kit with some modifications, thanks to my dad. We have a split level home. I LOVE IT!

 

[Lesley Mahler]

We purchased our modular home about a year and a half ago and absolutely love it. We live in Louisiana and at the time we purchased our home new stick built houses were selling for over $100 a square foot. Our modular was $56 a square foot so we ended up paying about 1/2 of what it costs for a stick built house.

We were given an option of floor plans and then modified it to fit our needs. We were able to move rooms and make some rooms larger. They also offered a nice selection when it came to cabinets, wood or tile flooring, hardware, lighting, etc.

Since we purchsed our home I have seen a big increase in the number of modular homes in our area. Our home survived a direct hit by Hurricane Gustav with no damage. We drove around town to check out the other modular homes and none of them had damage either.

We have a "Franklin Home" and would recomend this builder/manufactuer to anyone. These are not trailers or double wides. They are built to meet and even exceed the building codes in your area.

We are in Louisiana too and are looking into Modular Homes too!! Where in Louisiana did you purchase yours (what area) and what is the name of the place? If you don't mind me asking!!
TIA

 

[winnapooh]

Watch this seasons This Old House (sometimes called the This Old House Hour). I think it's on Sunday afternoons (at least it is here).

They are doing a modular house, and it's amazing. It's nothing like most people thing of modulars; it's being built to look like an old barn. They are doing some of the finish work after the house was put together, but the shows at the beginning of the season show they making the sections in the warehouse, and then bringing them on site to put together. It's a completely custom house, in New England, built by Ted Benson (http://bensonwood.com/index.cfm).

I know this won't give you a good idea of whether it's more cost effective, since this is truly a luxury house they are building, but the show really tells the benefits of this type of house. Ted Benson is also working on more affordable designs as he talks about in the one show. They really are amazing!

 

[disneynewbee]

We have a modular too and we love it. Both me and my sister have an 1800 square foot home built within a yr of each other. Mine is modular and hers was stick built. She paid $50000 more than us. There are some differences- hers is a two story and mine is a rancher. We both have full basements so that means I actually have more room since her basement is half of mine. I could have got a two story 1800 square foot modular home cheaper than my rancher but we didn't want the steps. The only thing I would have liked to change is that I also don't feel there were enough options carpet and tile wise and I feel our carpet is on the cheaper end but most the time you get that with stick builders too. My sister has had tons of problems with her stick build like when water from her bathroom started leaking from her kitchen cieling light but that is from a bad builder not because it was stick built. I don't tell a lot of people that my home is modular because people don't seem to know the difference between modular and double wides and I don't feel like explaining it. We've had it appraised twice though and have had both appraisers say that modulars are better made than stick built because they don't sit out in the weather.

 

[aunties]

I replaced the house I grew up in with a modular just about 2 years ago. I love it! It was definitely less expensive than a stick built and far better made.
I moved out at the end of January. It took two weeks for the electric company to disconnect the power lines. They delivered my house on Feb 23. It was deleivered in two pieces, front and back. The first section was delivered about 9 am, and by 11 am, I was walking around inside my house. I got the occupancy permit on March 21. When I talked to contractors about a stick built, it was going to be 6-12 months, depending on weather, getting materials, subcontractors, etc. It was also easier to get a construction loan for the modular than it would have been for a stick built.


I had just as many choices as a stick built. I could have any style house in any size. I could select from exisiting floor plans or use my own. I chose one of their plans. It is a ranch that looks very similar to all the other ranches in the neighborhood. I have a full basement. The only way to tell it is a modular is on the inside. The door jambs on the marriage wall are twice as wide as the other door ways, which actually looks very elegant. I could upgrade anything I wanted. I upgraded to hardwood floors in all rooms except the kitchen and bathroom. I also upgraded my windows. They are larger than the standard windows and so easy to clean that I actually like cleaning them! It is so solid that my curtains don't move even on the windiest of days, and my heating bill is a fraction of the old bill. I also had central air installed.

I was also very lucky. I had the most amazing contractors who took me through every step of the process, were always available to answer my questions, and made sure everything was done to my satisfaction. The biggest issue I had was the toilet paper holder was installed wrong. It took them longer to apologize for it than it did to fix it.

 

[brobrosmom]

We are in Louisiana too and are looking into Modular Homes too!! Where in Louisiana did you purchase yours (what area) and what is the name of the place? If you don't mind me asking!!
TIA

We purchased our home through Gulf Coast Homes in New Iberia. They have a website and it should come up if you google it. Ask for Chris Tabor. He was awesome and we were able to customize as much as we want.

We purchased our home in May and we were living in it by the end of July.