# Modular Homes



## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

While you'll pay less for a manufactured home than a stick-built one, you still must finance the transaction if you can't pay in cash. You can't get a conventional mortgage on a new manufactured home build unless the home has a permanent foundation, you're buying the land and the deal meets the lender's criteria. You may have to get a personal property loan from a lender or the home dealer, and the interest rates on personal property loans are often higher than the rate you'd get on a mortgage secured by real property.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

BCConstruction said:


> What's the cost difference for using sips over traditional framing?


Roughly the same, they cost more but go up really fast. Electricians will be more but you don't have to insulate.


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## wnc viking (Aug 4, 2011)

I do not need any more education on them I have built porches and garages on mods from 1200 SF to 4500 SF. I have not seen quality in any of them .and most where "custom" . I have done the trim out on one it was a night mare. Nothing was square or plumb.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Californiadecks said:


> While you'll pay less for a manufactured home than a stick-built one, you still must finance the transaction if you can't pay in cash. You can't get a conventional mortgage on a new manufactured home build unless the home has a permanent foundation, you're buying the land and the deal meets the lender's criteria. You may have to get a personal property loan from a lender or the home dealer, and the interest rates on personal property loans are often higher than the rate you'd get on a mortgage secured by real property.


All modulars have permanent foundations, most on full basements. Trailers have wheels.


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## skillman (Sep 23, 2011)

My buddy up north does about ten modular homes a year . Has a one man show . Makes a killing on them . There built pretty well . There fast to do and close in time for weather . There affordable to then buying an old home . I was think of doing them in the city .


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

MY exwife and i chose this route for a new home. Got the land from her mother, swapped the lot clearing with a logger friend who kept all the stumpage and dug the foundation, i did the electric, paid cash for the well, septic and foundation. Then we picked out a cheaper model and went to the bank, home was delivered several months later. Paid cash for the heating system to be installed and less than a week later we moved in. Was it a quality home? You get what you pay for. We only paid $69k for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, small kitchen, utility room, and large living/dining room so of course we had small issues here and there. We had trouble with the siding, facia and soffit which i repaired. A roof boot "plumbing vent" leak due to bad installation which i repaired, numerous drywall cracks that always came back every spring and i had to rewire some of the kitchen receptacles due to whole kitchen on one circuit. 

Would i buy one again? Absolutely. Easy to get a mortgage for and is considered stick built unlike a mobile home "even if put on a solid foundation". No screwing around with various contractors who cannot get along, are late, no shows, incompetent, etc. Rarely there are delays due to weather, no need for all the County visits for inspections, And paying cash for much of the work leading up to the building will for one save you money and you can do a lot of it over time. Heck, if you buy a building lot with power, well and septic already there you almost done.


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## wnc viking (Aug 4, 2011)

No some mods have the same kind of foundations as doublewides . There are on frame and off frame mods. I am educated on mods


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

All the ones "modulars" i have worked on had either 2"X10" or truss floor systems that sat right on the PT plates of the poured foundation. All frames were removed when craned in place. If they had frames they are considered mobile homes here, even if set on a poured foundation with axles removed. Any building with a steel frame is considered a mobile building.


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## wnc viking (Aug 4, 2011)

Not here in NC


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## EMINNYS (Nov 29, 2010)

Which one is a modular?????? They both have 10" poured foundations.no wheels. They both have the same windows, vinyl siding. One has traditional shingles, the other has architectural shingles. One has really nice landscaping, the other has decent landscaping....

What say you?????


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Its just a big box, next to a smaller box with a porch.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

EMINNYS said:


> Which one is a modular?????? They both have 10" poured foundations.no wheels. They both have the same windows, vinyl siding. One has traditional shingles, the other has architectural shingles. One has really nice landscaping, the other has decent landscaping....
> 
> What say you?????


The one with the better landscape, modulars don't have wheels. That's a trailer


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

jlsconstruction said:


> The one with the better landscape, modulars don't have wheels. That's a trailer


You can snatch the wheels off a trailer,,But it's still a trailer.:laughing:


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## wnc viking (Aug 4, 2011)

I am looking at the pics on my cell and they both look like mods


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## Oconomowoc (Oct 13, 2011)

There's a "you might be a red neck" joke in here somewhere......


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## EMINNYS (Nov 29, 2010)

wnc viking said:


> I am looking at the pics on my cell and they both look like mods


Viking, I know you are only looking at the pictures on your phone, but the one with the nice landscaping is not a modular.... That is my point... 
What is it about the roof that tips you off? Is it a deflection near the ridge that I have seen on some modulars??

Anyway.... These are nice modulars in my developement. They all sold for over 350K during the boom, and my wife just closed on one this week, which sold for 370K.


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## wnc viking (Aug 4, 2011)

Where the roof hinges shows throw the shingles. And a lot of the mods around where I live use hardi siding on the faccias with vinyl siding.


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## fast fred (Sep 26, 2008)

I live in a modular, trailer, double wide whatever you want to call it. It's also almost 40 years old. It's not perfect by any means, but it works for me. Due to cost of living issues, it was a steal at just over 200k. The prefab houses in my neighborhood go for 200k to 400k depending on size location and if they have been remodeled. In aspen there is a similar neighborhood where the prefabs go for 1 mil. +/-

Again, location was a huge player, 15 min. walk to a chairlift. Price. And as I said location. At the end of a cul de sac. In town but hidden out of the way.

I'd do it again if I had to. I've ripped apart condos and expensive homes that had the same or less quality than my prefab. I've completely renovated the entire place, only one interior wall is original. There was large hole in the bathroom floor where I could see the crawl space. It was pretty much uninhabitable when purchased, unless you were a crack head, the plan was to gut it and start over before moving in. I purchased 50% of the materials new and the others were left overs and what not I "found" Ten years later it's a comfortable home. Everything is what you make it.


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## ExtremePride (Oct 27, 2010)

The mod that I have worked on was a 2 story, from the road looked real good. But we was there to reinstall a bunch of vinyl siding that just fell off. They had stapled the siding on, the 2nd story subfloor was cut at best 1 inch short and they used black board instead of osb or plywood for sheathing. I will never own one


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## Roofcheck (Dec 27, 2011)

Modular homes have come a long way. We've installed gutters on two this year that were not recognizable as modulars the owners told me. Both Huntington Homes built in Vermont. 

As it was pointed out they are built with jigs and also in a controlled environment, materials purchased in truckloads and at the rate your lumberyard buys them. There is a distinctive advantage and simple rectangles have size limitations so there is also downfalls as well. 

Modulars not mobiles.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

Jaws said:


> 1700 sq ft???


For 2 mil, I'm surprised it sold at all.


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## fast fred (Sep 26, 2008)

a home is what you make it I suppose, everyone has their method for getting into their home, I'm happy with my prefabed method


I'd like to thank mr. kidwell for the photos, the funny thing is he states the price range for the homes, I can only laugh, whether modular or not, those houses are very tacky in my opinion, but it's all relative I suppose, the homes I'm used to being inside and out are all on a very different level I suppose

we have some modulars where I live because it's "cheaper" than paying the high wages that people demand in my area, the one thing that separates them from a regular home is the god awful layout, horrible!!!!! You can tell when I guy designs a house that is normally a double wide vs. a 60k design package from a real architect I unfortunately see that in the photos above.


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## Moxley-Kidwell (Jan 28, 2011)

Thanks blue ridge.
Yikes, 2mil for 1700 sf? Someone needed a head check.

There is def. a difference, my house is pretty plain. We go to friends homes with all the bells and whistles and the wife starts with the whole we need to do this or that to ours. I've never been big on the dog and pony show chit. I do sometimes wish for something some of you guys would build something totally custom not limited to a box size, but I'm good for now. 

The big roof on mine does hide about 900 sf of unfinished space. The wife and kids are always on me to finish it. Would love a nice front porch I think it would make the house look much better. I need to cut the tree down directly in front has gotten a little big for the space over the years.


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## FramingPro (Jan 31, 2010)

http://www.torontolife.com/informer...2012/05/09/house-of-the-week-20a-senlac-road/
Here it is.
Ok bigger then i thought but still small for the price tag.


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## tlcarri (Jun 6, 2011)

We just bought one. It was 1/2 the price then to build the exact same thing. But we bought for this to be the granny unit. Stick home to come later


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## wnc viking (Aug 4, 2011)

There are some good mods out there but a lot of them are just double wides with lipstick


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

wnc viking said:


> There are some good mods out there but a lot of them are just double wides with lipstick





That may be true. As I previously mentioned there are numerous design constraints one will experience with mods. These constraints may not be apparent at first glance however, they restrict the design in subtle ways that cause the building to take on the appearance of a stellar design when in reality they fall short of the mark.

This view I'm sure is not held by everyone however,here is where the rub lies. As you mentioned there are some good mods out there;problem being,almost all mod manufactures only service a certain local. With that said,if one is not fortunate enough to live in their service district then what. One final point,the initial cost / purchase price may seem attractive if you are not relatively close to the factory transportation and set fees may cancel out all anticipated savings.


Crane charges may be another,mod companies like to build large boxes to reduce shipping fees. This happened to a guy I know. The factory shipped a 72' box the local crane companies had nothing to reach the needed distance.The closest doable crane was 350 miles away a semi (to haul the counter weights) the mobile 120 crane portal to portal cost him 7K to set two units (total 1.25 hrs.)


Bottom line,do your homework before you jump.


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## mski (Apr 4, 2013)

Some FAQ's about mods.
http://modulararchitecture.com/resources/modular-faqs


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

mski said:


> Some FAQ's about mods.
> http://modulararchitecture.com/resources/modular-faqs


I lost it when tthey said 9 to 12 months to build a conventional house.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

jlsconstruction said:


> I lost it when tthey said 9 to 12 months to build a conventional house.


How long does it take you?

The three bedroom work force houses my dad used to build would get knocked out in 4 months or so. A custom? 9 -12 months. I was a carpenter on one that took 22 months.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Jaws said:


> How long does it take you?
> 
> The three bedroom work force houses my dad used to build would get knocked out in 4 months or so. A custom? 9 -12 months. I was a carpenter on one that took 22 months.


9 would be long. We did a 1400 sqft ranch in 6 weeks one time. Not including foundation. 

We did spend just under 2 years on a house one time though, back when I was working for a gc. But it 14000 sqft


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

jlsconstruction said:


> 9 would be long. We did a 1400 sqft ranch in 6 weeks one time. Not including foundation.
> 
> We did spend just under 2 years on a house one time though, back when I was working for a gc. But it 14000 sqft


When I say custom, I mean 3500 sq ft + in most cases. We did do some pretty custom 2500 sq ft or so houses when I was working for another builder, but they are generally pretty cookie cutter. 

We arent ever in a hurry. I dont frame on a slab for a week, I let it cure. I dont pile trades up in the house either, generally one on the inside and one on the outside. Sometimes two on the inside. Easier to keep trades accountable for things that way, and the work is generally less rushed and easier to inspect.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Jaws said:


> When I say custom, I mean 3500 sq ft + in most cases. We did do some pretty custom 2500 sq ft or so chouses when I was working for another builder, but they are generally pretty cookie cutter.
> 
> We arent ever in a hurry. I dont frame on a slab for a week, I let it cure. I dont pike trades up in the house either, generally one on the inside and one on the outside. Sometimes two on the inside. Easier to keep trades accountable for things that way, and the work is generally less rushed and easier to inspect.


I'll take some pictures of some houses. I've only done 3 on my own, but one of my good friends is doing 35sq to 45sq costoms in 6 months.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

jlsconstruction said:


> I'll take some pictures of some houses. I've only done 3 on my own, but one of my good friends is doing 35sq to 45sq costoms in 6 months.


Not saying it cant or shouldn't be done. Just not how I do it. Was just curious.

There are several builders here who build them in 5 or 6 months, some of them are good, too.

My system is not built for speed. I do a critical path schedule at the beginning of the job, set up dates to order and release products, get my subs to commit to their timeline. No rushing, untill something gets held up :laughing:


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Jaws said:


> Not saying it cant or shouldn't be done. Just not how I do it. Was just curious.
> 
> There are several builders here who build them in 5 or 6 months, some of them are good, too.
> 
> My system is not built for speed. I do a critical path schedule at the beginning of the job, set up dates to order and release products, get my subs to commit to their timeline. No rushing, untill something gets held up :laughing:


You have the whole heat thing to. That must suck :laughing:


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

jlsconstruction said:


> You have the whole heat thing to. That must suck :laughing:


Better than the cold 

Do you sub many trades? Haven't built a new custom since '11, but we framed, cornice, trim, tile showers, painting. Subbed everything else. Using subs slow things down sometimes. 

We usually do our cabinets, but we didnt have time on that one.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Jaws said:


> Better than the cold
> 
> Do you sub many trades? Haven't built a new custom since '11, but we framed, cornice, trim, tile showers, painting. Subbed everything else. Using subs slow things down sometimes.
> 
> We usually do our cabinets, but we didnt have time on that one.


Machanicals and drywall. Sometimes masonry, if we are too busy.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

The one I hate the most to sub is paint, I go through a roll of blue tape every punch when I do. Only have two painters though, so sometimes we have to.


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## jlsconstruction (Apr 26, 2011)

Jaws said:


> The one I hate the most to sub is paint, I go through a roll of blue tape every punch when I do. Only have two painters though, so sometimes we have to.


I hate painting :laughing: I have a pretty good painter on the books, and a sub if I need him


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

jlsconstruction said:


> I hate painting :laughing: I have a pretty good painter on the books, and a sub if I need him


I DONT paint :laughing:


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