Modular homes?

mcneely77

With the addition of our third child, our little Leprachaun, (6 month old Sean Patrick), our house just isn't big enough anymore. We thought of putting on an addition, but we really want to move to another school district as well. We have been looking for sometime and cannot find anything we have liked. Now we are looking at buying property and putting a modular (double wide) on the property. We were told that we could get a basement, two car garage, septic, well and the home, with about 25k left for property, in our price range. We found one that we really love, but we don't know much about them. The one we are looking at is 28x80 and is made by Shultz. It has a 5X12 roof and drywall throughout. Can anyone give me some feedback on them?

Do not mistake my kindness for weakness.

IALEFI, ASLET, NRA, and proud owner of a pair of S&W revolvers.

pickenup

I have talked to a few people who have had this done and have yet to hear a complaint that was the builders fault. About the only thing bad I have heard is, if they are not put on a good foundation, that the foundation will settle and crack. That is true no matter what house you have. One lady said the house came so complete that it even had shower curtains in it. There are quite a few going up in my area. The ones I have looked at were as good as, or better than site built houses. I am considering going this route next time I move. My grandmother had one plunked down and she liked it.

If I knew then, what I know now.

nord

A huge difference between a modular and a double wide...

Modular's will comply with conventional standards. That is insulation, wiring, door and window heights, studding, etc.

Double wide's are a whole different game. Check very carefully for their compliance with what was listed above. Experience tells me that the few thousand you save over a modular will evaporate in three to five years as cheap fixtures wear out, heating and cooling costs take their toll, and resale value comes into the picture.

Also - Seriously consider a CFC block foundation. While I personally recommend "POLYSTEEL", there are others equally as good. The upfront cost will be more, but the payback is staggering. You'll repay the extra dollars within a very short period as your utility bills will be greatly reduced.

I'll forward the proper info if you wish... Just drop a post here with a e-mail address and I'll see that it happens.

Nord

mcneely77

Thanks for the advice guys. Nord, that email address is thom@roundtower.org. Appreciate any info you can give me.
Thom

Do not mistake my kindness for weakness.

IALEFI, ASLET, NRA, and proud owner of a pair of S&W revolvers.

thesoundguy1

I've always had the dream of building my own house with my own hands.
But, it looks like licensing, and building codes(even in the county),
is going to prevent that dream.

www.waveformwear.com
The new wave in free expression.

Warpig883

If it comes with axels and a hitch it is still a trailer. Granted they are built better with the 2x6 walls and insulation, but stuff like plastic wood grain trim give away their ancestry.

Putting one on a basement does make a house out of it though.

moc.murofsmraerifeht.www

Big Sky Redneck

"If your richest relative buys a new house and you have to help take the wheels off of it.................you might just be a redneck!"

lokdok1

Around here "modular" and "double wide" are two different animals. A modular home is a stick built house, built in sections,and the sections are moved to the homesite and assembled. A doublewide is is two lengths of a mobile home made to be fastened together side by side.

TOOLS1

The modular homes around here are pretty good. But dont let the home company finance it. The double wides are not worth buying. I helped a friend change the doors in his. When we removed some of the sideing there was cardboard under it for wall sheeting. And the inside wall studes were 3/4 X 2 1/2 in.
Toolbabe And I have been building our own house. It was just appraised at 225,000. I have 80,000 in the house and 12 acres. It has been an adventure. I might write a book on it some day How to build your own house or how to get a divorce.
How ever I am already planing my next house to build. And I cant wait.
TOOLS

martzkj@msn.com

Hi, This is a good one for me. First off, you must know a modular and a double wide are two totally different things. A double wide is just that two trailers put together. A modular is a prefab home built in a factory in sections and put together on your lot. With a crane they can stack the units and make just about any design you want. My wife and I built a home around six years ago. We looked into prefabs (modular), we thought they would save us money. However, we found out they don't. The plus side is the convenience, a modular takes far less time till you can be living in it than a stick built. Stick built the plus side is you see everything as it's happening, if you see something you don't like you can have it changed. After tons of looking at both we went with stick built because we were living right on site and could watch everything as it happened and we made changes to thing along the way. If we went with a prefab you order it and thats what you get. Prefab and stick built I think are both good. They both have a plus side. We liked seeing the thing as it went and being able to make changes (you may live here for life)better to get what yo want. I DO NOT SUGGEST A DOUBLE WIDE

pickenup

Saxon; How long has it been since you looked at that house? Some people are still stuck with the "trailer" or "mobil home" image. (I was, until my grandmother had hers built). With the 2X6 construction, (instead of 2X4 with site built) 5/8 drywall on the inside (instead of 1/2 with site built) and the insulating and window packages for different climates. They can be solid houses.My grandmother was lucky enough to live a block from the factory so she was able to supervise the building of her house. She did change some things as they went along. Her house had real wood for everything, not the "fiberboard" you get with most site built.mcneely77; Are you referring to the fact that the "modular" is double wide? Most all of them are. ALL homes are brought in on trailers or trucks, the difference is just where they are put together.

If I knew then, what I know now.

Varmintmist

I am doing the modular thing soon. I have a friend that built a 2400sq foot Colonial modular, he saved in the area of 15% over stick built.

Doublewide IS a trailer, Modular gets shipped on a trailer. BIG difference.

http://www.apexhomesinc.com/apex-modular-homes/ranch/aspen.htm

http://www.deerwoodmodulars.com/

http://www.warnerconstruction.com/Contactindex.html

Find a GOOD modular company. As with anything else shop around. The 2 that were recomended to me are Apex and Ritscraft. The Warner link is a mod constrution firm in my area. I can get into a 26X56 ranch with prefab concrete basement walls oak trim, 2 baths, and a bunch of other stuff at around 87K, including excavation and power hookup. Setup time is 6-8 weeks, total. Well and septic are over and above that price. (I perked conventional, YIPEEE)



Those people who see nothing but grey areas, no black and white, are lost in the fog.

timberbeast

You can save money with a modular, but only if you do a lot of the work yourself, I ordered mine without any doors or trim and made all of my own doors, trimmed it out, plus the upstairs was just a shell, it's a two-story Cape Cod style. I did all the wiring, insulation, drywall, etc. upstairs. "Modular" is NOT a trailer. Built the dormers myself, too. It's identical to a quality stick-built, but, to me, TIME was the consideration, since the company put it up in a day, and soon as I had the bathroom door put on, we could move in, as I worked on it. This is a 2000-plus square foot house, not counting the basement, five bedrooms, bath and a half, and another full bath upstairs roughed in, which I hope to finish this fall.
2x12 joists, 2x6 studs exterior, 2x4 interior. The price sounds great, but after you contract the foundation, the basement plumbing, the furnace and ductwork in the basement, you're on a par with stick-built. I just didn't want to wait, as living in a small apartment was driving me crazy after we lost our house to a fire.

jaoob

I am living in a modular house that was built in 1975. It has drywall throughout. Vinyl siding and a 4/12 pitch roof. 2x6 trusses, 2x10 floor joists. It is 24x52 and looks just like a ranch style house. It has copper plumbing for water and plastic for drains.The only part I changed from the prints was to add a second layer of flooring.The house itself cost 22,000.00 in 1975. Foundation, well, and septic not included. I am completely happy with it.

Jim

mcneely77

Thanks for all the replys guys. The one the wife and I were looking at comes in two sections and they put them together on your site. It has 2X6 walls and 2X8 floor. I thought it seemed pretty solidly built. Maybe I need to do some more checking, but I do appreciate the advice. This is not an investment I want to just jump into.

Do not mistake my kindness for weakness.

IALEFI, ASLET, NRA, and proud owner of a pair of S&W revolvers.