Modular homes

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

What are your thoughts regarding prefab or modular homes

what are the pros and cons. We are planning to build in next few years. We are thinking that these homes have better insulation, more energy efficient and less time consuming to build

Thank you

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Charles Ross Homes

10 years ago

I design and build custom homes, and I'll probably get some "hate mail" from builders based on my reply....

Building a home from individual sticks and bricks on site is a lot like building a car in your driveway: you can get exactly what you want, but it's not the most time-efficient or cost-efficient construction method and it implies a number of risks which are greater than those with a factory-built counterpart.

Building a home in a factory offers a number of advantages over building on site: the home is out of the weather so components are dry and more stable; the time to assemble the modules on site is a small fraction of the time to build with sticks and bricks; there is less waste; there is less potential for theft; the risk of a trade not showing up is shifted to the modular manufacturer who has better control of the trades since they are likely to be direct employees, etc., waste is minimized; the manufacturer may be able to produce homes at lower cost due to volume purchases, etc.

The main drawback with modular homes is that most modular home manufacturers offer "boxy" products with little architectural character and little, if any, ability to customize the designs.

Whichever way you go, best wishes for a successful project.

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Comments (12)

User
Original Author
10 years ago
Are they less expensive as well
omelet
10 years ago
Here's a link to a recent thread on the topic:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3776782/have-you-built-a-modular-home?n=15
User thanked omelet
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User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I'm interested in building modular in Philadelphia next year, but am experiencing sticker shock. The plans I like will cost $450k to build, once the sitework and permissions are included. That's without any upgrades and excluding land costs (another $125k at least). It would be a fabulous house, though. http://modernprefabs.com/prefab-homes/living-homes/ck5
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AbbyJoy
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
We looked at modular but ruled it out. I like the concept a lot for reasons Charles Ross mentioned. But I felt the plans were limited by the width allowable to go down the highway. For plans affordable to us the bigger rooms - master bedroom, living room, etc. - could not be more than 13' in one direction. It was a challenge to fit in hallways and made the house very long and hard to fit on many lots.
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User
10 years ago
Late to this party, but I did not see any mention of panel built homes. I helped build a couple of these for Habitat for Humanity and found them indistinguishable from stick built on site homes. Well, there are clues, but the average person would not see them.

The designs are endless, the configurations bounded only by cost.

I have also worked on factory built homes(stick built and trailered to the location) in one piece(90' long and 34' wide) and in two halves(60' long and each half 24' wide). The two piece house had a 12/12 pitch shingled roof and 2" by 6" walls. And a real stone fireplace.

Another option is CIF(concrete insulated forms). Styrofoam blocks are stacked together in any shape/design you want(and can afford), then rebar is installed into the forms and concrete poured, creating concrete walls that have an inch(or more) insulation on both sides.

Lots of different ways to do housing now.

Panel construction

CIF(ICF)

Factory built
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User
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you all. Modular homes do have some advantages, but they are boxy. We are also looking at ICF, at least for the basement. So many options to choose from.
NewEnglandgal
10 years ago
We have been looking into Modular ourselves and were quite surprised by the price. We have several to look at still but I hear horror stories of walls cracking and such so wonder if they really are as good as stick built. The ability to have it built quickly is very appealing. I will look at the link posted above to see how others feel about them. Thanks for posting the question.
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AbbyJoy
10 years ago
Handy Mac, who builds a modular 24' wide?
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User
10 years ago
The 24' wide house came in two halves and was a completely custom build. No doors(only rough openings to the specs of the owner(I installed her doors).
Wardcraft
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AbbyJoy
10 years ago
Thanks, they definitely don't service North Carolina!
ShadyWillowFarm
3 years ago
I had a modular home (built by prior owner) and loved it. It arrived on site in 3 sections and was put together on site. It was very energy efficient and well built. It was a little plain on the outside and we had plans to make the exterior cuter, but ended up moving for a new job.