I am moving out to New Mexico soon and will finally be able to invest in a house (I currently live in NYC so can't afford it). While doing a bit of research I came across a company that makes modular homes on permanent foundations. They claim that the houses are just as good as site built houses as far as looks, but hold together better over time and are a bit cheaper. Anyone know anything about these kinds of houses? Is this something I should look into a bit more or avoid? Thanks
Well, I don't like being too negative, but I have personal experience that these homes are not on a par with site-built. The wall studs are generally narrower, and the drywall thinner than standard. And if the drywall inside uses trim strips to cover around the edges of the panels, well, those are very difficult to make look decent. The builders of these often use the cheapest possible electrical outlets, switches, and such. As a result, after a few years anything you plug in becomes loose and the plugs want to fall out. And the seam where the two halves of a doublewide meet consistently have problems as the halves settle at slightly different rates, leading to cracks. Granted, my experience is from several years ago, but I think if you look into a stick-built with the exceedingly simple lines of a modular, you'll likely be much happier in the long run with site-built.
My Son-in-law who is in construction calls these homes, "Lick em', Stick em'" homes,,, I think that sums it up.
I have lived in a modular haome for the past 27 years and I couldn't be happier with it. It is not a trailer modular, but a stick built home, built in 2 halves. When I went to the bank for the original mortgage, the banker said that he had inspected one by the same company and that it was built better than his own stick built home. If you can, find out who has homes in that area and talk to them to see what they think of them. They are cheaper to buy. I paid $28,000 for mine versus what a same sized stick home would have cost at $55,000. But again, check out the company and buy from a well respected dealer!
I think like Capt said it depends on the company. My brothers house is a modular and a very nice house. My uphill neighbors house is modular too and people stop on the road to stare and say look at that gorgeous house. I always thought doublewide referred to mobile homes aka trailers not modulars. (I dont know) Check with the better business bureau and ask to see the co's other homes and talk to the owners privately about their experiences.
Some of the companies that do the double wides were marketing them as modulars a few years ago. But I haven't heard it so much here lately. The only difference between my home and a stick built is the center wall. In stead of 2x4 studs, they are 2x2 studs butted up to each other. The main beams in the floor are 6 2x8's nailed together. Have never had a problem with the roof cap joint leaking either.
Modular or Systems Built? Hello, I am a convert and true believer in the Modular construction techniques. We moved from site built homes in 2002 and have not looked back. The facts are quite simple and indisputable, these homes are built in a factory environment, never allowed to sit in the open and weather. They are over engineered, an average Systems Built home is 600% stronger than a site built home and utilizes 30% more lumber during construction. As to lick'em and stick'em my homes average around 4200 sq ft and have been as large as 13000 sq ft. I would be happy to refer you to several systems built companies in your area. The organization that you need to look into is the The Systems Built Council of the National Association of Home Builders. They are unfortunately not any less expensive than a site built home, but will save you money and heartache in time of completion. Good Luck! Chris
We just did a stick built, on sight home, and love it, but I have friends that have a modular home and also love it. I think a lot depends upon the company you might choose, there are good, and not so good companies out there. A modular home is usually built all indoor, in a large factory, stick built is subject to the weather as it goes up, with a modular home you need to make all the decisions up front, some even come with draperies and finished walls, with a stick built you can walk through as it progresses and see how it looks and make decisions as it progresses (where do I want that light switch, or how high do I want the wash machine connections). And finally I think that design is important, modular homes usually limit you to their floor plans, stick built is what ever you may want. Do your home work, and it will become apparent which is the best choice for you. Tom
Wow, thanks for all the great information! I will travel out to the area a little after New Years to check it out and scout out some real estate before I move. I will check out one of the houses and talk to some people to get a feel for how this company is and see if there are any better ones in the area. I'll let you know how if goes after that. Thanks again! This is a great forum!
My first house I bought in 1991 was a 60's double wide on a permanent foundation in a residential neighborhood, and you could not tell it was a modular home. Looked just like my neighbor's ranch and needed some updating, but no structural issues. We bought it for $18K. Maybe they don't make them like they used to?, but I'm sure it depends on the company. When we sold the house, the buyer trucked it to another town and sold the land.
I was able to check out some of the houses while I was in the area last week. Turns out they are really nice. I drove around a bit and checked out several houses I had seen online. The modular home I checked out looked just as good as the other homes I looked at. At least now I wont feel bad about considering these a bit more. Thanks for all the help.
Modular is just a fancy rather new name for a double/triple wide, similar to renaming RV parks to RV Resorts, then jack up the price...however in FL. due to new codes the modular/mobile homes are better constructed, don't know about Mexico, but a constructed on site home is the route we always take, so we can over see the construction for one thing, and make changes if need be along the way. Many homes in the desert sw are adobe style or concrete to keep them cooler inside, we have a concrete, stucco home in FL. would not have anything else no stick home for us!
Actually modular homes are not the same as mobile homes. Modulars are build in sections (modules) off site, then transported to the home site that already has the foundation, plumbing, etc. established and they are put together. You can choose the floor plan that the modules will be assembled in on site and all the details that go with a regular onsite built home.
The question is can you put a stick built home on an axle and pull it at 80mph and it remain intack. My guess is NO but seriously modulars have came a long way as long as it (is on a permanent) foundation it doesnt settle much at all. Ours has 18 yards of concrete under it and in 5 years no problems. And besides stick built homes settle to i do recomend an fha spec style set up.
