The Benefits of Building a Modular Home

Modular homes are becoming a very popular way of building homes. In the past, modular homes were considered low class. Today, modular homes are designed for all income levels, from lower middle class, to upper class. There are hundreds of floorplan options available with an ability to customize the home in many different ways. Essentially, your vision can be accommodated when building a modular home. Prices for a modular home range from $55 per square foot for a modest home to upwards of $280 per square foot for a luxury home. These prices do not include the land, electrical, foundation, plumbing and clearing of the land. Nonetheless, building a modular home after all of these expenses are incurred can still be a much better deal than a stick built home. Buying a modular home has a lot of benefits. Some of these benefits include:

You get a customizable home.
When you build a modular home, you are involved in the process from the beginning. You can change the modular home floorplan, pick the floors, carpets, etc. You cannot get that level of control in a home that is already standing.

Modular homes are built in a climate controlled factory.
Many of the problems with mold and mildew in traditional stick built homes occur in the transportation of the lumbar and construction of the home in the elements. The wood is transported, stored, and framed in a stick built house in the weather over months. Modular homes are built in pieces in a climate controlled factory, then transported to the building site. The wood is sealed from exposure to the elements in a modular home. The modular home, therefore, is completely free from mold and mildew when erected at the building site.

Modular homes can be built in 1/3 the time of traditional stick built homes.
This is because building in the factory can be taking place at the same time the foundation is being poured, the site is being cleared, and the utilities are being installed. Once the site is ready for the home, the home can be installed usually in a matter of weeks. Sometimes it only takes a few days.

Modular homes are square and plumb.
Being built in a controlled factory, the modular home is much less prone to mistakes that cannot be controlled on site. The walls, ceilings and floors are square due to the use of manufactured jigs when building a modular home. This usually does not happen in a stick built home. Extra straps brace the wall to the floor in a modular home. The interior walls are bolted to the exterior walls in a modular home.

Electrical boxes are very well insulated in modular homes.

A typical modular home is built with 20-30% more material than a stick built home.
This is so the modular home withstands transport. The addition of the material makes the home extremely rigid and strong, allowing the modular home to withstand higher winds than a stick built home.

Modular homes are environmentally friendly.
The amount of wood and construction material waste at a construction site is significant (about 8,000 pounds for a 2000 square foot home). When building a modular home, the wood is typically custom cut. Any of the material in building the modular home that is in excess for the design is recycled to save cost. Also, a wall in a modular home use a 2 by 6 framing, larger than a stick built home. More insulation is placed in the wall. This makes the homes very energy efficient in completion.

All in all, the benefits of modular homes are significant. If you are considering building your next home, you should consider building a modular home.