Anybody here build a modular / manufactured home?

[WingZero94]

Like this:

http://www.wardcraft.com/

What was your experience like?

Were the costs lower than a typical custom home?

I'm thinking about doing this vs a traditionally built home. I've heard that the cost is less and the quality is better. Thoughts?

 

[xSauronx]

my dad did. hes *very* happy with the place and saved a lot of money. there were some kinks to work out, and it took some time to get his plans finalized the way he wanted them, but he said if he had to do it again, hed do it the same way. iirc his cost per sq ft was around half of what a stick-built house would have cost.

 

[WingZero94]

Originally posted by: xSauronx
my dad did. hes *very* happy with the place and saved a lot of money. there were some kinks to work out, and it took some time to get his plans finalized the way he wanted them, but he said if he had to do it again, hed do it the same way. iirc his cost per sq ft was around half of what a stick-built house would have cost.

What kind of kinks is he working out?

 

[WingZero94]

bump for other opinions?

 

[bctbct]

I dont have a lot of info but a buddy of mine bought a modular package. The walls were trucked to the site already built with the shealthing and windows installed etc.

The foundation needs to be the exact size spec'ed or you will have to make a lot of changes to get it to fit properly.

He also talked about being shorted a lot of matrials and had to wait for them to be shipped, some people might just go purchase them locally so maybe they do that to cut costs.

Another thing I noticed when I was there a couple of times was that the material and fixtures seemed off brand low quality.

edit, sorry thought you were buying a package that would be assembled onsite.

 

[nutxo]

I used to work at a company that manufactured them. I can tell you straight up, the quality is a lot higher than out building on a slab.

 

[Alistar7]

Better quality, cheaper cost to build and heat/cool. IIRC the average savings on the heat/air is 40% lower than stick built. Also much easier/cheaper to add on an addition in the future.

 

[Darwin333]

For the most part manufactured homes are a huge leap forward in the way homes are purchased and built.

They generally cost less than stick built homes.

They are much stronger than the average stick built home because they use more fasteners, clips, brackets and adhesives during construction. The vast majority of the home is built in a controlled factory that operates like an assembly line (much of it being automated) which greatly improves quality control.

Most of them use larger boards for the structure.

A lot of the manufactured home builders will give you a guaranteed wind rating that is actually worth more than the paper its written on. Here in Louisiana you can get a manufactured home that is guaranteed not to suffer structural damage in winds up to 155MPH (Cat 5 hurricane).

They are built MUCH faster than stick built homes.

Bottom line: Stronger, cheaper, quicker

One con though: Check with your insurance company. Some of them still place manufactured homes in a category with mobile homes.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Darwin333
For the most part manufactured homes are a huge leap forward in the way homes are purchased and built.

They generally cost less than stick built homes.

They are much stronger than the average stick built home because they use more fasteners, clips, brackets and adhesives during construction. The vast majority of the home is built in a controlled factory that operates like an assembly line (much of it being automated) which greatly improves quality control.

Most of them use larger boards for the structure.

A lot of the manufactured home builders will give you a guaranteed wind rating that is actually worth more than the paper its written on. Here in Louisiana you can get a manufactured home that is guaranteed not to suffer structural damage in winds up to 155MPH (Cat 5 hurricane).

They are built MUCH faster than stick built homes.

Bottom line: Stronger, cheaper, quicker

One con though: Check with your insurance company. Some of them still place manufactured homes in a category with mobile homes.

QFT.

my dad used to have one. he had a nice 3 bedroom, 1300 sq foot place. it was great. he paid $67k for it where a stick built home would be around $160k or so.

it was a great home. solid, efficient and nice. i would consider having one if i was looking for a new house.

For insurance you have to prove the manufacture so they will insure it. it is NOT in the same category as mobile homes (which is why you prove manufacture).

 

[WingZero94]

All good news. I think this may be what we go with in the future. Thanks for the replies!

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: WingZero94

Originally posted by: xSauronx
my dad did. hes *very* happy with the place and saved a lot of money. there were some kinks to work out, and it took some time to get his plans finalized the way he wanted them, but he said if he had to do it again, hed do it the same way. iirc his cost per sq ft was around half of what a stick-built house would have cost.

What kind of kinks is he working out?

well hes been here 4 years, it was just initial/design stuff, and a couple of things at the time of the build on-site

he drew the blueprints himself, basically, after starting with some broad basics of what was do-able from the company ( dont remember the company name off the top of my head)

every time hed set up where he wanted light switches, and how he wanted them wired, as well as where he wanted outlets, and how many, someone *always* changed it. every time, for several drafts. hed move them to where he wanted them, and some dick would change all of it.

i told him to have cat5 wire pulls done with the coax and phone drops, since his house is a decent size and i didnt want to have a hassle with wireless. they said theyd do it, and ran phone line so we had to go wireless, which was a bitch, but ive got it working reliably now.

his house is built on the banks of a river, so in addition to building up a large supported mound for the home, he had a 2ft concrete wall poured to support the home. he also has a 2 car garage, and everything in the garage was 2ft higher than it should have been (doors, windows, outlets, switches....all of it) so he had to redo all the doors. he left the windows and switches, too much trouble for only a minor inconvenience.

out of 6 pre-built sections, there was a misalignment only between two of them, by about 6 inches.

it wasnt perfect, but he was compensated by the company without any hassle for the mistakes, and again, said hed still build a modular if he ever built another home. i cant blame him, its a great house, stood up to a couple of hurricanes, and saved him a lot of money.

sorry i didnt reply earlier, busy day

 

[vi edit]

It's a lot like any other home - it comes down to the builder.

My parents and two uncles have modular homes built in a factory and delivered and put together on site. My parents and one uncle are from the same builder (American) and the quality is quite good.

The other uncle is from a builder called Homeway and and the quality is horrible. The house shakes when people walk through it. Floors creek after a year. Doors aren't lined up. Ect. It's just a cheap house.

Try to get in touch with homeowners of the builder you are considering. Look at how their home has held up and see if they are satisfied.

 

[BarneyFife]

There is this guy on here that will jump into every mortgage thread and pimp his mobile home as the greatest thing on earth. Wait for him to chime in LOL