Modular Home Building
In the not-so-distant past, many builders viewed modular homes as a threat to their business. These homes were completed in sections in controlled factory environments and then delivered to a site for assembly.
[Read more…]
From trendy tiny wooden cottages to mansions built from shipping containers, modular homes have a new look and have earned themselves a brand-new rep. The days of being associated purely with temporary and lower-income housing are long gone. In fact, the lower cost per square foot is precisely how many homeowners have been able to build modular mansions.
Faster Build Time
Most modular home builders give a turnaround time of a few weeks to about three months. In comparison, a traditional home can take up to six months to be completed. Weather delays and running out of money are often common delay factors that may tack on an extra few months to completion time. Because modular homes are built indoors and typically have premade options, these two factors rarely pose a problem.
Lower Cost
For these and other reasons, modular houses are a lot less expensive than traditional homes. Even when assembly is required, this often does not include the need for professional assistance or any hardcore construction and building equipment. Because of this, contemporary modular homes have become increasingly popular among retirees and debt-ridden college graduates. However, they are just as popular among architects who want to create unique spaces that are easy to expand.
More Luxurious Additions
When homeowners go modular, they are able to reinvest some of the money the save in luxury features for their home. Some increasingly common additions include full spa baths, granite counter tops, floor to ceiling windows, smart home tech and even pools built from containers. This has led to a booming industry where contractors turn to creativity and high-value offerings to compete effectively.
Unfortunately, many banks and local governing bodies are still skeptical of or even against modular homes. However, with the increasing popularity of tiny cottages and container homes, this is slowly changing. To increase the odds of securing financial and zoning buy-in, it is important to work with professional builders to ensure the home is up to code.
Many people have a set view of modular homes in their minds. They may assume these homes are flimsy or poorly constructed, but the opposite is more likely to be true. There are several advantages to purchasing a modular home. You not only get a home that is built to last but can save time and money in the process.
Building each module of a home in a climate-controlled environment allows contractors to improve the strength of construction. Because they don’t have to contend with fluctuating weather, they often exceed the codes laid out in local zoning ordinances. These homes are also designed and planned using a computer-aided design that identifies any problem areas before the actual hands-on construction begins. Gone are the days when second-rate materials are the standard for this industry. You can expect the same high quality you get with traditional construction. This process tends to improve the strength of your home’s structure.
When contractors don’t have to take the possibility of inclement weather into account, they can finish building your home much more quickly. Modular homes are built before they reach the site, so issues like rain and flooding don’t have to be factored in, for the most part. The different parts of your home are moved to its site. Then the crew pieces it together and adds the finishing touches. They work with technicians to make sure all utilities are connected properly. Because most of the work is done before it reaches its final destination, the on-site work can take days rather than weeks or months.
Using less time cuts the amount you have to pay in labor costs. Another factor that saves money is that so many of the potential problems are resolved before construction ever begins. Efficient use of materials and labor can lead to savings as much as 25% of a traditional construction project.
Innovations in design and execution have improved the way modular homes are built. This is an option worth considering if you are wanting to build your next home.
Looking to start amassing wealth through home ownership, but having trouble finding a house for sale that meets your needs? Increasingly, today’s prospective homebuyers are forgoing the traditional home search in favor of custom-designing their own modular homes. Unlike mobile homes, which are typically portable and pre-designed, prefabricated homes are completely customizable to fit your needs, and they can also become permanent structures on your intended home site.
An Affordable Alternative to Traditional Construction
If designing your dream home from the ground up is out of reach due to financial reasons, a modular house may allow you to design a home that has everything you want without blowing your entire budget. Typically, you can choose a prefabricated modular base package and then customize it in accordance with your needs. However, unlike traditional home construction, which takes place at your build site, pre-engineered homes largely undergo construction offsite, which slashes erection time as well as all associated costs.
Modern Amenities
As modular homes continue to grow in popularity so do the number of customization options available to homebuyers. Because many of these homes offer new construction, they are often more sustainable in terms of design than their traditional counterparts. In addition offering sustainable, energy-efficient spaces that lower your lifetime energy costs, pre-engineered homes often offer the best, most environmentally friendly light fixtures, plumbing elements and so on.
Near-Endless Design Opportunities
While pre-engineered homes offer a wealth of benefits, many homebuyers opt for them simply because these homes allow them the freedom to create living spaces that fully meet their respective needs. For example, some modern homebuyers are increasingly looking for spaces that combine residential areas with other useful areas, such as shops or garages. A prefabricated home can typically accommodate such needs, and it can also align with your aesthetic preferences in terms of color, materials and the like.
When neither traditional or mobile homes offer all of your must-haves, you may find that modular homes fill the gap.
Until recently, if you were on the hunt for a new home, you typically had two options. In the first scenario, you could come up with a list of your needs and wants and then try to find a home that already exists in the area you desire. In the second scenario, you could have a company custom-design your home and construct it from the ground up. With the introduction of modular homes to the market, however, prospective homebuyers no longer need to choose one option or the other.
An Increasingly Popular Alternative
While there are benefits to buying an existing home or constructing your own from scratch, there are also inevitable drawbacks. Chances are, for example, that you will need to make some sacrifices if you are trying to find your entire “wish list” in an existing home in your target area. There are drawbacks, too, that come with constructing your own home from scratch, as construction costs alone can wind up eating up a major portion of your budget. Modular homes, however, offer the best of both worlds. First, you can customize virtually every detail of your home to make it uniquely fit your needs, and second, much of the construction has happened by the time your home arrives to your build site, shortening construction times and lowering related expenditures.
Modern Techniques
Prefabricated homes have been making their way into the national construction scene for some time now, but they have become increasingly popular due to their design techniques. Many traditional homebuilders are now relying on some of the systems and construction methods first introduced by modular house builders. Glue guns and nail guns, for example, have largely taken the place of traditional hammers and nails, and this is a move that began in modular house construction before making its way mainstream.
The needs of today’s homebuyers are constantly changing, and modular homes offer the easy customization necessary to accommodate these evolving needs. If you are among those seeking a new place to live that will fit with your lifestyle, know that these premanufactured homes are redefining today’s construction industry.
Home ownership is a great way to build your wealth, but for many people across the United States purchasing a home that meets their needs remains out of reach. Enter custom modular homes. Unlike mobile homes, which are typically transportable from one location to the next, these homes are much more like traditional homes, with the primary difference being that they undergo most of their construction in a factory setting.
Near-Endless Options for Customization
One of the main reasons today’s homebuyers are increasingly opting for these custom-made homes is because they can easily modify them in accordance with their needs. Most details, from the number and size of the bedrooms to the specific materials used during construction, are customizable, so many prospective homebuyers find they can get more of what they want in this type of home than they could in an existing one.
Easy Adherence to Building Codes
While modular homes give prospective buyers seemingly endless options as far as design, they are also becoming increasingly popular because you can have one designed with your specific geographic location and climate in mind. Each part of the country has certain building codes in place that homebuilders must adhere to in order to keep the home safe in that particular climate. With modular homes, designers can engineer these structures specifically to meet the building code requirements in place in your area.
Short, Affordable Construction Times
Finally, because so much of the construction process has already taken place by the time your home reaches your build site, you can anticipate a much shorter construction time and much lower associated costs than a traditionally constructed model.
Modular homes are making home ownership a reality for more Americans than ever before. If you are among those seeking an affordable place to live that you can truly call your own, consider taking this route.
The major difference between a modular home and a conventional home is the location where construction occurs. Modular homes are constructed in sections off-site and then transported to the site of the finished home. Virtually any home can be built in this way, by stacking and altering the sections for a fully customized building. Here are three reasons to consider building a modular home over a conventional site-built property:
Modular homes may seem unusual compared to traditionally built houses, but they have a unique set of strengths. There are many benefits to choosing a modular home, and their quick production times make them a smart choice for informed homeowners.
Faster and Safer Construction
Since modular homes are built in factory settings, construction workers do not have to reschedule around the weather. Construction continues along a steady, reliable pace, meaning your home will be ready to live in more quickly than one traditionally built. In addition, nearly all of the work is completed before your home is transported, meaning you and your family get to move in as quickly as possible.
Owning your own home is still part of many American’s dreams. However, the home that matches the dreams can often be out of your price range. Modular homes change all that. With a streamlined, efficient building process, the homes are available in a variety of architectural styles, features and floor plans. The homes are more affordable than a traditional new home build for a variety of reasons.
Prospective homebuyers are turning to the growing market in modular homes, attracted by its budget friendliness and ease of customization. For anyone considering that route, there are several popular options in the market. Each provides a different level of assembly difficulty, but all can be managed with the help of an experienced professional home builder.
