Modular Homes vs Manufactured Homes | Article From Modular Today

Modular Homes vs. Manufactured Homes

No they are not the same thing! But if you are in the market for a modular home the salesperson might very well refer to it as a manufactured home.

Even though modular homes and manufactured homes are both used as quality year-round homes they differ in many other respects. For instance my friend lives in an old, single-wide manufactured home, which is alot closer to a trailer than a typical home. Mobile homes trailers are the very old manufactured homes which still exist (talk about strong quality) but are not very common or popular today. Manufactured homes including the rare old mobile home trailers, will often find permanent residence in a trailer park or manufactured home community; whereas modular homes can be placed on a plot of land in almost any neighborhood that passes state and regional bylaws.

The difference between modular and manufactured homes is often in the permanence. For instance modular homes are placed on a permanent foundation; whereas trailers, or manufactured homes are built on a steel chassis with wheels attached. This is so the trailer can be moved or towed. Almost always the wheels are removed and the manufactured home exteriors are finished to closely match the look of traditional homes. It is possible to reattach the wheels and move the manufactured home in the future.

In addition, if you plan to build a modular home and transport it to a land plot, the land you want to build on might be subject to restrictions. Please check with your state and regional building laws before you buy! An occasional issue with modular home buyers is not having enough setback clearance on their building site to place the large size modular home they desire.

Also, manufactured homes and modular homes have differing resale values – and if you were selling your home you would want to get top dollar for what it was worth – wouldn’t you? Modular homes typically have much better resale value than manufactured homes built on a steel chassis according to the HUD building code.

Let’s start with a brief overview of manufactured vs. modular homes…

Modular Homes

  • Often referred to as factory-built (or pre-fabricated) homes.
  • Modular homes come pre-built in sections from the factory.
  • Modular homes are then transported to the building site on truck beds, and set together usually by a large crane and construction workers at the building site.
  • They are finished on location, and must conform to all local, state or regional building codes.
  • After the contractor places the modular home on site and completes the finishing work, a local building inspector will visit the site to inspect the home to ensure its construction adheres to the state or regional requirements and that all finish work was completed safely and up to standard.
  • Modular homes are placed on a permanent foundation at the building site and often have full basements.
  • Modular homes are sometimes used to expedite the creation of planned communities or large residential projects like college dormitories.
  • Modular homes are typically larger than manufactured homes – they have full kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, washer and dryer hookups. Many even have fireplaces and dishwashers.
  • Modular homes are typically more expensive per square foot than manufactured homes.
  • The home equity of a well-built modular home will continue to grow in value over time. Upgrades can also be added like sun rooms, gas fireplaces, porches, garages, etc.

Manufactured Homes

  • Very old models are sometimes referred to as mobile homes or trailers
  • Manufactured houses are pre-constructed completely in the factory on a permanent, fixed steel chassis.
  • Manufactured homes have wheels which are typically detached once the unit is towed to the residence.
  • Manufactured homes typically have skirting/siding around the bottom of them to hide where the wheels were removed and to give it the appearance of a typical home.
  • Manufactured homes must abide by a Federal HUD building code.
  • Once built the manufactured home (typically 1-3 units) is moved to its final residence using their own wheels.
  • Manufactured homes remain on their steel chassis, and do not have basements. Theoretically they can be moved but that rarely happens.
  • Manufactured homes often face special residential zoning restrictions which can limit their placement.
  • Some families use the old and smaller manufactured homes for mobile vacation homes.
  • Mobile homes technically are manufactured homes but are very different when compared to today’s manufactured homes.
  • Building inspectors are sometimes called in to inspect the electrical and propane gas hookups, but trailers do not need to pass a building code for occupation.
  • Manufactured homes are generally less expensive than modular homes.
  • Manufactured homes are often a little harder to finance and generally decrease in home equity value.

This article is from:

Modular Today – Modular Homes vs Manufactured Homes

 

How Long is the Process of Building a New Modular Home?

How long is the building process for building a new home? Hi… I’m Todd Rutledge with Legendary Homes. That’s one of the most common questions I get is: How long will the building process take?

In this video below I explain how long the construction normally takes.

Here’s the direct link to the video:  https://youtu.be/gNPLfFhh5PE

The first part is getting the modular home ordered. Redman Homes is our main manufactured home manufacturer. They typically run around 8 weeks out to get the home built. I checked the first part of February and off line dates were middle of March. So they were about 6 weeks out to build the home at that time. As we get closer to spring they will typically run about 8 weeks. Closer to fall time can be between 8 and 10 weeks most years.

If you have financing to get. It’s critical to get the paper work into the bank so they can get that process going so we can order the home. The bank will want a signed contract with the costs and what’s going to be done on your new home. They will give the building contract to the appraiser. That’s generally the first step in the process of financing of building your new home.

The home will be built and scheduled for delivery for about 2 to 4 days after the off line date to give them time to be sure to finish it up. Once delivered to the building site it will be about a day or two after delivery when the house will be set on the foundation.

From that point, I tell people to plan on about 60 days from the day of set. I try to shoot for 30 days, but I’d rather tell you to plan on 60 days and have it be 30 days then to tell you to plan on 30 days and have it be 60 days.

Of course, there are variables that can come into play on how long it takes to complete the construction of a new home. Such things are weather. If too much rain then that can delay things.

The most common delay is getting power to the house. To get power to the house we need to get the house set and then the electrician will come and install the service on the house. Once he’s done the electrical inspector will come and inspect it and then it’s the electrical inspector that notifies the power company. Most commonly Consumers Energy for most of our areas.

We are at the mercy of the power company at that point and sometimes they will show up fairly quickly and sometimes it can take them a while to get there and run power to the house.

Once power is on. The plumbers will come and run the drain lines and connect the water lines and they will check to make sure there are no leaks. They can usually get this done in one day shortly after power is on. Once done they will call and get the plumbing inspected.

Once power is on we can also get mechanical and electrical finish inspections. And then once those 3 inspections have passed we can call the building inspector and get the inspection done for the final. That is what we need in order to get the certificate of occupancy.

That’s the process of building a house. If you have any questions or anything Legendary Homes can help you will, please call Todd at 517-206-2435

If you would like floor plans and prices on our homes please go to http://legendaryhomesinc.com and sign up to get itemized price sheets.

For more info on the building process please check out https://legendaryhomesinc.com/blog/understanding-the-building-process

Legendary Homes Inc.
10197 S Meridian Rd (US127)
Clarklake, MI 49234
(517)206-2435

#LegendaryHomes, #LegendaryHomeBuilders, #LegendaryHomesInc

Photo Gallery Slideshow


Photo Gallery Slideshow


Contact Us


Hours

Mon through Fri 9:30 am to 5 pm and Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm.


We are available other times by appointment

Please call, text or email Todd to set up a time to meet 517-206-2435


© 2024 Legendary Homes Inc. - Terms Of Service | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Testimonials
Legendary Marketing Group http://LegendaryMarketingGroup.com