Considering the facts that modular homes are highly customizable, stronger, more energy efficient, and are identical in appearance to regular homes, it may come as a bit of a surprise to know that modular homes may actually cost up to 20 percent less than comparable stick-built homes.

How is this possible you ask? Here’s how:

• All Excel modular homes are built with a process that allows us to save money by purchasing materials like wood and drywall in bulk and passing this savings on to the homeowner.

• The factory assembly line process allows us to create an extremely efficient process, with significantly less material waste than a standard home building site.

• The factory setting also means no weather delays which means no extra labor costs and no extra costs to repair weather damaged materials.

• In areas with high construction labor costs (like many parts of the Northeast), building a home in modules in a factory setting can result in significant savings in labor costs and time.

• Finally, the shorter construction times of modular homes often mean more money saved on insurance during the construction process.

If you’ve got a question for our modular home experts about any step of the modular home building or buying process, feel free to ask us using the “Ask the Experts” feature in the sidebar.

Paul M. asks: “How long does it take to build a modular home?”

Good question, Paul. It’s well known that a modular home can be built in about half the time it takes to build a standard home.

Compared to site-built homes, a modular home can be built, installed on a foundation and made ready for move-in only five or six weeks after the homeowner has secured financing and the building permit. This is, of course, the “fast end” of the modular home building scale. Larger, more customized modular options can take up to 20 weeks to complete, but this is still several months faster than it would be to erect a comparable site-built home.

The reasons for this efficiency are simple. First, the modular construction process is refined and streamlined thanks to a highly trained, specialized crew and advanced manufacturing processes. Second, while the modular crew is busy building the home, work on the site and foundation – a process that can take four weeks or more by itself – can occur simultaneously. Finally, because the modules are built indoors, there are no weather delays and workers can work more efficiently.  

I hope this answers your question!

Harry Odum
General Manager
Excel Homes Liverpool, PA plant

Just like a site-built home, there are a few different ways to make your modular dream come true.  You can either build your own modular home on a plot of land you already own or you can buy a modular home that is already built. There are advantages to both scenarios, but the choice is yours!

That’s the topic of this month’s poll. Would you build a modular home on land you already own (or will own) or would you purchase a modular home that is already built? Feel free to sound off on the right.

Of course, there are pros and cons of each. In purchasing a modular home that is already built, you have the luxury of being able to move in right away, but the disadvantage of having no control over the location of the house and its design (unless you decide to do some building and remodeling).

By purchasing your own land and building a modular home on it, you can choose a parcel of land wherever you’d like and consult with a builder to select and customize a home that suits your needs. Of course, this option does require more time, as the process of preparing the plot of land and building the modular home can take a few months.

But no matter which option you choose, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that you’re living in a modular home, which is stronger and more energy efficient than most standard built homes!

The rise in popularity of modular homes has spawned no shortage of reading material on the subject. In August we reviewed a great book called The Modular Home and gave away copies here on Modular Musings. This month, we’re doing the same thing with a book called Modular Mansions. At the end of the month, we’ll send a copy of the book to one commenter chosen at random.

Modular Mansions is written by Sherri Koones, author of another modular book, “Prefabulous,” which we’ll review in December. In Mansions, Sherri takes a closer look at 20 modular masterpieces, from cozy 1,300 square foot California abodes to sprawling 12,700 square foot castles that truly live up to the book’s title.

The book is packed with photos and, while it doesn’t offer the “nuts and bolts” perspective on modular homes that other books have, Modular Mansions is a good introduction to what modular construction is all about and provides many visual examples of how modular homes can beat traditional stick built homes when it comes to design and appearance.

Most people understand what a site-built home is (a house built on-site and outdoors using traditional methods), but when it comes to the differences between a manufactured home and a modular home (like the one on the right), well, that’s where some people have a little trouble. It’s okay though. It’s something the modular home industry has been working on for many years. The good news is, we’re making progress!

Like a modular home, a manufactured home (sometimes known as a “mobile home” or “trailer”) is built in the controlled environment of a factory, sometimes in pieces, and delivered to its final destination. Other than that, the two residences are actually quite different.

1. CODES – Manufactured homes conform to Federal HUD building codes while modular homes are built to the state and local standards as traditional site-built homes (state and local codes often hold new houses to higher standards than federal codes).  
2. VALUE – Manufactured homes may decrease in value over time while modular homes follow the same housing market value trends as site-built homes.
3. APPEARANCE – Manufactured homes – though they’ve come a long way in recent years in terms of options and design – have a distinct appearance (often single story). Modular homes, available in single or two story varieties, are often indistinguishable from site built homes.
4. INSPECTIONS – In manufactured homes, building inspectors check the home but aren’t required to approve it. Modular homes, however, are held to much higher standards, with inspections in the factory and by local inspectors on-site. Modular homes are also built using the same materials as site-built homes.
5. QUALITY – Modular homes typically use 20 to 30 percent more materials (and are therefore even stronger than site-built homes) in order to ensure a safe trip to their final location. FEMA studies conducted after Hurricane Andrew have confirmed that modular homes are indeed stronger than manufactured or site-built homes.

Those are just a few of the ways manufactured homes and modular homes differ. We’ll discuss other dissimilarities in part two of this entry next week.