Anyone Have Any Practical Experience With Modular/manufactured Homes..?

[Stlbob]

 After years of getting the crap kicked out of me for the last 3 years im wrapping some things up and i am going to buy some land with a pond/lake.

 

 I have been looking hard at Manufactured/Modular homes as a way to put something up without costing a small fortune.If anyone has dealt with the good or bad of this type of home any feedback would be greatly appreciated.Before i began looking i had no clue of the dozens of builders and the thousands of options out there.

 

The piece of property i have my eye on im looking at next week is 30 acres with a 7 acre lake thats 55ft deep on one end.Guy swears the bluegill are as big as Crappie..Also has a live creek across the top.So yeah im excited.

 

Thanks

[Raider Nation Fisher]

After years of getting the crap kicked out of me for the last 3 years im wrapping some things up and i am going to buy some land with a pond/lake.

 

 I have been looking hard at Manufactured/Modular homes as a way to put something up without costing a small fortune.If anyone has dealt with the good or bad of this type of home any feedback would be greatly appreciated.Before i began looking i had no clue of the dozens of builders and the thousands of options out there.

 

The piece of property i have my eye on im looking at next week is 30 acres with a 7 acre lake thats 55ft deep on one end.Guy swears the bluegill are as big as Crappie..Also has a live creek across the top.So yeah im excited.

 

Thanks

I'm from Alabama. Of course I know about trailers/mobile homes/tornado magnets. I've never lived in or owned one. However I know MANY people who are straight out the trailer.

Be creative in what you choose. I have a buddy that has a two story mobile home. He cut a hole in the roof of one and the floor and roof of another and stacked them on top of each other. Then he added a stairwell for access. He also added a door to the roof of the top one. Fenced off the roof and made a deck out of it. Another buddy cut the end off two trailers and stuck them together. He claims he is the only person with a double long trailer.

[Stlbob]

i come from Arkansas and yep grew up around mobile homes,and like you said with a good strong wind they get VERY MOBILE....lol...

 

from what i have read the modular homes are built in pieces and put up on site.NOT a mobile home..lol..any house i can tear apart with a claw hammer scares me..lol..

[craww]

Some of the modulars (again not a trailer) are actually built stouter with double studs, heavier duty lag bolts tie straps, etc. due to the need for transport.

My uncle put up a two story modular with a full basement, walk in vault, etc and it looks like a 300k house. If you're able to finish it yourself, its a great way to get some "bones" to work with.

[Stlbob]

heres a peek at where i want to put it.It has electric and phone lines close.

[retiredbosn]

Sounds like you've already done some research. Modulars will appreciate and are treated as real estate providing it has a complete wood frame and no title. Some dubious companies sell cape cod type trailers and call them modular, if they have a title they are not a modular. I've seen modular homes around 10,000 square feet, from all appearances they looked built on site, until you started looking for the marriage walls, etc.

[Jolly Green]

I have no experience with newer modular homes, but I've torn into some older ones and the one thing that really shocked me was the 2 x 6 joists.  There is always 1/2" plywood attached to the underside of the joist system, and that's basically all that prevents the whole floor system from imploding.  I'm sure there have been advances in modular home systems but I would probably try to find a "regular" contractor willing to look at whatever plans you're considering to maybe help in identifying potential issues.  

[retiredbosn]

I have no experience with newer modular homes, but I've torn into some older ones and the one thing that really shocked me was the 2 x 6 joists. There is always 1/2" plywood attached to the underside of the joist system, and that's basically all that prevents the whole floor system from imploding. I'm sure there have been advances in modular home systems but I would probably try to find a "regular" contractor willing to look at whatever plans you're considering to maybe help in identifying potential issues.

That was all done away with when the country adopted the CABO building code system. Shoot there was a time you could order a house through Sears or Montgomery Wards.

Check your local real estate laws to make sure you're complying to all zoning and building codes.

[Stlbob]

I just did some reading on that and your right its a whole new ball game as far as build quailty..

 

I have done a ton of reading until my vison blurred.Its one thing to read about it,and read the ads.Its another to talk to someone who has built/lived in one..Im getting the hell out of the city.I miss being able to see all the stars and being able to pee off my front porch..ok dont tell the wife that one..

[nick76]

I have some experience with modular homes. My f-i-l used to sell them for about 15 years. My wife and I have one of the last ones that he ever "built". Now as there is with anything, there are good companies and bad companies. You need to look at the floor structures, the wall structure and the ceiling trusses. Our house is built better quality than most of the local built homes. He quit selling them almost 10 years ago because it became more expensive and time consuming to have one built than it did to stick build the same identical home. He has never looked back, but still builds to the better standards.

You might want to find a floor plan and then find a reputable local builder to compare the cost. You are still on the hook for the well, septic, foundation and HVAC. The only costs that can be different are the framing, rough in and finishing. A reasonable builder might even beat those costs. The other thing to consider is the ability to customize. Modulars have less ability to change from the local builders. One last thing to consider is who stands behind the work when the modular needs service. Some companies will put the homeowner in the middle between the builder and the modular company. Just a heads up.

[MCS]

Prefabricated/modular construction is becoming an effiecent and cost effective way to build facilities, food and drug industries. I agree with craww's post most are built better than traditional stick built construction. Mainly getting over the stigma than anything else.

As far as bids go get 3-5 Ideally 5 and throw out the highest and lowest. Money saved may be wasted in time spent being a GC or baby sitting a builder. I have worked with them all my life I have found very few good ones out there.

[Nice_Bass]

Hope you have some cash. Financing not the best on those as well as buying the land is going to take a healthy down payment.

[retiredbosn]

Financing not the best on those as well as buying the land is going to take a healthy down payment.

That's true with manufactured homes, mods generally have the same rates as stick built. Many still confuse a manufactured and a modular. I know several cases where modular homes were placed in some upscale gated communities that thought their restrictions, could keep them out. Typical person can't tell a good modular from stick built. Modulars are treated as real estate, manufactured are not.