Subject: Modular vs. Manufactured Housing

From: [email-masked] (Scott Thompson)
Date: Tue, 25 Jun 1996 16:47:19 GMT

Okay...

So I find out that the land I am interested in has doubled in price -
rather than giving up on my dream house/location, i am interseted in
scaling back my dream from the roughly $85-$90 per sq. foot cost of a
custom stick-built to something more affordable.  I see a couple
options:

Manufactured
Modular

I have been opposed to manufactured housing for many years, both from
an aesthetic value (or lack thereof), and possible quality problems.
I know nothing about modular homes except they are of a higher quality
and cost about $50-$55/sq. ft as a finsihed product.

I am looking for ANY words of warning, caveates, experiences, etc..
that might make my experience more tolerable - can one add on to a
modular. how far can they be transported prior to falling apart, what
materials are used, etc...

e-mail is fine
=================================================
Scott Thompson
PO 19179
Portland, OR 97280

---

From: [email-masked] (Christopher L Wood)
Date: 26 Jun 1996 02:52:09 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] 
says...
 can one add on to a
>materials are used, etc...

There have been many advances in modular and manufactured homes in the 
past 
few years. Check out Popular Science (popsci.com) or Discover, I know 
both 
of those have had articles on them. Pop.Sci. had an article on a 
"mobile" 
home design for a two story house; the top module had pantographs on 
both 
sides of its chassis, which scissored it up into the air, whereupon the 
first floor would be pulled underneath it, and the two securely bolted 
together.

---

From: "B.W. Smith" <[email-masked]>
Date: 26 Jun 1996 10:57:55 GMT

> materials are used, etc...
 
Scott, 
  I've been in construction bus. 30 yrs and worked for modular
Home builder for 5 yrs, and am living in a modular home. I'm now 
working in "stick-built" end of the business-so I'm not 
plugging a product when I reccommend you check out modular home
 builders.

  No one knows my home is modular until I tell them-these are 
not "Mobile Homes". They have to meet all the building codes
for all the places they ship too--which frequently exceed your
local codes.  The parts built in the factory are inspected and
certified by independent inspectors (probably more knowledgable
and thourough than an underpaid rural inspector might be).

   As far as falling apart--these "boxes" are built to withstand 
transportation and lifting with a crane to be set in place on 
full foundations. We used to say our houses were "road tested 
at 60 miles per hour".  I'd rather be in a modular-factory built
home during an earth-quake than in the average stick-built.
   Any reputable modular manufacture will show you homes in your area.
Some thing to check:

1.  How long has this company been in business?

2.  Who actually assembles and finishes your home on the site?
  (called "zipping it up")?  If this is an independent 
contractor?--be sure to check him out as well--The modular company 
may work with several builder/dealers in your area.

3.  Be sure to add up ALL the finishing/hooking up costs.

4.  Be sure your financial co is familiar with working with 
modulars--you can actually save on construction financing interest 
-because your building time from start to move-in can be so 
much faster--if your contractor and schedualing is carefully 
controlled (my home was started in the factory the middle of 
April and we moved in 1st of June,back in 1984).

Good Luck
B.W. Smith

---

From: Scot <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Jun 1996 10:42:35 -0400

Scott, 

We went through the same process this last year.  Bought the land and 
looked at site-stick built, modular, and manufactured houses.  We quickly 
narrowed it down to site built and modular.  We did not discount the 
manufactured because of quality, but because we could not find a 
manufactured house contractor we felt comfortable with.  

After looking very closely at a number of houses built by both site-built 
and modular, and after visiting the modular factory, we went modular.  I 
would say you really need to visit a factory to see how they are built. 
The other advise you've received about checking the zipping up 
contractors and the other site costs is _very_ good advice.  We 
eliminated one builder because the general contractor for zipping up was 
of poor quality although the houses themselves were well-built.

The structure of our home is actually better built than almost all the 
site built houses we looked at.  We are two weeks from closing right now 
and are very pleased.  The basic house is 1850 sq feet two story, 2x6 
exterior walls with R19, 2x10 floor joists on 16" centers (short span 
because of 14' modular width), fully sheathed with 1/2 plywood.  The roof 
strucure is fairly normal, 5/12 slope, rafter and ceiling joist with an 
extra section at the peak that framed a little differently. 

I was very concerned about the quality of finish work that would be done 
both at the factory and on site.  So far so good, only a couple of minor 
drywall cracks during transport and set (that was amazing to me) and the 
site work has been very good.  Absolutely the only way anyone would ever 
know that this is not a site built home is that one wall on the inside is 
2x6 (the mateing wall).  But even here, there are clear spans of 14 feet 
that are fully supported by beams that are concealed in the ceiling.

So, do your home work, find the house that you like and can afford, but 
don't discount a house just because it is modular. IMHO they can be a 
good deal.  BTW, in our experience, it has been less expensive by abount 
7-9%, depending on builder and construction time, for in our case, the 
builder is carrying the construction loan since it will only hold it for 
about 5 weeks.

Scot Thomas
Raleigh, NC