engineered homes?

[treerootCO]

Does anyone have experience with engineered homes? Not a trailer (not that there's anything wrong with that ) but the factory built ones. I have been looking for a new house and I have two choices at the moment. The first is the typical developer style like Richmand, Melody, Ryland, etc. The second would be something like a 1900s farmhouse. I cannot and will not live in a cookie cutter communist controlled neighborhood and the old farmhouse is more than I am willing to tackle at the moment. I need some urban sprawl to myself with parking for all my gas guzzling SUVs

http://www.liscott.com/
http://www.fuquahomes-mo.com/samples/exteriors.html

Any mud members in Colorado in this field?

Something like this minus the fountain. There comes a time when you have to decide on your lawn art. Come on, either pick the fountain or the well. You can't have both

 

[Cruisin'Carolina]

I do not know anything about those two companies, but it has been my experience that modular homes are built a little more sturdy than most stick-built. The sections have to survive loading and unloading procedures, and highway speeds.

They seem to stand up better than newer stick-builts in some tornadic situations, but not much different than the higher quality rigidity of older homes.

Just my $.02 after working claims after catastrophes.

 

[reffug]

I just finished building a modular home and would highly recomment it. Much better constructed than stick built due to transportation needs as well as being built in an entirely climate controlled situation avoiding any exposure to the weather. Mine is all 2X6 throughout and you also end up with double walls due to one unit butting up against the other. Do your homework/research on individual companies and go to the factories and see the actual construction for yourself before picking a comp. If you have any questions feel free to hit me up.

 

[ff347]

I just finished building a modular home and would highly recomment it.

We are looking at a few different routes, and modular is one of them. On most of the manufactureres web sites they always brag about the lower price, any comments on that? Watched a few shows about them DIY/HGTV and they do look really well done.

 

[nuclearlemon]

a lot of the modulars homes are really nice. we had a few delivered to the ranch when i was still there. check with whoever you plan on getting your loan through to make sure they will loan you the money for a modular. some say the value isn't there.

we didn't have any issues with the ones they brought up to the ranch as far as structure goes and no leakage where the two halves met up

i'd get rid of both those cheesy lawn ornaments.

 

[reffug]

We are looking at a few different routes, and modular is one of them. On most of the manufactureres web sites they always brag about the lower price, any comments on that?

The modular itself (i.e. just the house from the comp.) I brought in for around 165K. My general contractor told me there was absolutely no way the exact same house could have been stick built with all the extras and built in's I have for anywhere close to that price. He also commented there was no way the house would be nearly as solid or as square and correct in aspects of geometry. All in all I have been 100% pleased with my decision to go modular. Alot of people when they think about these homes think 'double wide' which I must admit when my wife suggested it this was my first thought as well. However what I have is nothing like that and thoroughly impressive. If you didn't know what to look for you could walk through my house and you would never realize it rolled in on 54' trailers and was set with a 180 ton crane.

 

[FJCruiserOwnersGroup]

Does anyone have experience with engineered homes? Not a trailer (not that there's anything wrong with that ) but the factory built ones. I have been looking for a new house and I have two choices at the moment. The first is the typical developer style like Richmand, Melody, Ryland, etc. The second would be something like a 1900s farmhouse. I cannot and will not live in a cookie cutter communist controlled neighborhood and the old farmhouse is more than I am willing to tackle at the moment. I need some urban sprawl to myself with parking for all my gas guzzling SUVs

http://www.liscott.com/
http://www.fuquahomes-mo.com/samples/exteriors.html

Any mud members in Colorado in this field?

Something like this minus the fountain. There comes a time when you have to decide on your lawn art. Come on, either pick the fountain or the well. You can't have both

There are quite a few modular home builders out there. One of the software products I have is for modular homes, so I've seen quite a few different companies.

A friend of mine is building three of these in Utah, they're putting a whole bunch of these in down here in Newport Beach, and they're starting to sprout up everywhere.

I'm working with a company to develop an entire neighborhood with a central school / town center commons area in California. Rather than ship homes (which is expensive), the town center would be the manufactering area for the homes, and when build out is complete, the entire facility would be converted to a mall/cinemas/etc. Instant neighborhood.

My experience has been that the modular homes are very well built, quick to assemble on site, and builders are flexible enough to provide for some customization on any of the models they offer. If you deviate too far, you do get dinged for it ... but building a modular home is far less expensive than building a stick home on-site. It's easier to be your own G.C. (you do still have to schedule and pull permits ... but since the house is being built somewhere else, what you have to schedule is less difficult). There are companies that specialize specifically in site prep, and more and more of them are certified or endorsed by the companies that manufacture the homes.

One thing that you will notice, if you go two-stories - is that the ceiling of the first floor and the floor of the second floor are thicker than you'd find in a stick house. In most models, you'll only really notice this while the home is being built.

With the homes I walk through, I have yet to see a modular that looks like a 'cookie cutter' or mobile home; they look like they were built for the lot. They look custom.

Cities seem to like these types of houses, and getting permits and the necessary paperwork is usually a simple process (some cities have packets already prepared, all you have to do is fill in the blanks).

My friend - from start to finish - should have his homes all finished by beginning of June, they were just delivered this last week. It took a couple of months to do the pad (full basements in all homes, plus one has a media room that looks out over a lake), all electrical and plumbing done.

I like the idea of the modular home.

 

[Zack1978]

We are in the final stages with the new shore house! The house was built in PA by a company called "Penn Lion". The house is well built and very nice.


Zack

Here are some pics the day it was put up!

 

[Zack1978]

a few more

Zack

 

[ff347]

The modular itself (i.e. just the house from the comp.) I brought in for around 165K. My general contractor told me there was absolutely no way the exact same house could have been stick built with all the extras and built in's I have for anywhere close to that price. He also commented there was no way the house would be nearly as solid or as square and correct in aspects of geometry. All in all I have been 100% pleased with my decision to go modular. Alot of people when they think about these homes think 'double wide' which I must admit when my wife suggested it this was my first thought as well. However what I have is nothing like that and thoroughly impressive. If you didn't know what to look for you could walk through my house and you would never realize it rolled in on 54' trailers and was set with a 180 ton crane.

Very Nice! How about a finished picture. How about a shameless plug? Who did you use? Also, from the signing of the papers to the delivery time?

Thanks,

Scott

 

[apcoleman]

Jamie,
You werent kiding when you said you just saw your master bedroom in the air. Thats really cool and can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[Koffer]

I did see one last week get spilled on the road .
That must suck
"We have everything on site but the lower right corner which is all over 4 south bound lanes of traffic on US 1 "

 

[cary]

I don't have any direct experience with them, but I have heard about them from some of my developer clients (these are homebuilders that do 500+ homes a year, so they aren't huge, but they aren't small). The feedback I have from them is that aside from the stigma that people have against modular homes, they are fine, the quality is every bit as good as a sitebuild house, and often times better because the modular home is built in a controled enviroment on production line style jigs. Mind you these comments are comming from some higher end homebuilders that are building nicer than your standard track lot junk.

 

[FJCruiserOwnersGroup]

I don't have any direct experience with them, but I have heard about them

Maybe you should try staying at a Holiday Inn Express next time.

 

[Jon in NC]

If I was going to get a pre-engineered house I wouldn't get one that was preassembled unless it was just flat wall/floor/roof panels. Anything that is built with 3 dimensions and shipped by truck will warp or rack.

 

[RWD]

more info:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/manuhomes/

No personal experience but I have been doing a lot of reading about home building (actuall building my home now). From what I read, modular houses don't appreciate as fast as a stick built. Resale is also less compared to a stick built. I'm guessing that until they are excepted by the average person as equal to or better then a stick built home, they will be valued less. Talk to a realtor in your area and see if it hold true.

 

[FJCruiserOwnersGroup]

more info:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/manuhomes/

No personal experience but I have been doing a lot of reading about home building (actuall building my home now). From what I read, modular houses don't appreciate as fast as a stick built. Resale is also less compared to a stick built. I'm guessing that until they are excepted by the average person as equal to or better then a stick built home, they will be valued less. Talk to a realtor in your area and see if it hold true.

Out here in California, the differences in initial cost are where the biggest savings occurs. Once the home is finished, it's valued as if it were just another home. They seem to sell for the same prices (Newport Beach and Costa Mesa) as other homes in the neighborhoods. Of course, this may be an anomality; the modulars are replacing old 1950s houses.

 

[Degnol]

They are usually jig-built, with dry wood, in "the dry" and are usually more square and tight than any stick-built stuff. I have seen them so complete that they are wallpapered with the wallcovering folded back, ready for the drywaller to tape and mud one seam and flip the paper(and carpet, for that matter) back and trim.
The only objection I have had was the lack of design freedom, but that is now passe', because they have figured out ways around the "stacked boxes" theme.
Do it.

Ed

 

[White Shark]

Having worked in the Mortgage business, I have to agree with NukeLemon regarding loans. Most of the national lenders I've dealt with have yet to accept engineered homes as anything other than large scale modular / trailers. As such, very few lenders will touch them, and those that do charge a high premium in rate and fees.

Casinos are built with modular sections as are many houses, and this mode of construction seems to be growing in acceptance. Unfortunately, many conservative builders and loan companies have yet to come to a consensus regarding standardized building and construction techniques.

You may save money with a modular initially, but you may pay more in the long run due to higher interest rates and fees. Look around carefully before making the jump. Good Luck, WS

 

[ain't your mamas cruizer]

I did a lot of research before picking the company we went with. Most companies have local dealers you work with, mine didn't which cut out the "middle man" expenditure. We worked directly with the sales associate on site of the warehouse (which we walked through and watched every time we were there) and walked through the onsite models. There was little flexibility in floor layout (all their homes are pre certified and inspected according to code in the states they deliver to) but their layouts were simple and functional. We were able to hire out the interior upgrades we wanted that they didn't offer (granite countertops, wood floors and fixtures). We moved in Memorial day weekend and love every inch of it.

As far as mortgage companies go, there are some that will not lend on manufactured houses, however we used Countrywide which has been a pleasure and easy to work with. They offer a one time close construction loan where you only pay for one closing and once the house is complete you switch it over to a conventional mortgage. Draws happen on the same day as inspection and the people are helpful.

As far as resale, it depends on your states RE laws. Most don't require you to divulge whether you home is manufactured or not, and most people never can tell. More and more people are getting educated about these homes and the negative stigma associated will soon dissapate. It's the smart way to go and as long as you pick the right company, you will be happy.


Good luck. If you have any more questions, please pm me.