It seems like a question that is becoming more popular as more people hear success stories from choosing this form of new home construction. There are several reasons why modular homes are becoming more popular and increasingly taking over a larger segment of the new housing market. Here are the key reasons. Higher quality - Modular homes are not manufactured homes or mobile homes.
Modular homes are constructed with the exact same materials as site-built homes and by the same building code standards. However, because these homes are transported from the factory to your building site, extra measures to improve durability and strength are added. As a result, this makes modular homes actually superior to site-built homes in quality. Less expensive - Modular homes are built in a factory setting away from the weather and in a setting where construction efficiently moves forward at a rapid pace. As a result, the time to build a modular home is less than half the time required to build a site-built home.
This save tremendous time in construction costs for both the manufacturer and consumer. In addition, there is less waste and better use of materials. In the end, modular homes cost about 20 percent less than site-built. Design savvy - You may think design options are limited for modular homes, but any design you want can be made by modular home building techniques. Any architectural plan can be accommodated by most manufacturers.
Consumers expect a degree of design options and styles, and this has been the focus of the modular industry. Even home designers and architects alike have embraced modular technology. Better investment - Combining high quality with less expensive costs clearly makes for a better home investment. In today's climate of rising foreclosures and looming recession, modular homes are making more sense than ever before. Time efficient - In a rush for that new home? Want to cut your construction loan time in half and get out of the temporary rental? Then modular is the way to go.
In one study, identically designed homes were built on site and in the modular factory. The end result demonstrated that it took 10 months from start to finish for a modular home (including design, financing and construction) to be completed, but 21 months for a site-built home. Time is of the essence! "Greener" - With less waste and an ability to attend to greater recycling efforts from the factory setting, the modular home industry focuses on the environment to a much greater extent than site-built homes. In addition, architectural designs are continually creating better modular features to augment energy efficiency. Solar panels, reduced "non-livable' space, and better airflow patterns are just some recent features added that show this industry's attention to being "green". There are several other reasons as well, but the above highlight the major aspects of how modular homes are rising above other options for new homes.
The best part is that unless you see a modular home assembled, you would never be able to tell the difference from a site-built home. The fact is many of your neighbor's homes are likely modular, and you never even knew it.
Michael Zenga founded ZN Custom Building in 2002 which specializes in building Modular Housing in the Boston, MA area. Known as the Modular Building Specialist, Michael is an unabashed advocate for the industry and contributes related articles to many publications.
