Ok, so I realize that modular homes or system built home (not HUD home/trailers and not mobile homes) are not a new concept. I have researched these and am still on the fence about them. Their system seems very sound and logical in building in sections, much like SIPS, in a factory and them assembling all the pieces at the home site. They advertise that the cost savings is significant over stick built homes for a variety of reasons (again, all logical and I can see how they save money). My question, is what are peoples opinions of modular homes and does anyone have any personal experiences they would be willing to share?

I'm a custom builder, had the same questions so I decided to build one & sell it. All in all it went well, except that it was a cape with unfinished second floor which I finished on site. I realized too late that getting all the trades into the house hadn't made sense in terms of evaluating the mod company. Cost turned out to be comparable to building on site. A house that did not need further finish like a ranch, would probably end up a little cheaper. My one problem was that both main floor sections were racked at the joining beam about 3" in opposite directions. the setting company recommended by the manufacturer shrugged his shoulders & refused to deal with it; likewise the manufacturer, so I spend some time tapering the wall joint & repairing the problem. I should mention I had specified a 16' opening where the two units met - I don't know if this would have happened if it had interior drywalled walls. Interior finishes done at the factory were done well.

The house is cheaper than site built when it leaves the factory, but it isn't complete. It still needs a boiler & connections, water pump & tank & connections, electrical panel, foundation, exterior steps, plus finishing roof shingles, exterior siding, exterior trim and interior finishing where the units join. Some dealers go cheap on these things to keep the cost down, so you should look at some units the dealer has completed & pay special attention to what he did on site.

There were too many complications (heights/widths etc) in building trhe type of houses i was interested in, so I did not pursue it further. There is a new manufacturer locally now who is building very energy efficient buildings, so I will check them out.

I have worked on several modular projects. Four different suppliers, and both conventional and SIPS construction. Each had its own pecularities, both good and bad. As Bob said, they all start out less expensive at the factory, but loose some or all that cost difference by the time they are finished on site. I like the concept, and under the right conditions, I think they are a good value. The quality is generally as good or better than site built, they are certainly built stronger than site built conventional stick frame. If I had a good source closer to my location, I would defiantly use them for some projects.

I recently completed a home with R40 SIP walls built modularly in PA.  My home is in Massachusetts.  I have posted everything about the project on a website I created to help people like yourself.  While I GCd the project, I am not a builder.  The site deals with everything from the foundation to the finishing touches including how I dealt with many of the issues along the way.

Yes, there was still quite a bit of work to be done onsite.  However, I am fairly certain that I could not have afforded this house if it were not built in a factory.

Check out www.GouinGreen.com.  I also advise you keep trolling through the tons of useful stuff on this site. 

Good luck,
Ed

I bought three modulars for my kids 4 years ago . went with Four Season brand, made in Middlebury ind.
one thing i can say for sure is that they are economical to live in. while these are small ones i got (28 x 40) ranch style, they have all been able to heat them with about 750 gal of propane for the entire winter


modular house

Construction costs for a modular home are sometimes less per square foot than for a similar site-built home. And there are other cost-saving features, Many modular homes are very energy efficient, which helps reduce your heating and cooling costs. Your home will probably be ready to move into much sooner than if you wait for a builder to construct a house on-site.

I did a custom built modular main floor and stick built ground floor hybrid and am sorry I just didn't go with stick built, so that I could have controlled the insulation installation and finish work of the modular. This probably has more to do with who built the modular, than the fact that it was modular. So, I would stay away from Manorwood a division of Commodore. They are supposed to be using the thermal barrier checklist and be "energy star" ready, but they sure weren't with the Mod they built for me.

The structure of the house seems very good to excellent - I have a truss floor system, double band joist, 2X6 exterior and partition walls, all very sound and solid. We had to redo the front 26 feet of ceiling/roof structure because I did not get what I had ordered (not at my cost thanks to my written contract - the folks who sold the home to me fixed the problem, though I paid to put in R50 CC2# foam in the redone ceiling/roof and also the band joist). The quality of the installation of the attic insulation - blown in cellulose - and the wall insulation, R21 fiberglass batts, is WAY below my standards. The roof insulation I was able to fix, by foaming the marriage wall, and blowing all the cellulose from the front 26 feet of the house into the back 20 feet, but to redo the wall insulation, I would have to remove all the sheetrock, and I am not willing to do that. With the great attic and ceiling insulation, and with me sealing all the electrical boxes on the outside walls (which they did not do) the modular (main floor) section seems to be almost as temperature stable as the ground floor (stick built). I also desired 1 inch of foam board over the entire exterior sheathing to cut down on thermal bridging, but that option was not available.

The finish work, particularly the sheetrock, was dreadful. I don't even understand how you can get so many uneven surfaces in what is basically a flat surface, and we wont even mention the seams. I went with their basic woodwork, cabinets (though I did have them custom build 10 linear ft of the counter to a 36 inch depth) , laminates, and vinyl flooring, with a plan to replace the flooring in the near future. As per my desire, this did not come with appliances or a bath or shower unit (I had this custom built), or lighting in the kitchen/living/dining room, but was otherwise finished to primer. I did upgrade the insulation, as far as they would let me, and the vinyl siding, over their standard.

Cost for the 30 ft 5 inch X 46 foot modular, including the 2# CC foam, was $71/sq ft. Once it is finished, and including the ground floor, foundation, utilities (including a 500 gal propane tank I purchased), heating system, rain water system, decks, appliances, completely furnished and finished, it will be around $78/sq ft. I did GC this and also completed/am completing several of the building tasks myself (such as sealing and insulating the ground floor, all the painting, the radiant floor system etc). If I can get some energy efficiency kick backs from the Feds and State, it should shave a couple of bucks a sq ft off the price.

I already owned the land, so that is not included in the price, and I had an existing well with fairly new pump to tap into, though I did install a new water pressure system and had to run around 200 foot of water line to join it to the new house.

Hope this helps (though it was probably much more info than you wanted)
-Rosalinda

this is how it should look like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KML2oafKi4k&feature=player_embedded



adi
http://torontonetzerohouse.blogspot.com/