Yesterday a customer asked Ron and I, "Why should I buy a modular home rather than a stick built home?". There a plenty of reasons to elect to buy a modular built home, which we gladly told him and will talk about here, but first let's talk about his question itself. It was based on the misconception that a modular home is not a stick built home. False. A modular home IS a stick built home. Modular is simply a construction process, not a type of house. We use the same grades (and often better) of lumber and construction components as someone building locally stick-by-stick. We just do it inside, using sophisticated tools and equipment, and then put the "modules" together at your location. Modular homes are constructed to the same code as site-built homes.
So back to the question why is a modular built home a better option than an on-site built home? Most estimates suggest between 20-40% more lumber and fasteners are used in factory-built homes compared to similar site-built homes. Our homes are inspected by highly-trained quality control personnel every step of the process, and by independent third-party agencies. The grade of wood must meet or exceed standard building code. A site builder can use any grade he gets a good price on at the lumber store. Even FEMA confirmed that modular homes withstood hurricanes better than conventional site-built homes.
Among the many advantages are the timeline from ordering to move in is 3-4 months or less. Seasons of bad weather don't delay your home construction as it is built in-door. Also, weather wear and damage are not factors as your home is not exposed to the elements.
So, why buy a modular built home? Once you understand the advantages of buying modular built, we think that the question is really "Why Not Build Modular"!
