Estate and mortgageNew Homes: "Works-in-a-drawer" Homebuilding Comes into its Own
Did you know that manufactured homes represent one of the fastest growing segments of the construction industry? Manufactured (or modular) housing production increased 48 percent from 1992 to 2002, according to the National Association of Homebuilders" Building Systems Council.
Even in today"s challenging housing market, the slowdown has barely touched this emerging industry.
Why is it so popular? Lower costs, speedy construction, great craftsmanship and quality building products in a controlled setting may have something to do with it, according to industry experts.
But before you leap, there are a few things to learn about this type of home construction, according to a recent BUILDER magazine article.
First, make friends with the process. It"s not the same as stick framing for production homes. These homes are built in a factory in programmed stages from flooring to the finished home and set in place at the home site with about 90 percent of it completed. It is then assembled atop the foundation.
Next, research the company building your modular home. Modular housing can be better than stick-built, but the quality can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Check out the reputation as well as the finished product of the company you"re considering.
Give some serious thought to both the home site and the foundation. Adjustments to foundations can be made to the traditionally-built house, but it"s much more difficult to set an almost finished product on an out-of-plumb foundation. With modulars, it should be perfectly square within a half-inch tolerance. The home site also needs to be level and cleared of trees so that the gigantic crane that lifts the pieces and puts them in place is not hampered in its gargantuan efforts.
Last, but certainly not least, although modular home designs can be drawn up for even the most custom looks, keep the design fairly simple. Complicated roof designs cut into the savings you would otherwise enjoy in this type of build.
Consumers can find a wealth of information about manufactured housing by visiting the consumer pages at nahb.org.