Q. What is a modular home?
A. A modular home is simply a home built to local building codes in a controlled, environmentally protected building center using precise and efficient construction technology. No rain or any other adverse weather conditions are present to slow down or harm the building process. Skilled and experienced craftsmen construct each modular home one piece of lumber at a time to the same state, county or other specific local building codes as any site-constructed home. These homes are inspected throughout every construction phase for strict quality conformance. Once the sections are complete they are transferred to the site where they are placed on a permanent foundation, joined together and completed by your local builder. Once completed, modular homes are indistinguishable from site-built homes in appearance, appreciation and performance.
Q. What does a Modular home look like?
A. Today's Modular home looks like any other house on the street. In fact, you can't tell them apart. Modular builders can build almost any style home from a simple Ranch to a highly customized Contemporary. Modular producers are also building office buildings, banks, school, motels and other structures. You may have been in one and not even realized it.
Q. What is the difference between the terms “Mobile Home”, "Manufactured Home", and "Modular Home"?
A. Manufactured homes, often referred to as "mobile, single or double wide homes", are constructed to a different building standard. The standard is the Federal Construction Safety Standard or HUD code. Unlike conventional building codes, it requires manufactured homes to be constructed on non-removable steel chassis and do not have a permanent foundation. Of these three, modular homes are also the only one that can have a full basement. Many communities have restrictions on where (and if) these homes can be located.
Modular homes (even though they are "manufactured") and site-built homes on the other hand, are constructed to the same building code as required by your state and local authorities. Building and zoning regulations do not therefore restrict where they can be constructed. Modular homes are built to the same building code required by your state, county, and specific locality and are not restricted by building or zoning regulations. The quality control process provides one-hundred percent assurance that your home has been inspected for compliance with code and workmanship. Your new modular home is inspected at the plant during each stage of construction.
Q. Modular homes and traditional homes? What are the differences?
A. Modular homes and traditional homes (“site-built”) are both stick-built and use the same quality materials throughout the house. The major difference between the two is the process by which they are built, as opposed to the house itself.
The process of constructing a modular home is like a production line, where specialized equipment is used to achieve precision and on-line inspectors insure quality. Materials in a modular plant, as well as the house on the production line, are not exposed to rain, wind, or other extreme weather conditions. Likewise, the skilled craftsmen in the modular factory construct homes with consistent quality and precision since they do not need to work adverse weather conditions.
Q. Why do I sometimes hear bad things about modular homes?
A. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, modular homes have been confused with manufactured and mobile homes. The three are vastly different, and among them, modular is the only one built to the same state and local building codes required by site builders. Another reason is because design options of modular homes used to be very limited. Since the introduction of Computer Aided Design and technological advances in manufacturing, modular homes of today bear no resemblance to their “boxy” predecessors. A third reason reason that people are resistant to modular construction is that is represents change – which is not always welcome. The good news is that a completed modular home is indistinguishable from a site-built home and will appraise at the same value (or higher). There’s not need to be concerned about the re-sale value of your modular home, especially when people see for themselves the quality and craftsmanship throughout.
Q. Why should I choose modular construction over site-built?
A. There are numerous advantages to modular construction!
Quality is inherent in the controlled manufacturing facility. Modular homes will save you heating and cooling costs because their precision construction means less air infiltration and 2x6 construction means more insulation to keep your warm. Homes are completed in half the time of site-built reducing interest paid on your construction loan. You can also feel good about the fact that your modular home has many “green” attributes due its energy efficiency, the reduction of waste in the construction process, and the use of recycled and durable materials.
With modular construction you have the design flexibility to get the custom design you want. Costs and timelines are easily controlled since 80% of the construction is done at the factory. Perhaps the greatest advantage of all is less complexity, less stress, and a significantly better experience for the homebuyer!
Q. Can I design my own modular home?
A. Absolutely! In fact, Athena Custom Homes are 100% custom. We’ll sit down with you in a detailed design session and capture all your requirements. You’ll even be able to see your house in 3D from the inside or out as we design it.
Q. What kind of options do I have in my modular home?
A. Virtually every option you can imagine! There are numerous interior options and amenities in cabinetry, flooring, lighting fixtures, pluming fixtures, Jacuzzis, fireplaces - just to name a few. Structural options include cathedral and vaulted ceilings, 9’ ceilings, archways, columns, curved staircases – and many more. You also have complete control over the outside appearance of your home as you choose features such as gables and dormers and finishes such as siding, doors and shutters.
Q. How long does it take to build a modular home?
A. Of course, it depends on the size of the house and the number of modules used to construct it. However, since consistent quality and speed are a main advantage of this type construction, a modular home can be built in half the time it would take to build a comparable home on-site.
Q. Since a modular home is built so quickly, am I really getting a quality home?
A. Yes, because the time savings come from efficiency in the factory, not rushed construction.
An average colonial home has four modules. Since modules are constructed in an assembly-line fashion, all four modules of the colonial are on the assembly line at the same time. That means that the construction is being done “in parallel” times four. In addition, the factory environment enables various craftsmen to work simultaneously on a module, further reducing construction time. There are also no weather delays, or delays from contractors not showing up when they’re needed. Another time savings comes from the fact that the site work (excavation & foundation) can be done while the house is being built in the factory. Obviously in site-built construction, you can’t start building the house before the foundation is complete!
It’s also worth mentioning that a study by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) after a major hurricane made the following observations, “Overall, relatively minimal structural damage was noted in modular housing developments. The module-to-module combination of the units appears to have provided an inherently rigid system that performed much better than conventional residential framing.” Attached is a 2-page PDF of their assessment of modular construction. If interested, a copy of the full 90-page report is available from FEMA at 1800-480-2520. Ask for publication number FIA-22, item 3-0180.
Q. How much does a modular home cost?
A. We’re very competitive in our pricing, especially when compared to other quality custom builders. Don’t mistake competitive with cheap, however. We are competitive due to the efficiencies of modular construction, not because we compromise on quality. However, if you’re looking for the low bidder regardless of quality, we’re probably not the builder for you. Our standard building specifications include quality materials and building practices. We won’t use anything less than our standards and won’t compromise quality for cost.
When it comes to cost, there are also long-term savings of modular construction. Energy efficiency will save you money year after year – as savings that will increase because the cost of energy is increasing. You will also save on repair bills because of the durability and quality throughout your home.
Q. Is financing a Modular home a problem?
A. No. There is no distinction between a modular and site built home as far as appraisal and financing is concerned. Most Banks and lending institutions treat both types the same. In fact, banks that are educated about modular construction actually prefer to give a construction loan for modular construction than for site building. Knowledgeable lenders have customized procedures for modular construction loans. We would be happy to give you information on those lenders.
Q. How do I get started?
A. Call today, let us know where you are in the process, and we’ll guide you from there. What you do next depends on where you are right now. Do you have land? Are you looking for land or doing a teardown? Do you know what type of house you want? Do you want to look at options? It might be a good time for us to sit down and start working on your custom design, or maybe your lot should be evaluated before you go further. You might just need some questions answered so you can do some more work on your own.
Regardless of where you are, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’ll be happy to get you started!