What is a Modular Home? |
A Modular Home is single or multi-family house that is designed, engineered and built in a controlled environment. It is constructed in sections, transported and assembled on your building site. These factory built homes are designed to meet the state, local and regional codes of where they will be located. They are engineered using high quality materials for a lifetime of structural durability. Quality control is maintained throughout the building process with ongoing inspections. Once the homes are delivered to the sites, they are set with a crane and crew. The finishing process will then begin. Depending upon the type of home, the options and ammenities that you've chosen, the timeframe for the completion will vary typically from four to eight weeks.
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How are Modular Homes built? |
| The first step in building a Modular Home is the design. State of the art computer design programs enable an engineer to customize floor plans and produce drawings and material lists. Once designed, the building begins. |
Great detail is given to the strength of the floor and framework of the house. Modular Homes tend to use 20 - 30% more material in the frame than a stick built home. This is needed to ensure the safety in transporting the home to its final destination. Floor joists and sub-flooring are placed first.
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After the flooring, the wall panels are put into place. These panels will already have sheetrock on the inside and sheathing on the outside. At this point, the ceiling and roof assemblies are craned into position and secured. Hence, completing the frame portion of your home.
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Selected exterior roofing, doors and windows are installed at this point. Shortly thereafter, other exterior work such as housewrap, siding and shutters are completed.
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| At this point, the plumbing and electrical roughs are done. After the piping and wiring, the walls, nooks and crannies are sealed with insulation and inspected. |
| Now, the walls are painted, kitchen cabinets and fixtures are put into place, interior doors and molding are completed. All other work, such as flooring treatments, as well as the completion of the plumbing and electrical are done at this time. It will then be wrapped in a special protective material to be loaded and transported to your home site. |
How long does the building process take? |
Modular Homes have a definite time advantage over the traditional stick built homes. Speed and consistent quality are the two main goals. On an average, a two-section home can be finished inside the factory in a matter of four weeks. It is then transported to your foundation where a local builder would complete the finish work and connect the utilities. The whole process takes about four months from start to finish. |
Is my home built with the same quality as a stick built home? |
Modular Homes are built with the same materials as the traditional stick built, except in a controlled environment. The same processes that are used to stick build a home are used in the Modular Homes.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has devised a manufactured home enforcement program designed specifically for the Modular Homes. It's goal is to ensure the highest degree of safety in the design and construction of the home. HUD monitors the manufactured homes, designs, construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and overall quality.
Before it leaves the factory, a certification label is placed on each piece of the house by HUD to show its approval.
The homes are engineered for wind safety and energy efficiency based on the geographic region they are sold to. Properly installed homes can withstand winds of up to 100 - 110 mph in hurricane prone areas.
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Why should I consider a Modular Home? |
| Depending on the type of home you chose, Modular Homes are generally less expensive on average to build than a traditionally built stick home. |
| Modular Homes save you more valuable construction time than stick built homes. |
| Modular Homes appreciate the same way stick built homes do. |
| The construction materials, interior finishes and appliances are purchased in volume for customer extra savings. |
| Each step of the construction is inspected and designed to meet each state's building codes. |
| The technicians are always on the site, trained and professionally supervised. Inclement weather will not interfere with the time frame of your home building process. |
| The floor plans are extremely flexible. |
How do Modular Homes compare to the stick built homes? |
| Dante Builders, Inc. builds both Modular and stick built homes. The specifications and construction quality are very comparable. The choice of whether you want to build a Modular or stick built home is generally centered around speed, convenience and sometimes price. You can customize your designs extensively. Floor plans range from basic to elaborate. This flexibility allows you to meet your individual needs. |
| Along with flexible floor plans, your amenities could include vaulted ceilings, skylites, bay windows, dormers, large walk-in closets, designer kitchens, recessed lighting, whirlpool tubs, tile, fireplaces, double hung tilt windows, Oak stair systems, central vacuum system and decks. Exterior siding could include cedar, vinyl, shake, stucco or other popular exterior treatments. |
Can I customize my own house? |
Yes. Dante Builders has a large selection of Modular Homes to browse through. We have architectural software that will enable you to add characteristics to your home. Windows and doors can be moved around or deleted. Engineering capabilities depend greatly on the floor plan, software and builder. Give us a call to set up an appointment. We'll go through each stage of build with you.
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What do they look like? |
Today, technology has enabled us to build almost any type of home from a simple ranch to an elaborate contemporary style home. The Modular Homes look just like any other home. In fact, many people can't even tell the difference. Many of today's banks, schools, motels, hotels and office buildings are factory built. |
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