Modular Homes - Good/Bad experiences... I am considering this pretty seriously...

[lilranch2001]

And you determined the difference how?
And the extent?

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I see it like this... My new car gets a dent while being delivered to the dealer, and my new car now needs body work to fix it before I ever take possession. Or, through normal use the car sustains a dent that needs repair. I see the latter as more acceptable. It calls into question, what else got damaged, loosened, knocked out of square during transport? I like the idea of modulars, but not the idea of it needing repairs before I can even take possession.

 

[lilranch2001]

Ahh. So for instance a home built in the field that was built incorrectly ( a home in the above mentioned new addition) and 1/4 of the framing had to be tore apart after drywalling and rebuilt because the framers did not pay attention to the drawings, is better than some cosmetic drywall damage?

 

[EddieWalker]

Sheetrock should never crack in a stick built home. If a contractor is coming back to fix cracks in the sheetrock, it's because they messed up really bad framing the roof, or the new owner did something to damage the sheetrock. In every house that I've seen where the framing was wrong, it's because they used lumber that was too small for the span of the room. It's a lot more common then most people realize. Here, it's usually blamed on the clay soil, and the foundation. It's always the framing in the roof!!!!

 

[lilranch2001]

The problem/strength of modular is the strength of the panel.

If EVERYTHINGis straight and level, most of the job will go as designed, but we all know all foundations are not straight and level.

When those panels are forced to conform to a less than perfect foundation is many times the cause of a drywall failure.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

2 years into our modular, not a single crack. If it's built right from he begining, there should be no issues of cracking. And that is after transport. They are designed and made to withstand transport. All depends on the quality of builder I guess...
Stick builders will tell you horror stories about modulars to get the job.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Ahh. So for instance a home built in the field that was built incorrectly ( a home in the above mentioned new addition) and 1/4 of the framing had to be tore apart after drywalling and rebuilt because the framers did not pay attention to the drawings, is better than some cosmetic drywall damage?

That's an outlier

 

[Comancheria]

Our first home was a modular on a full block basement.
We used a general contractor for the foundation build and a block guy I knew.
The GC screwed me over on the foundation portion where the block guy made notches for where the main support beams would sit .
The GC was supposed to add threaded ribar to these spots and cement the ribar into the hollow block and the threaded ribar would allow the beams to be bolted to the foundation.
Then the steel framing of the double wide would be welded to the main support beams that are bolted to the block foundation BUT…..I witnessed the GC jist cemented cap blocks on the cutouts and just hoped I was too young and dumb to realize it….oh hell no ….I called him out on it and told him
He better make it right.
He was all apologetic about getting caught and lying to me.
He did make it right so I gave him another chance.

A few of the issues I had was crappy vinyl siding that almost immediately warped in the sun, the shingles on the roof that were installed with large staples instead of roofing nails.
I lost shingles after the first storm we had as it got windy up on that hill….some of it had to do with the cold weather the shingles were installed on when they put the two halves together.

Being a full basement I wanted to finish the basement and needed a ceiling.
Problem was it was all steel beams and I needed to attach 2x4’s using carriage bolts to screw my Sheetrock to….that sucked…..badly.
I also had to run plumbing from a well and install two garage doors….no big deal there but this was western PA and thing got cold there……and our first winter was blizzard ‘94’ and we had broken pipes along with everyone else up there.
Had over two months of negative 0 temps…..and when that first 40 degree day came youda thought it was spring time because the giant icicles started to melt and I did t have to fill up farm animal water buckets three times a day and break solid ice blocks.
The double wide held up fine but if I ever had to do it again I would build a new construction stick house myself….and that’s exactly what I did years later when I moved out of the God forsaken state and moved to Ga.

 

[NorTracNY]

My modular home has had less drywall cracking and nails popping than my parents stick built home. The crew did patch up the initial cracks from delivery and moving with the crane. I'm 100% satisfied with my modular. The one piece of advice I give is to find a place that is use to higher quality. There were some places that I felt like I was upgrading everything. I wanted someone that was giving me their standard quality and not hoping they would improve their game.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

To be fair, there is a wide gap in quality of builders... To fit a variety of budgets. I'm not sure what level of builder our friends chose. I am intrigued by the modular concept. I like the idea of a factory built, in controlled conditions, frame. I think we are leaning toward a barndominium, post built home.