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

[Rustyiron]

Formost builds a very nice house and has been at it for a long time.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I don't like the Clayton homes, but they own many of the other companies. There is one Oakwood brand 2 story floor plan we like, but the builder would likely be R-Anell in NC.

As to the roads, I just had 100 log trucks enter and lave the property, is that good enough? There one steep spot on the loop driveway by the house...

I'm open to a stick built, very much so, but most of these Norther A guys are either starving, or think they are Mansion builders...

As to the resale, we will not be selling until zoning or economy want to buy my 51 acres for a subdivision, and then the house will not matter...

I just want a MUCH MORE comfortable living space... No looking for a mansion or dream home. Not yet...

Been too busy last 2 weeks to gather more info...

Thanks all for the info!

David

 

[teejk]

Woodchuck, there is a basement (the 40 corners I mentioned above...little jogs everywhere but that was the design of the house). I paid extra for 9' walls but absolutely no regrets there because of the AC ducting. We bought the blue-prints from a company that sells a book full of house designs. We turned those over to the builder and they modified them somewhat to accommodate their methods (trusses vs. rafters, changes to window sizes, etc.) but overall it is basically the same house. We contracted the insulation, drywall hanging, rough plumbing and most of the HVAC work. We taped the drywall, laid the radiant in-floor tubing, did the finish wood trim/interior doors, installed the flooring (tile and laminate wood) and did the majority of the wiring (with a licensed electrician watching over us). I built the kitchen cabinets. I'm not complaining but looking back it was A LOT of work.

 

[dmccarty]

The key thing in having a good looking house AND not have it look like a trailer, is to have a porch and at least a 4/12 roof pitch. Our city house was stick built and had a crappy "porch" which was really a walkway to the front door. Without that walkway/porch the house would have looked like a double wide. In reality, the floor plan was such that it could easily have been a double wide. A porch is very useful and really changes the look of a house.

Our builder had an older modular home and he had trouble selling it not because it was modular per say but because the house had a 3/12 roof pitch, not much of a porch, and the ceilings were a tad under 8 feet. The modular homes we looked at had options for 9 foot ceilings, higher roof pitches, and porches. One of the first modular homes I every saw was a Cape Cod style home. Really nice. They left the upstairs unfinished when the house was built to save money and the owners eventually finished out the upstairs.

Later,
Dan

 

[Turbys_1700]

I don't like the Clayton homes, but they own many of the other companies. There is one Oakwood brand 2 story floor plan we like, but the builder would likely be R-Anell in NC.

As to the roads, I just had 100 log trucks enter and lave the property, is that good enough? There one steep spot on the loop driveway by the house...

I'm open to a stick built, very much so, but most of these Norther A guys are either starving, or think they are Mansion builders...

As to the resale, we will not be selling until zoning or economy want to buy my 51 acres for a subdivision, and then the house will not matter...

I just want a MUCH MORE comfortable living space... No looking for a mansion or dream home. Not yet...

Been too busy last 2 weeks to gather more info...

Thanks all for the info!

David

R-Anell's plant is located 6 miles from my home. Many of the better units in my area are R-Anell's. They build a good unit. If I was in the market for a modular I would not be hesitant of R-Anell.

 

[dodge man]

I know one person, but not very well, that had one built. Her problem was it seemed like everything was an extra, and I'm talking silly things. She put it on a foundation and there weren't going to be stairs going into the basement, that was extra. I think the quality was just O.K. It looked real plain on the outside but was a pretty good sized two story house.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

When we put ours in I had an excavator on site to help move the house up the road. We just picked the back end up to get around the tight corners. Set in February when the ground was frozen! worked our real well. Strawing the foundation sucked however.

 

[dmccarty]

I know one person, but not very well, that had one built. Her problem was it seemed like everything was an extra, and I'm talking silly things. She put it on a foundation and there weren't going to be stairs going into the basement, that was extra. I think the quality was just O.K. It looked real plain on the outside but was a pretty good sized two story house.

That is what happened to us with one company. They just nickled and dimed us to a point where the price was outrageous. What was funny was the modular sales company had two lots, one for modular homes, and next door, one for mobile homes. There was a sales office between the two lots...

We had a meeting one Saturday with the modular home sales guy, and just because it was the easiest to get into, we parked on the mobile home side of the office. We parked right next to the sales guys very nice, almost brand new, large Mercedes Benz. Hmmm, said I. The sales guy eventually noticed where we parked and mentioned that the car was his wife's who was a real estate agent. Hmmmm. Someone is making an awful lot of money and I think it is the guy charging an arm and a leg to put in extract electrical outlets....

We spent quite a bit of time with this guy working on a deal but he priced himself right out of a sale.

Later,
Dan

 

[flusher]

My double-wide manufactured home was built on my 10-acre ranch in Tehama County, CA in Sep 2005 thru Jan 2006. 1800 sf, 3BR, 2B, 8'ft walls, 5:12 roof pitch, Hardipanel and Hardyplank exterior, triple dormers on a roof bump-up, large front porch. House is on a permanent foundation with 24" crawl space.

Manufacturer was Golden West Homes, a division of Clayton Homes, located in Portland, OR. The on-site work took so long because the top part of the roof trusses were erected after the house was delivered (to get under the overpasses on I5 between Portland, OR and Red Bluff, CA. Same for the dormers and the front porch which were built on-site. Also in 2005 the building boom was in full swing and I could only get the installation crew on-site for 2 or 3 days per week.

No problems with the home in the 10 years I owned it. Sold it in Jan 2015.



Good luck

 

[MossflowerWoods]

R-Anell's plant is located 6 miles from my home. Many of the better units in my area are R-Anell's. They build a good unit. If I was in the market for a modular I would not be hesitant of R-Anell.

Thank You!

That is good to know!

David

 

[dmccarty]

A few years ago, we looked at a bunch of modular homes built by Vanderbilt. They were really nice and well designed. They are supposed to be up in VA as well as NC.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

A few years ago, we looked at a bunch of modular homes built by Vanderbilt. They were really nice and well designed. They are supposed to be up in VA as well as NC.

Later,
Dan

 

[japody]

An important part of the process is checking on the company that will put the modular in place. In our case the house was beautiful, but the company that put it up was third rate at best. It took a lot of effort to get them to correct problems they created. We are happy in the house but, it took a lot to get to this point. Make sure you get referrals and do check with them. The end result was considerably less than stick built but, again, a lot of effort to get there.

 

[MossRoad]

My old boss had one done for her. She and her husband are quite intelligent, and they did a good cost analysis of the whole thing VS a stick built home. Here's what she said...

Once you choose all the "good stuff" options for a modular factory built home, it didn't save them a penny VS having stick built. The reason they went with the modular was time. From the time they dug the hole to the time they were done was about 5 weeks.

One thing her husband (an engineer) did was to spec out a steel I beam that spanned the entire length of the house. Their basement has NO supports in it. Clear, open space end-to-end and side-to-side. That was well worth the extra cost to them. The crane that set the I beam also set the house halves. Good planning was key.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

... The reason they went with the modular was time. From the time they dug the hole to the time they were done was about 5 weeks.

One thing her husband (an engineer) did was to spec out a steel I beam that spanned the entire length of the house. Their basement has NO supports in it. ...

MossRoad,

The 5 weeks vs 90-120 days is a HUGE consideration for us also. And I not only have the single span I-beam as you mention, I have 2 side to side I-beams also and my current 28' x 48' basement has no posts. I will not be removing them.

I do not NEED all the extra plus ups, I may opt for lots of better grade linoleum due to the dog and fact my place is 51 acres of outdoors that tracks inside. Good windows, propane cook top, excellent heat pump etc. will be my upgrades I suspect.

There are at least two "build on your land" stick companies near me, "Mitchell Homes" and "America's Home Place" whom I will call just to keep the modular guy honest (and for my own edification).

But work and wedding planning, and moving her in has consumed all my time...

Be well all,
David

 

[MossRoad]

Some of her upgrades included 2x6 walls, stronger roof, stronger floor, better shingles, better windows, better interior walls (thicker drywall), better insulation, etc... she was in her 30's and wants to die in the house in about 70 years! :laughing:

 

[oosik]

I have two friends who have factory built modular homes. One is a TBN member and hopefully will respond. The other built about 35 miles south of Flagstaff, AZ. We visited them a couple times and they were very pleased with the house.

One is only about 40 miles south of me, so it will experience cold wx. The other was in the heat of the AZ desert and has faired well. Unfortunately, I do not know either brand.

 

[wjmst]

My modular home was built in 2005. I just replaced the roof last month because it was leaking. It was not installed right initially. Upon further investigation I will need to replace insulation because it too was not installed properly.

While the home was still under warranty we had the company come out a couple of times to fix some issues. Most of those issues weren't fixed properly either.

Would I buy another modular home? I doubt it.

 

[jaydee325]

My modular home was built in 2005. I just replaced the roof last month because it was leaking. It was not installed right initially. Upon further investigation I will need to replace insulation because it too was not installed properly.

While the home was still under warranty we had the company come out a couple of times to fix some issues. Most of those issues weren't fixed properly either.

Would I buy another modular home? I doubt it.

Pretty much sums up our experience as well.

Would not buy another modular either.

 

[Sigarms]

Not that it matters, but ZOMBIE THREAD!

I was scratching my head over replying becuase I've been looking at modular vs stick built for my MIL on our property, and remember this thread per the OP

Moving MossFlower to new Woods...

Hello TBN. I have sold my 51 acre home of the last 10 years and I am moving to 19.5 acres 30+ minutes closer to DC & work. Many, many changes in these last 10 years, many of the documented here (LOL). So this thread will document my journey, and then it will be continue as I remodel this New...

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