Modular Homes.

Been looking to move closer to the NYC but not to close, like an hour and a half ~ two hours out.

Saw the motor home thread, and it light bulbed for me, thinking about buying a lot 1/2 acre or so and putting a prefab/modular home on it.

Pro's

Cheaper then new build, classic way.
lots of designs to choose from.

What I am interested in are the unseen costs, the building on site, delivery, and hookups for water/electric etc. Also where mights be a good area for this? Where would be the worst?

Thanks in advance.

First off id like to excuse my poor typing since I'm on a tablet. Secondly modular homes are generally less expensive than site built homes, but a lot of that depends on your foundation. Are you wanting to get a steel reinforced slab, a post tension slab, or a pier and beam foundation?

I inspect new residential construction to code as a contractor for an engineering firm in houston. I want to tell you that site built homes are constructed the same as a modular or manufactured home these days. All modular and manufactured homes are built to at least 2006 IRC standards or greater. Have no fears about the quality of what you're getting.

Some of the nightmares I have heard about modular homes are the companies that contract to them for things like sewer, patio fabrication, and other things of that nature. I would find a dealer in your area and find reviews from customers and make my decision from there.

Thanks for the quick reply.

What kind of foundation would you recommend for a 1.5 story / 2 story Modular? It in NY, so freezing/thaw is an issue but doubt tornadoes, earthquakes, etc will be a concern. I have been looking around some websites at designs mostly since Just toying around at this point, but as time get closers I don't really see a huge downside.

What are some of the things to look out for, include, when drafting up a deal? if familiar with it I'd love to kno.

Do you know what delivery costs / building costs normally run? Are there even any of these costs, or is it one lump price that covers all except the land and sewer/electric.

When you say patio do you mean the concrete slab or like.. a Patio where I would sit and get drunk / grill meat?

You'll need to get a soil survey done on your land to determine certain aspects of the slab. Personally I am fond of pier and beam type foundations. They're quick, easy, and extremely cost efficient.

I'm not entirely familiar with the delivery/set up cost, but I'd almost guarantee you it's all going to one lumps sum to include everything. That's a big selling point for these companies. You show up, sign a contract, and get a fully functional home. No one wants to pay 6 different companies and then still owe a mortgage payment.

Patio would be your deck/porch area if you choose to get one of those. I would if you're not a carpenter/handy man type because depending on your location and what regulations the municipality you fall have in place you could end up paying a lot more for one later.

Your best bet is to dive right in, and go to their offices and ask a ton of questions. Ask them about building materials, what code year it's built to, is it energy star rated, what's included, what's expected to be paid up front.

I wish I had more knowledge on these things, and I'm actually looking at buying a home right now with my va benefits. I'll look into it and if I find anything I'll definitely let you know.

Much appreciated, Was thinking about going with a foreclosure and rehabin it but for price/work/ dealing with the mess of a foreclosure buy.... Makes even lawyers shudder.

This seems more economical and I won't find a dry rotted structural support or cracked foundation etc etc. I'm not seriously considering this a forever home but I refuse to rent so cheap(in price) and functional is what I'm looking for right now.

Have you actually looked into any of the companies that offer this sort of thing? Most of them probably have a FAQ ready and waiting to answer the questions you asked.

For instance, someone linked to one of this company's products on my Facebook feed today. Their 550 sq. ft. cabin is roughly the same size as the apartment I presently live in, so even if it sounds small, it's a comfortable size for one person. Anyhow, here's their FAQ, which appears to cover most of what you were asking about: FabCab FAQs

Incidentally, I'm not shilling for them, it is just happy coincidence that I was browsing their site a couple hours ago.

am i missing something about those fabcab buildings? Because i see for small and medium structures that its ~300 per sqr ft. So there smaller model of 550 sqr ft is around 165,000. And that doesn't include transport or anything else.
One of there large models 1029 sqr ft at ~250 per sqr ft = 257,250 plus everything else. That seems expensive as hell for something that size?

kick *** topic. Learnt a lot.

The average cost per square foot to build a home is around $125. These people are a but over priced but their product does look to be on the higher end of things. Which is not to say its worth it, but people pay for things they like. The typical home builder usually has a mark up of about $40,000 per home so I'm assuming that's a way for them to include that in their deal since they're not building on lots and selling you the whole package.

When you ask on forums, you will get info like

"Make sure they include foundation linking in the price or you get surprised by a $1000 fee!" ***like that

All thes "Faqs" are just dressed up sales pitches.