Modular Homes – The Future of Residential Construction

Construction industry is evolving from the point of view of homeowners, as people are increasingly opting for homes that are 'manufactured' at production units of companies instead of being site-built. Such homes are termed prefabricated, and primarily include modular and manufactured homes. Though people are apprehensive about the idea of getting homes made in a production plant, more and more people are choosing these homes due to factors like customizability and cost effectiveness. These homes cost at least 10-35% lesser than site-built homes, and allow the buyers to exercise control over how their home would look upon completion of the project.

Modular homes are considered the solution to problems of people who move very frequently, since these can be transferred from one location to another on wheeled platforms and cranes. Thus, if the residents have to move from one city or even state to another, they would have the option of settling down in familiar accommodation despite the new location. Manufactured homes are also favored by all prospective homeowners who are looking for homes that can provide high returns for the money they have invested in them. In this regard, the affordable prefabricated housing units are most suitable as these are cheap to buy, but their prices increase with time, just like those of site-built homes.

Many individuals and families seeking homes are looking at manufactured and modular homes as feasible options. Being resistant to adverse weather conditions, pests and earthquake, these homes allow buyers to enjoy luxurious lifestyle without any concerns regarding degradation. There are various housing societies that have been set up exclusively for such homes. Further, these prefabricated homes can also be installed with utmost ease at locations which are dominated by site-built units.

Modular and Manufactured Homes Offer Luxury Housing at Affordable Costs

Costs of homes are rising dramatically, and this has led to the increase in popularity of manufactured as well as modular homes among people across Canada. This is so because of the low costs of the building the homes in facilities where resources are readily available. However, luxury is guaranteed in manufactured homes, as buyers have flexibility of choosing floor plans as well as material used in building the whole unit or its parts. Additionally, they can also opt for upgrades periodically and make sure that their new factory-made home is world class.

Manufactured homes are built up to a single floor and provided to owners with option of non-drywall, full finished drywall or partial drywall, which is done as per their choices. Likewise, modular homes are constructed according to the floor plans chosen by them at company premises. Thus, they can customize the size of the rooms, add special areas, like expansive porch, mirror closets, bar or billiard room. Such flexibilities enable the manufacturers to provide these homes with facilities that are usually restricted to luxury accommodation.

By ordering a manufactured or modular home rather getting one built on-site, people can get all the features of a luxury home at 30-35% lower rates, depending upon area covered and location. People looking to enjoy lives in lap of luxury in prefabricated home order these with elegant bathroom fittings, remote controlled lighting, opulent doors and other designing features that enhance their overall aesthetic appeal. Similarly, exterior designing features like specialized roof tiles, decorative mailbox, complementing colors of wall and window paints as well as doors can be added to these buildings for making these more appealing and sophisticated.

Modular Homes Are Not Boxy Mobile Homes

Homes are perfect shelter for human being, where they can be protected from outside weather conditions and other disasters. The perception about new homes have considerably changed with the development in the construction technology. The Modular residences look like the traditionally built homes and are available from cottages to mansions. All these homes are accredited for their custom interiors and exteriors that are designed according to choices of the home makers. People can choose from a wide assortment of colors and designs for the interior flooring, carpeting, hardware, tiles and molding for these homes. However, people still believe that these Modular Homes are boxy mobile homes, which are known for simplicity or rectangularity. These homes are not the same as the cramped “boxy mobile homes” in the past, but are similar to the traditionally built homes that simply exceed beyond the buyer's imagination.

The Modular Homes are mainly constructed by retrofitting the mobile homes with contemporary looking manufactured houses. These manufactured homes can be custom designed or can help in upgrading the older mobile homes. All the Modular structures are available with a wide array of house styles and plans, such as split level, two-storey housing and many more. These manufactured homes are a bit different to the conventional homes, as these are built in a high-tech, temperature controlled factory. The panels are built inside the factory, which make these Modular Homes resistant to the changes in the weather conditions. Above all, the insulation in these advanced buildings is much better than the traditionally built homes. All these features make these Modular structures totally different and unique from the “boxy mobile homes”.

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Home Improvement of Manufactured Homes

The floor plan known as American Geodesic makes use of interior wallboard, polystyrene insulation and steel plates. Builders usually keep many designs which cater to this floor plan. Moreover, it is easier to customize and make changes while using the American Geodesic plan. In a long run, this floor plan proves to be more economical than a stick-built home. Installation of this plan does not need the added expenditure incurred in adding gutters, insulation, shingles, tar paper, plywood and roof trusses. The sheathing, external finish and the complete structural framework can be completed by concreting the sides and linking the steel mesh.

There are essentially two types of floor plans for manufactured homes, namely the blueprint for rapid modular homes and American Geodesic dome plan. The former are low-cost houses built by home builders, which make use of structural insulated panels. Home builders can complete this floor plan in a matter of three days based upon the help from a three-member squad. Around 2,000 sq. ft. of panel assembly is possible in this floor plan without the need of mounting a dry wall next to the interior panels. The vertical and horizontal chases that run inside the panels are used as a background for electrical wiring. Structural insulated panels provide the added advantage of usage of less amount of energy.

Home builder also use the structural insulated panels for the purpose of creating a resilient construction plate. The walls and aluminum in the roofs are substantiated by the combination of foamed core in between the two cement panels. Roofs, ceilings and walls are constructed by home builders by using the specially manufactured panels. Thus, the client need not spend a fortune on wood for constructing homes, and even gain from a number of other environmental benefits, such as saving energy.

Modular - A Traditional Home Builder Construction

The Modular Homes have multiple uses as these can be used for long-term temporary or permanent facilities. Furthermore, these houses are an ideal solution in rural and remote areas, where traditional construction may not be possible or reasonable. While constructing these homes, the materials are purchased in bulk directly from the credible suppliers, which help in saving cost and eliminating the middleman. In addition to this, Modular construction generally takes place indoors, which increases efficiency.

The Modular components are ideally constructed inside a unique indoor facility, which uses an assembly line track for easy movement of the modules from one place to another. While constructing these structures, independent building inspectors visit the site for supervising the process and for ensuring that all the building codes are followed. The modules used for construction are assembled off-site in a factory and then are transported to the site for assembling with the help of a crane. It generally takes several hours or days for properly placing these modules together. Once, these modules are assembled, the Modular Homes are simply indistinguishable from the traditionally built homes.

With the traditional home construction, a huge amount of preparation is required first. The duration of the construction process is also affected at times with the weather and contractor scheduling. This also exceeds the cost of labor and material replacement. The problem has been overcome with the emergence of Modular Homes. These houses in turn reduce the amount of time and money required for the completion of project. Though, a traditionally built home often decreases in value over time, a carefully built Modular structure can increase the value due to its longevity.

These contemporary structures are easy to assemble on top of several foundation surfaces like crawl space, stilts, standard slab at grade or basements. Moreover, the exterior wall surfaces can also be finalized according to the choices and preferences of the home makers.