Tell me about your manufactured/modular home. Pros and cons

[silkiechicken]

So, that's basically it.

If you have a manufactured home, what do you and what don't you like about it? Why did you chose to buy one vs a stick built?

ETA:

For easier reference to understand what people are coming from...

What year was yours built?
Where did you live in it, ie, local climate?
What is aproximate square footage? (Since from what I see, they are now to be gotten between 900sq feet to over 4000sq feet!!!

 

[debilorrah]

I don't have one but I have lived in one I rented and I would buy one in a heart beat. I was laid on it's own foundation and you would never know it wasn't sticks It was also soooo efficient my bills for everything were so low I couldn't believe it. it was well built, economical, light, airy, cozy and warm in winter, and open and cool in the summer. And the owners paid about $100K less for it than they would have a regular home.


Built in 1990 (lived in it in 91)
it was 2600 sq ft
2 seasons with some pretty heafty winters

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

Mines ok but Ill never do it again. I chose it because I was right out of Highschool and getting married and didnt want to wait to build a house. Now I wish Id waited. Biggest thing Ive got against it is its not very well built, Weve made several upgrades to ours, like redoing the bathroom, and bathroom floor, put new flooring in the living room, etc. Nothing real major, but several little things. Im looking forward to building a house one of these days.

 

[silkiechicken]

Oh, forgot, edited the first post to ask for a bit more info on the house you either hate or love, since over the years, standards and such have changed in the industry.

Thanks!

 

[lovemychix]

I have a large ranch style modular. Love it and got it at a pretty decent price. I would stay away from manufactured homes. Look them over and do the research. A mod is set on a foundation and most of the others are not and then insurance is an issue because it is considered a mobile home. My home is all drywall and basically built just like a stick built but inside which some say has its benefits. Another pro to a mod is that they are inspected so they are built to standards. Stick built homes are great too. Find a contractor that can stick to his budget. Mine is very energy efficent. I would do it again in a heartbeat!! Hope I was helpful.

 

[FrChuckW]

I've looked at Modular homes, and aside from the cost savings of not having to build one from the ground up, there is really not much difference between the two.

The ones today are far more energy efficient than the older models, they have stricter building codes now in regards to heating, electrical, plumbing. And you can pretty much select the features you want in your home.

Getting the site ready for the utilities and the foundation as well as the set up and putting the modular together are things to consider as well.

If you plan to stay there for several years, then I would strongly suggest having a cinderblock foundation done for the crawl space area, unless you are going to have it placed over a basement.

The only thing I really didn't like about them was that you couldn't have a 2nd story.

 

[lovemychix]

Mine was built in 2000. Iowa location and it's about 1900 sq. ft. We did a concrete 4 ft. crawl space that we can access if wanted.

 

[silkiechicken]

Learn new stuff every day! Did not know there was a difference between a modular vs manufactured home. And this one is actually useful in real life other than work!

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
The one I lived in was a modular home.....

 

[HennysMom]

yes there is a difference between the two (modular vs. manufactured) and another huge difference in purchasing either is:

Do you ever plan to remodel by removing walls and/or expanding? If so - a modular is out of the question as walls cannot be moved and/or relocated, nor can most plumbing. Manufactured is basically a stick built home that is built in sections in a factory and they can be two story now a days - however...sometimes you cannot alter it either, so that is something to take into account as well.