Modular Homes - Questions & Answers
Questions & Answers About Modular Homes
Things have changed over the years, so here are the most common modular homes questions and answers.
What is a "modular home”?
“Modular home” simply means a home built offsite, in an indoor factory setting, meeting or exceeding local state building codes.
Often called “factory-built” or “prefab home”, a modular home starts out in sections that have been built in a climate-controlled area.
In every building facility, each step of the process is supervised and inspected for quality assurance, ensuring a final product that meets high standards for safety, durability, quality, and energy efficiency. The homes are typically single story and two or three sections, which are transported to the building site once completed to be assembled.
How long is the modular building process?
Once final design plans are approved by the builder and client, construction can begin in the factory.
An average home consisting of two module units will typically be completed within a couple weeks.
Once the manufacturing process is finished, the unit must be transported to your lot and placed on the foundation.
Final completion is handled by your local independent builder, and includes connection of utilities to the home, as well as a small amount of finish work.
Site preparation varies for each property, but in most cases, a modular home can be completed in a matter of weeks.
Can I customize a modular home?
Yes! You can customize a modular home.
While there are several models you can choose from, the customization options are endless.
For some this might mean starting a floor plan from scratch, for others it means personalizing an existing floor plan to your lifestyle and vision.
Whatever your needs, modular homes offer any feature that could appeal to a home shopper.
Can you tell if a home is a modular home?
Modular homes look just like any other home, so it’s impossible to tell them apart from traditional stick-built homes. Today’s technology allows you to create almost any style of home from a simple ranch, to a mountain chalet, or even duplexes and townhomes.
From the inside out, you will be amazed at your inability to see the difference between a modular home and a site built home.
What do modular homes cost?
Adding up the labor, material and time savings inherent in the modular building process, you will find modular homes are generally lower cost than a site built home.
This is achieved through bulk material purchases and the efficiency of the assembly line building systems.
The energy efficiency of these homes will also continue to save you money year after year, keeping your heating and cooling costs at a minimum.
Will the humid Cape Cod environment be a problem?
One huge advantage is that all modular homes are constructed in a climate-controlled environment, ensuring building materials will be safe from the influence of weather.
Since the construction process takes place completely indoors, the house takes on less water than a traditional site-built home. Before the modules leave the factory, they are sealed and tightened, removing any excess moisture from the house.
At this point, many modular home companies allow the modules to sit outside, waiting for progress on the build site, and stressing the entire structure. The longer it sits outside between construction in the factory and assembly on site, the greater the risk of warping and other damage due to humidity and inclimate weather.
Working closely with Custom Building Systems, STLK works hard to schedule the construction of the modular home so that as soon as it’s wrapped and ready to ship, it’s delivered and set on the foundation.
If I already have a modular home, can you complete assembly and finishing?
Yes, we can put your modular home in place, or we can complete the finishing of your home.
Whether you’ve purchased a modular home from CBS or a different manufacturer, STLK can complete the construction process for you.