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Modular or Factory Built Housing Industry One of the common mistakes for homeowners, realtor and lenders alike is to use the term "modular" to interchangeably describe manufactured homes, mobilehomes, and modular construction. Although all are under the umbrella of the factory built industry, the difference between manufactured housing and modular housing is akin to the difference between apples and oranges---same family but very different characteristics.Manufactured homes are built in a factory on a permanent chassis to a preemptive code and all of the design and engineering criteria including wind, seismic, roof load, floor loads are built to a national standardized criteria. Under the Housing and Urband Development (HUD) code, manufactured home fabrication supercedes the requirements of the local building jurisdictions. Because the requirements for set-up can vary depending on whether a homeowner or borrower wants permanent or more temporary housing, manufactured housing is generally less expensive and the permit process can be less restrictive and time consuming. However, financing a manufactured home has greater restrictions.  The Modular home is also constructed in the factory but it is built to the same building code used by conventional site builders so the code will vary depending to the local building jurisdictions. Because the home is always installed on a permanent foundation, the cost may be higher for the more substantive and permanent installation, but the pre-fabricated building offers distinct advantages from a financing standpoint. In essence, the pre-fabricated building is considered an equal to the site built home with regarding to financing. There are many other advantages. Because the construction takes place within a factory, it eliminates the possibility of damage from weather and allows the materials to be assembled in a climatically controlled environment. With the growing concern about mold, this possibility is eliminated during the construction process. Unlike manufactured homes with standardized design criteria, applications of size and style are unlimited as the units are totally customizable.---so possibilities range from cozy cottages to apartment buildings! The modular home is completed in the factory in approximately one-third of the time it takes a stick built home to be completed. This eliminates the possibility of on-site construction related damage, bad weather, back-ordered materials, construction financing and unreliable contractors. There are other advantages to this construction method as the availability of skilled labor, materials and energy become scarce. Additionally modular construction allows the builder to reduce payroll through need for fewer employees, enables simultaneous activities where site built doesn't, shortens financial constraints on customers and builder due to reduced length of construction, reduces on-site losses due to vandalism and waste and generally adds flexibility and precision in design due to in-house AutoCAD engineering department.OnTheLevel is happy to direct you to competent companies to meet your modular home needs for one home or an entire project. |
