Tidewater Custom Modular Homes Blog

Modular Homes are strong, affordable and elegant prefabricated homes.  Modular homes are easily available within everyone’s budget, and they can be customized by the manufacturer. In recent years, modular homes have become more and more popular over traditionally built homes. 

There are many reasons for the growing popularity of modular homes. The construction process is considerably shorter than stick built homes. This makes buying and building modular homes a great option for home builders and a home owner.

The modules are built indoors. Therefore, the construction process is never hindered by weather. However, this is also a greener way to build a home. The specs are exact and, with no weather issues, construction waste is less.

Also, the cost of building and maintaining a modular home is up to 30% less than traditional homes, which makes these houses more affordable.

If you are interested in building a new home, and would like to talk about the benefits of modular construction in Virginia, contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes.

In Virginia, the housing market is in a slum. Because of this, many homeowners are hesitant to put their houses on the market for fear they won’t get the asking price or that it will sit on the market too long. What about building your new home?

There are many homeowners out there who think that building a home will take too long, or be too stressful. However, building a modular home takes those two issues out of the equation.

When building a modular home, from the decision and design stage to actually moving into your new modular home, the process can take as little as 10-12 weeks. That is much sooner than it would take to sell your house.

Once you decide on a home style and custom floor plan along with your add-ons (hard wood floors, deck, etc) we will present to you how much this modular home will cost you. Once you have that proposal, there will be no change in the cost of building your home. What you see in what it costs.

When building a stick-built home, the cost of construction is constantly changing. This is one of the main reason why building a home can be so stressful.

Contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes if building a new home seems like the answer you have been looking for.

There are many homeowners who are contemplating downsizing their homes. There are many reasons for downsizing, the most common being the children have moved out. Perhaps you are looking to stay in the same town or remain near the community you have grown to love over the years, or perhaps you want to move to the waterfront.

Building a modular home may be a great choice for you. Thereare many styles and floor plans that will fit your needs. And building a modular home is cost effective, efficient. Also, downsizing can save you tax dollars.

A ranch style home, our favorite being the Austin, single story living at its best! This quaint three bedroom, two bath home offers a large master suite complete with a walk-in closet and a master bath featuring a garden tub. The foyer opens into a spacious living room/dining room combo, providing an abundance of space for entertaining or simply relaxing.

If it is the waterfront that draws you, we have vacation home floor plans to suit your needs as well. The Southport is one of our most popular vacation home floor plans. This quaint Cape Cod home with its charming front elevation features almost an entire wall of glass, bathing the great room in the front of the home in natural light, thanks to a towering vaulted ceiling. The large master suite is to the left rear of the home and offers privacy while an extremely open great room, dining room and kitchen area on the opposite side offers a gathering place for family and friends.

Then of course, we have the traditional cape. The Kingston, has a combination breakfast nook/kitchen design makes this area of The Kingston the gathering spot of the home. A bathroom, two bedrooms and an expansive living room complete the first floor. Two bedrooms and the home’s second bath complete the suggested second floor.

Feel free to ask us about any of these style homes or any other styles that we offer. And remember, at Tidewater Custom Modular Homes, we can create the home you are looking for within the price parameters you require.

One of the biggest questions, or deterrents, pertaining to building a new home is the construction timeline. What is the process and how long will it take? With modular homes, are large part of the “decision to build thru moving in” time line is removed. Believe it or not, it generally takes from 60-120 days until you can move in and call your new house a home.

Modular homes are similar to on-site construction or stick built homes in appearance and performance. But one huge advantage of modular construction is the shortened timeline which results in cost savings.

The parts or modules of a modular house are constructed in a climate controlled factory which removes weather delays entirely. This also increases efficiency which allows your home to be built faster which also costs less.

By having a workspace for building the modular home that is separate from the construction site allows for many steps to be done at the same time. In other words while your building site is being prepared; the ground leveled, the foundation poured, your walls and roofs are already being built at the factory.

Contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes if you want to build a new home, but you don't want to wait for it.

The question often arises: Do modular homes appraise for the same value as a traditionally built home? Simply put, yes.

In order to buy a home, it must be appraised so you can begin the process of getting a mortgage or loan. An appraisal is the estimated amount a home buyer can expect to pay for their new home. When buying any piece of property, including modular homes, you need a licensed professional appraiser. The question then becomes, if the home is not yet built, how is it actually appraised?

The appraiser will inspect the modular home plans to have an idea of how much your new home should cost. Generally, they use information on labor rates, building costs, and depreciation and appreciation locally where the property is being built. The appraiser will use sales comparisons, prices and values of compatible homes sold in the area, to determine the current value of the modular home.

Once a thorough analysis of the property has been completed, a report is created which is used to initiate the mortgage or loan process. Included in the report would be the property specifications, the replacement cost analysis and the above mentioned comparative sales analysis.

The replacement cost analysis is the total amount spent on the construction and materials of the modular home, and the lot value.

All this will determine the current total value of the property. The modular home appraisal will then be finalized so that the loan transaction can take place. The calculated total value of the modular home will help you determine future expenses such as utilities and real estate taxes. 

Many people wonder about the resale value of a modular home and how it compares to that of a stick built home. Modular homes cost about 10-15% less to build, but they sell at the same price as a stick built home. This is because modular homes are appraised to the same standards and specs of a site built home, which means that both style homes are assessed at the same amount.

It takes about 10 to 12 weeks from the day a customer decides on a modular home to the day that same customer get the keys to their new house. While the house modules are being built at the factory, we are pulling permits and doing the site work. When the modules arrive on site, it is about a 3-6 week process to build your new home.

But the best part of building a modular home is the guaranteed pricing. When you decide on a floor plan, the cost of the home can practically be priced out to the penny. At Tide Water Custom Modular Homes we know how much a home is going to cost and how much our on-site labor will be cost because it is essentially the same for each job. There are no surprising materials costs or labor costs. That is a big advantage for the home buyer.