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.

Although the concept of modular construction seems relatively new because of the increasing interest, it has been around awhile.  The concept of modular construction is confusing for new home buyers mainly because it is confusing trying to discern the information you do come across about modular homes, the modular construction process and modular home manufacturers.

We would like to help clarify these myths and help you make a good educated decision for your personal situation.
Modular homes are built in factories to specifications created by the manufacturer and the state and local building codes. The design can be standard or it can be enhanced by the customer/new home owner.

A General Contractor, such as Tidewater Custom Modular Homes, works with the manufacturer. The General contractor coordinates the construction of the home in the factory and the delivery and assembly of the home on the site.

The general contractor provides and coordinates the site work (foundation), plumbing, electrical, and licensing and permits. This is why they are called the general contractor. Once you select a GC, you don’t need to do anything else regarding the construction of the modular home.

Many people think that modular homes are cheap or inexpensive. As compared to the cost per square foot of a stick built home, they are less expensive. However, modular homes are an expensive investment especially depending on how large a home you build. They do, however, generally cost 10-35% less to build than traditional homes. When you are comparing new home construction prices, make sure you are comparing the same type of house i.e square footage, amount of bathrooms, etc.

Modular homes appreciate and gain value the same way traditional homes do. Once a modular home is built, it is near impossible to tell the difference between it and a stick built home.

Modular homes can all be customized. Each modular home manufacturer or contractor has different designs to choose from. Those designs can be further customized. Additionally, you can easily customize the windows, doors, siding, colors etc. Modular homes make it very easy to have a custom home at an affordable price.

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.

A new construction home loan is not the same as a typical home loan. New construction loans have different requirements and a different set of rules. However, the new construction loans are used for both new construction stick built and new modular construction homes. After learning about these types of loans you will find it is easy to finance and build your dream modular home.

A new construction home loan requires the lender to provide the money to build your new home. Firstly, your mortgage provider requires a detailed accounting on the estimated costs to build the modular home; including how much you are going to spend and what it will look like when it is complete. After these initial questions are answered you begin the credit check and annual earnings process.

There are a few different construction loans out there but the most popular one is a “construction to permanent” loan. Instead first applying for a construction loan and following that up with a typical home loan, a construction to permanent loan is a two-in-one loan which, in most cases, only requires you to pay closing costs once.  This loan is a combination of construction loan and permanent financing, and can help you save money and time.

Keep in mind that with new construction loans it is very difficult to lock-in a permanent or fixed mortgage rate. This is because with traditional construction, you usually won't be closing the loan for six months to one year depending on the build time. With modular construction, because the build time is so much shorter, you can more often get a fixed rate, or the fixed rate you close with after construction will be very close to the variable rate you had when you took out the loan. 

Of course you will be required to pay monthly interest on the construction loan amount during the modular construction process, but the amount you owe each month will depend on the amount you have used to date. If you are approved for a construction loan of $100,000 but you have only drawn $50,000 then your interest payment will be based on $50,000.

Sometimes lenders like to interview or see the license of the contractors who will be building your new home, so often it is beneficial to speak with the bank where the contractor has a relationship.

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.

Architects, designers and home buyers are interested in creating and buying new, environmentally green homes. Green is chic, and modular homes are green. Their designs offer so much versatility and appeal that their popularity is on the rise. With new methods of construction and transportation, designers and builders are cutting waste and energy consumption, and cutting production costs while achieving greater methods of sustainability.

Modular Homes are built from modules that are assembled in a factory to exact specifications. Everything is cut with more exactness and everything is applied and assembled more accurately, saving time, materials and energy. These standards extend the life and cuts down on upkeep of the home over time. Modular home factories also produce less waste than onsite construction. Where modular home production generates around 2% waste, stick built homes generate 30-40%. Also, less time is spent constructing modular homes, so production costs are lower. Ultimately, modular homes allow eco-friendly construction at a fraction of the cost, to a larger consumer base.

Because modular homes are prefabricated, the modules allow you to design a home that will complement the space you are placing it on. You can change the design and make it fit the space rather than make the space fit the home; again saving energy and material costs.

For eco-friendly construction, and a customized, newly built home that is energy star qualified, contact Tidewater Modular Homes.

1. State-of-the-art home building– Modular home companies are able to produce custom modules for custom homes. They have the ability to take any design and build it in pieces in a factory, to be assembled into a custom home in the field. Look at a stick built job site in the rain and you will appreciate that modular homes are built in climate controlled plants monitored by quality control.

2. ENERGY STAR- This does not just mean appliances.  In order for a home to have the ENERGY STAR logo and certification, it has to pass a series of inspections to prove that it was built to certain tolerances, AND performs well. The certification ultimately tells you that the home consumes 15% less energy than a home built to today's building code. Tidewater Custom Modular Homes is energy star certified.

3. Shorter, more predictable time line-The modular process allows the home to go from foundation to 80% complete in one day. While a stick-built home might go through rain, snow, wind, and heat stages, a modular home is built in about 2 weeks in the factory, and you could be living in your new home in a couple of months.

4. Built stronger- Because modules are transported and placed by a crane onto the foundation, they are built as six-sided structures, 4 walls, 1 ceiling and 1 floor. The home is then made of all the stacked boxes, which is stronger and more stable than stick built house.

5. Reliable Quality Control-The only way homes are built to exacting standards is by having a QC system in place. Modular homes are built in factory settings with quality control checks. Each modular production plant is inspected by third party inspectors and  the modules are inspected in the field once they are set.

Custom means you are NOT locked into any architectural design. It appears that it is going to be a long time before the general public discards the misconception that modular homes are restricted in design.  Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most everyone wants to be able to customize their home to suit their needs and lifestyle. Tidewater Custom Modular Homes supports that desire as the floor-plans and options for each home that we build remain open for you to customize to fit your needs even to the extent of designing and building to your custom plans. We will ask questions and do a lot of listening to ensure your hopes and expectations are exceeded and your house will feel like a home.

Our goal is your complete satisfaction with the whole building process. We and our manufacturer’s staff of designers and engineers stand ready to make your dream home come to life. We enjoy the professional satisfaction of building dream homes.  Dream homes by design are products of very specific personal preferences.  Rarely can a building plan be pulled off the shelf and converted into a dream home.  Dream homes only START with a basic plan and then is CUSTOMIZED to turn the plan into a dream.  This is what we do and why the word "Custom" is such an important pat of our business name and business model.

Whether you've been planning your dream home for a day or a decade, bring your thoughts to us and we'll be glad to demonstrate how we can surround that dream with the strength and quality of modular design. Contact us today to learn more about our modular construction process and how we can turn your dream home into a reality.