Modular Homes VA Blog

Smart, Custom Designed Modular Homes

More and more homeowners are interested in building a new home. Interest in energy efficiency and custom designs is growing. But custom designed homes are not always a solution for homebuyers of average means. Budget constraints often mean settling for generic or uninspired homes, inefficiency and mid-grade craftsmanship.
Not so with modular construction, as a result, interest in modular homes is increasing.

Modular homes offer alternatives, and modular home builders use a wider range of methods and materials because their clients want key features and efficiency.

Modular housing has been around for decades. Far from being cheap or generic homes, modular floor plans can be completely custom and the quality of construction can easily meet or exceed that of high-end conventional homes.

There are many advantages to modular construction:

• Fewer weather worries: building modules inside a factory means materials stay clean and dry, and typically reduces the on-site construction time to days. Eliminating rain delays, temperature extremes, wind issues and other weather-related problems saves time and money, and it helps prevent mold and rot-issues later.
• More consistent quality: Workers building wall sections indoors will have the advantage of using assembly platforms, alignment equipment and other big gear that an on-site crew does not have. They’ll have more tools to process lumber to more consistent dimensions, which means a better fit as the home is assembled.
• Less risk at the build site: Having fewer delivery trucks and smaller work crews can reduce damage to the building site, and closing the house up quickly helps deter vandalism and theft of materials.
• Less waste: On-site framing crews often generate a lot of scrap lumber and plywood that gets tossed aside randomly. The material sit to degrade in the weather, tempt vandals or be hauled off to a landfill. The planning that goes into prefab design and construction means most of that “waste” material will be stored inside and used later.

Additionally, modular homes now have levels of energy efficiency that traditionally built homes are cannot match. More coordination and precision during the building process means insulation can be integrated into the floors and walls of the modules rather than getting added on site.

For more information on custom modular homes in Virginia that meet your budget, contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes.

Excertps - thesheridanpress.com

Modular Construction Gains Popularity in Virginia

Off-site construction, also known as modular construction, is gaining acceptance all over the country. In addition to residential projects, modular construction is also becoming very popular in commercial projects as well.
 
Modular construction has been used for decades, and it is very much becoming a prevalent and accepted alternative to home construction.  A home constructed off-site uses the same state and local building codes, the same or better materials and is fully inspected throughout the entire process.
 
In a traditionally built home, roof trusses, walls, floors are all manufactured off-site and turned into modules. The modules are then trucked to the building site for assembly and completion. The modular home uses the same materials and assembles them in the factory and then trucks the 90% completed home to the job site for installation.

Areas of the country that are experiencing population booms are taking advantage of modular construction to provide faster, high quality homes in an efficient manner.
 
While monetary savings had been the biggest benefit to modular construction, more people are choosing modular construction for other reasons: The savings in time of construction, less time paying for two homes, indoor construction, lowered soft costs and general conditions are a few other benefits that are making modular homes a popular choice.

In today’s world with advancements in all areas of our lives, construction should be no different. The possibility of delivering a new construction home using a different technique is deserving of an open mind.

For more information on modular construction in Virginia, contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes.

Excerpts DJC.com

Lower Costs for Modular Home Construction

For a long time, construction methods had not really changed. Along came modular construction, but until recently, it had not made such an impact in the construction industry. However, over the last several years, modular construction has increased significantly in popularity. Why?

There are many reasons that could include anything from the customization options, to the efficiency of the modular homes once they are built, to the lower cost or the speed of construction.

But one big reason is because, it is just smarter. With rising construction costs, oil costs and costs of labor, modular construction just makes sense.  As construction and materials costs continue to rise new home costs have become challenging and out of reach. Modular construction presents a better, more efficient method of building to meet this challenge.

Construction materials are bought in bulk, keeping materials costs down. Modular homes are built indoors in factory environments, meaning there are no weather delays or labor issues. Because modular homes are built in a factory, each part of your home is built by the same person, giving your home expertise and consistency.

In many parts of Virginia, especially in more urban areas, homes that are on the market are older, these homes have been aging and not properly maintained for years. The costs associated with replacing these homes by a homeowner or home buyer is too high because the time to replace them is too long. Modular construction often costs less, but it always costs less in TIME.

For more information, contact Tidewater Custom Modular Home.

Modular Homes Have High Standards for Quality Control

Due to the flexibility of design, the rate of production and the reliability of modular construction, modular homes are getting more popular.

Modular homes are built in sections in a factory where they are never subjected to bad weather.  The modules move through the “assembly line” where they are quality controlled as each phase of construction is completed. The completed modules are then brought to your building site and assembled and completed.

Modular homes satisfy all federal, state and local building codes and are often a much higher quality finished product than traditionally built homes.

Differences between modular home construction and traditional home construction -

Using state of the art production technology, modular homes have a level of quality, efficiency, and overall cost savings that surpasses the highest standards for site-based construction.

Modular construction adheres to the highest standards for quality control as well as complete compliance with local, state and national building codes. Once the modules are being built, modular home quality control specialists and third party inspectors rigorously inspect for quality control at each stage of building.

Modular houses are stronger than site built homes. Typically, modular home contains 30% more lumber than site built homes and floors and walls are both glued and screwed together.

Factory built modular homes are cost effective because they are  one stop shopping for purchasing, designing and building a modular home. For more information contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes.

Modular Homes are Different (But Often Better) Than Traditionally Built Homes

A modular home is a home that is built indoors in a factory setting. The home is built in sections or modules. The finished modules are transported to your property where they are assembled by a builder. Modular homes are not mobile homes; it is a traditional home that is built off-site. Other names for modular homes are factory-built homes, system-built  or pre-fab homes.  

Modular homes differ from houses built on-site. Because modular homes are built indoors they can be completed in a few weeks rather than several months mainly because modular home construction doesn’t have the same on-site delays caused by the weather. All modular homes have to conform to local and state guidelines and building codes that often surpass those of traditional on-site homes. However, it is important to shop around. Not all companies that make modular homes are alike. There can be significant differences in quality, price and service.  As with purchasing or building any home, it is crucial to do your research.

Modular Home Facts:

• Modular homes appraise the same as on-site homes. They do not depreciate in value.
• Modular homes can be customized.
• Most modular home manufacturers have their own in-house engineering departments that utilize CAD (Computer Aided Design).
• Modular home designs vary in style and size.
• Modular construction can also be used for commercial office buildings.
• Modular homes are permanent homes.
• Modular homes can be built on crawl spaces and basements.
• Modular homes are considered a form of “Green Building.”
• Modular homes are faster to build than site-built homes.
• Home loans for modular homes are the same as buying a  site-built home.
• Insuring your modular home is the same as a site-built home.
• Taxes on a modular home are the same as a site-built home.
• Modular homes can be built to withstand 175 mph winds.
• Modular homes can be built for accessible living and designed for future conveniences.

For more information on modular homes, contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes.

freshome.com

Traditional Construction Labor Shortage Causes Decline in Quality and Increase In Price

Part of the fall-out from the slowdown in the home construction industry is the fact that a large volume of home building craftsman and laborers have left the industry.  This labor shortage serves only to significantly increase the already strong comparative value of custom modular homes over traditional construction. 

An executive from TC Modular Home's supplier, HandCrafted Homes (Henderson, N.C) says the differential in price between modular homes and stick-built “has sure tightened” as subcontractor labor has gotten scarcer and more expensive.   Realize also that fewer traditional home building laborers means the volume of quality laborers has significantly declined as well.   Those who purchase traditional stick built homes really are buying a box of chocolates....they just don't know what they are going to get.

But you know what you are getting from your TC Modular Home selection.  Our builder enjoys the benefit of a skilled and stable labor force manufacturing high quality homes to the strictest of industry and company standards.  We're so proud of our products (such as our Cape Cod Concord and the Chapel Hill Ranch)  that we actively encourage prospective buyers to tour the Handcrafted Homes factory.  You'll know exactly what you are going to get and when you are going to get it.  Our average delivery time averages an amazingly short 60-90 days.  You won't get that efficiency out of any stick builder. 

Modular Homes are Totally Different from Mobile Homes

If you are considering building a home, you may be considering modular construction. But modular homes are not to be confused with manufactured or mobile homes. These are two very different animals. Because the terms and the construction process are so often confused, we have tried to explain the differences below.

Modular Homes

Modular homes are sectional prefabricated houses that consist of several sections called modules. The modules are six sided boxes that are built in a factory, and then delivered to the property. With a crane, the modules are set onto the foundation and joined together to make a modular home. With modular construction a wide variety of configurations, floor plans and styles are available in the building layout.

All modular homes are constructed according to local, state and federal building codes. Modular construction can and often do exceed these standards with upgrades for energy efficiency and overall performance.

Often, modular construction is less expensive because modular homes manufacturers purchase building materials in volume, and the homes are built in a controlled environment, utilizing systems engineered construction methods. There are no costly weather delays in the construction process. The materials used in modular homes are the same as site constructed homes. All modular homes are designed to sit on a foundation or basement.

Modular homes are also designed to be stronger than traditional homes. Nails are replaced with screws, and glue is added to all joints.

Manufactured Homes and Mobile Homes

Manufactured housing is a type of prefabricated house that is mostly assembled at factories and then transported to the sites of use. Mobile homes are not designed to sit on a foundation.

The construction of manufactured or mobile homes is regulated by the HUD Code. Most manufacturers view the HUD Code as minimum performance standards.

The HUD Code covers the construction of the home, and the heating, air conditioning, ventilation, plumbing, thermal and electrical systems.

These homes are less labor intensive to make and also require a shorter production time as compared to a standard site built single family home.

Modular homes should never be confused with a mobile home. However, it is very easy for a lay person to confuse a modular home with a traditional site built home because they are just as beautiful and can be custom designed.

For more information on modular construction, contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes.

Excerpts – The Mortgage Network

What You Need to Know About Modular Homes

The base price of the modular home is less expensive than having a crew labor on-site for months which enables new homeowners to customize them very nicely.

Modular homes, or prefabricated homes, offer a variety of benefits for home buyers who want to build on a plot of land. Here are some things you should know:

1. Prefabs Are Faster to Build
Depending on the complexity of the home, it can take around three months to build and get it move-in ready. From start to finish, it takes about nine months to a year to construct a stick-built house.

Home modules are constructed and inspected in a factory, where weather won't delay the process. The modules are then transported to the final building site. It takes about three days to fully assemble those components at the site.

Additional site work, including electrical and plumbing hook-ups, driveway paving, final grading of the land and landscaping, also need to be done as in site built homes.

2. Preset home plans, a-la-carte options, or customized homes
For manufacturers that offer preset home plans, the base price of a modular home typically includes construction, transportation of the modules to the final build site, and setting the home on its foundation. For an additional cost, buyers can tweak a builder's preset plan, hardwood rather than carpet, for example.
 
Site work, like septic and utility hook up is an additional fee, just like in stick built homes.

3. Modular Homes Are Surprisingly Durable
In assessing damage to residential neighborhoods after a Category 5 Hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported "relatively minimal structural damage in modular housing developments. The module-to-module combination of the units appears to have provided an inherently rigid system that performed much better than conventional residential framing." Translation: Prefab homes can hold up better in extreme weather conditions than traditional stick-built structures.

4. You Can Remodel Your Modular Home
After construction, there's nothing that would preclude the reconfiguration or remodeling of a modular home simply because it's a modular build.  Just like a stick-built home, you need to account for the structural support and layout. Prefab homeowners looking to remodel should let their contractor know early on that they have a modular home because there may be some slight differences in the structure of the beams that support the home.

For more information on building modular homes, contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes.

Kiplingers

Reinvest Rental Property Capital Gains Tax Free Into a New Modular Rental Home

Now, we are not tax attorneys (nor do we play one on TV), but we’ve come across a few people who have sold rental property elsewhere in the country and are now looking to us here at Tidewater Custom Modular Homes to reinvest the realized gains here in rental property here in Hampton Roads.  If this is your intent, do you know that you can avoid paying federal capital gains tax on some or ALL of that profit?  

The process by which to do this is called a “Section 1031 Like Kind Exchange”.  Again, you must talk to a federal tax expert for the details, but simply put, you work the process through an intermediary who handles all the sale of your current and purchase of your future rental property.  Because you never actually take receipt of the profit on the sale of your old property (because this profit is directly transferred by the intermediary during the purchase of your new property),  federal tax law concludes you have not actually received a cash gain, YET that is.  Sometime in the future when you (or your heirs) sell this new rental property,  then the federal government will come calling you to pay tax on the gains.  

So rather than write a check to Uncle Sam this year, you can reinvest your hard earned money into a new modular home perfectly suited for rent.  Small low-cost ranch style modular homes such as "The Austin" or a cottage style modular home such as “The Ashton” can immediately put you into positive cash flow on your new custom modular rental home.  

For more information,  contact us today.

Modular Construction is Taking Off

Modular homes are prefabricated, residential homes that are becoming increasingly popular because of their elegant and affordable features. Sturdy modular construction and affordability of these homes along with the design possibilities and the ability for customized floor plans are just some of the factors that are letting modular construction take off.

The process of building a modular home begins with the design. The home is then built in modular sections at a climate-controlled factory, to the specifications laid-down by local and state building codes.
 
Cranes and trucks, transport the modules to the building site for final assembly, which includes setting the modules onto the foundation, installation of plumbing and electric, sealing up the home and adding the siding and decks.

Modular homes use traditional construction materials, but are built faster and more efficiently.
 
Other factors that contribute to the rising popularity of the modular homes are:

1. Modular homes take much less time to construct
2. Provides a profitable option to an home owner
3. Building and maintenance costs around 30% less, (depending on design options)
4. Manufactured in a climate-controlled environment, the house is not vulnerable to weather and other external factors that could affect the project completion.
5. A greener solution to home construction because of the low waste
6. More energy efficient than stick built homes

For more information on modular construction, contact Tidewater Custom Modular Homes.