Modular Homes Section

Making Custom Modular Homes A Reality

Prefab homes are generally remembered as identical looking homes with no flavor to them. Thankfully that has changed with improved computer design. Now there are many modular home manufacturers providing 100% custom designed homes. Some of them don't even offer predesigned floorplans anymore. If you look at their photo galleries of completed custom homes you will be surprised at how much control you can have.

What are common modular home customization options?
Even the smallest factory will allow for some customization. The most common customization options are the external siding, windows and flooring. For the external siding you will probably have options including vinyl siding, aluminum siding and maybe even a brick exterior. Of course if you choose brick that will probably be added after the home has been delivered to the construction site. The window placement can normally be adjusted and you can also choose what types of windows are used. You can usually pick the type of flooring whether it is hardwood or carpeting. Even if you go with these minimal customization options don't worry. Modular home providers usually have many different predesigned homes for you to choose from. These are not cookie cutter mobile homes; these are attractive modular homes that are intended to blend in with stick-built homes.

What are premium modular home customization options?
The manufacturers that are offering 100% custom modular homes will let you change just about anything (the next section will clarify). You can change the number of floors in the home. You can change the placement of the walls. You can add dormers, windows, overhangs, whatever you want to change in your custom dream home. If you can describe it to their drafting team, they can input into their computer and transform it into blueprints for the workers at the factory to follow. If you want a two story home with a brick exterior and have all the bedroom windows face the East - you can. If you want a three story home with the children's bedroom located on the top floor and your master bedroom suite to include a walk in closet - you can.

The full customization capability has even started a new category in modular home construction, the modular mansions. Rich people like saving money and also being able to have their dream mansion built several months faster also helps convince them. Some modular home builders have started specializing in $1,000,000+ modular mansions. These custom mansions will use a hybrid of modular construction and stick-built construction to deliver the ultimate result in the fastest time.

How can it be a 100% custom designed modular home?
We sorta fibbed a little when we said that 100% modular home customization is possible. When talking about customizing a modular home there are some physical limitations. For example it is impossible for a modular home to have a 70 foot wide open space. The home does need to have load bearing walls that keep the roof above your head. These load bearing walls can not be spaced that far apart. But other than extreme design requests everything can be accommodating by today's custom modular home providers.

There is also something else that you should remember - as the customization increases so will your price. You will still save 10-20% on the home price when comparing it to stick-built construction. But customization will decrease the efficiency of the builders when they need to keep referring to your custom blueprints instead of working on the same blueprint for the 1000th time. In our opinion the extra money will be well worth it and will generally help your modular home to be appraised higher.

What should I ask my modular home builder?
When talking with modular provider you should ask how much design flexibility there is. We did mention that many home providers offer custom building but it is not a guarantee that yours will. There is still a large amount of modular home providers that can not provide 100% customization. If you are building a custom home you will probably want an architect to help you design it. Ask your modular home provider if they can accept your architect's blueprints or if they have an architect on staff that can help you.

Which modular home manufacturers offer custom modular homes
There are just too many to name. Listed below are a few of our favorite custom modular home providers. Please remember that every situation is different so you should probably speak with a few to find the best match for you.

Also please remember that these are just a sample of the modular home providers that are offering custom designed homes. You should look at our modular home manufacturer directory for all the options that are available to you. Good luck with making your custom dream home in a modular home reality!

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