Monday, September 13, 2010

Most Interesting Modular Homes Websites

Almost every day, I spend some time looking at websites of Modular Home Builders. Sometimes the builder sends me an email and asks to be included on www.modularresource.com sometimes I hear about a new company from someone I know and other times I just search the interenet checking out the different modular home builders to see if there are some interesting sites I should add to the site. Every week or so, I will try to mention a few companies in this blog that have websites that caught my attention for one reason or another. Some may be sites you have seen before while others may be builders who are newer or not as easy to find in a simple Google search. In most cases, I have no working relationship with the Modular Home Builder whose company I am commenting on; they simply had a website that I think is particularly interesting or has a feature that I had not seen before on a modular home builder's website.

Modular Home Websites with Pricing

As I have mentioned in previous columns or blog posts, one of the hardest things to get from a modular home builder is a firm price on a home. There are many factors that affect the price of a modular home, including the amount of work completed by the builder, the options chosen by the home buyer and the land that the modular home will be placed upon. The two builders below actually have fairly detailed information on their websites regarding pricing. First is Sweetwater Homes Inc., in Big Pine Key, Florida. They list about 30-35 models, along with a base price for each home. Below that is a list of what is included in the base price and what the added cost for each option would be, along with estimated pricing for surveys, county fees and other costs that go into building a new home. Obviously none of these prices represent a contract and are subject to change, but at least you have a good starting point for estimating the costs of your new home and you can see some pricing on the various options, which should allow you to make a more informed decision on which options are really important to you.

Another builder that provides useful priceful information on their website is LaClair Builders Inc., in Ypsilanti, Michigan. They show 3 pictures of actual homes that they have built, along with the floorplan, pricing and options included on each house. The houses were built in 2006 so the pricing may have changed some since then, but it should still give you a good idea of what the company includes in their price and which items are completed by the builder.

Check back soon for my next post with more informative modular home builder's websites. As always, if you are looking for websites of local modular home builders in your state check www.modularresource.com

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Modular Home Built by Students

One of the really great programs that High Schools, Trade Schools and Colleges and Universities offer is a Construction class which allows students to actually build a house from start to finish. These programs have been going on for years across the U.S. Recently, more of the schools have been building modular homes as the focus on Green Building has increased. Sometimes the modular homes are built in a residential neighborhood and sometimes they are built at a location near the school and moved to their final location when the home is purchased. There are several different methods used by the schools to sell the completed modular homes. Some schools work with a group like Habitat for Humanity and build the home for a specific family that shows they need an affordable home. Other schools sell raffle tickets and give the home away in a drawing. Other schools sell the house at auction or list it with a local realtor. Then when the modular home is sold, the school takes the proceeds and uses it to buy materials for the house they will built in the upcoming school year. Many times these houses can be a very good deal for the buyer since much of the labor involved in building the home is free labor supplied by the students. Since the homes are built under the supervision of instructors and local contractors that donate their time the houses are built to the same high quality as a modular home built in a factory. To see some student built houses that have recently been completed and are now for sale go to www.modularresource.com