What Is a Modular Home?
Modular homes are built in sections in a factory setting, indoors, where they are never subjected to adverse weather conditions. The sections move through the factory, with the company’s quality control department checking them after every step. Finished modules are covered for protection, and then transported to your home site. They are placed on a pre-made foundation, joined, and completed.
“There is no such thing as a modular home,” states Dave Boniello, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Simplex Industries, a Pennsylvania-based modular home manufacturer. It is a matter of the literal meaning of the word modular, which insinuates a standardized unit or repeatedly used structural component. “The modular homes industry uses a system-built technology,” Boniello explains. “The homes are built in a factory in a controlled environment. They are built in a system.” Simply put, a modular home is one that is built in a factory, usually in assembly-line fashion, and then transported to a site in large units. These units are then lifted from the transport by crane and rested on a pre-built foundation and fastened together. The entire process takes a fraction of the time it takes to build a house on-site, and the finished product can cost a good deal less.
Modular homes, or systems-built homes, are built to the IRC {International Residential Code}, BOCA, and other building codes, all of which are shared by site-built homes. Modular homes are built to the same building codes as site-built homes and are treated as such by financial institutions, local municipalities, etc. You must apply for a building permit, follow all local regulations for construction, and retain an occupancy permit before you may move into your new modular home, just as you would with a typical site-built home. Typical Standard Modular Features: • 5/12 pitch hinged roof trusses (or higher) • 8’ flat smooth ceiling • 1/2″ finished drywall throughout • Ranch, Raised Ranch, T/L-Ranch, Cape , Two-Story, Chalet, Log, etc.
Manufactured homes are often confused with modular homes. Modular homes are transported on flatbed trucks rather than being towed, and lack axles and a permanently attached frame typical of manufactured homes. Modular home roofs are usually transported as separate units. Modular homes are built to local code, so homes built in a given manufacturing facility may have differing construction standards depending on the final destination of the modules. Such homes are often priced substantially lower than their site-built counterparts and are typically more cost-effective to builders and consumers. Modular homes can be constructed in a fraction of the time it takes to build a home “on-site” and they’re built to higher standards as well. We offer modular homes that will meet your needs.
Modular homes are transported on flatbed trucks rather than being towed, and lack axles and a permanently attached frame typical of manufactured homes. Modular home roofs are usually transported as separate units. Modular homes are built to local code, so homes built in a given manufacturing facility may have differing construction standards depending on the final destination of the modules. Such homes are often priced substantially lower than their site-built counterparts and are typically more cost-effective to builders and consumers. Modular homes can be constructed in a fraction of the time it takes to build a home “on-site” and they’re built to higher standards as well. We offer modular homes that will meet your needs.
