Building Modular Means you get More for your Money CONTRARY TO THE MYTHS ABOUT MODULAR HOMES SPOKEN PRIMARILY BY THOSE WHO WISH THE MYTHS WERE TRUE: FACTORY-BUILT HOMES HAVE SUPERIOR QUALITY. Regardless of whether we're talking about factory-built, panelized or modular homes, in-plant construction quality is invariably superior to what can be done on a job site. Parts cut with a hand saw or a hand-held power circular saw at a job site cannot possibly be as precise as those cut with a $10,000 radial arm saw or $100,000 component cutter in a factory. Factory fastening methods are also demonstrably superior because they use pneumatic tools, which drive fasteners to precise depths - no under-driving and no shiners. What's more, factory inspections cover every construction detail from floor framing to final paint, and trained factory inspectors or independent third party inspectors perform more than one-dozen unannounced inspections per house. The best that can be hoped for at a job site is three or four announced inspections. These days, with so much construction going on, local inspectors don't always have time to get there.

FACTORY-BUILT MATERIALS ARE THE BEST.

The quality modular home manufacturer does not use green lumber and protects all building materials from the weather; otherwise, materials would be too warped or bent to fit into their precise jigs for wall panels or trusses. In many on-site building locations either green lumber is still used or building materials are not protected from the weather; as a result, for decades the ultimate homeowner inherits problems after the building is finished.

FACTORY-BUILT HOMES ARE STRONGER THAN STICK BUILT HOMES.

The modular unit uses the strongest of all construction methods based on the 2x6 platform framing system. Traditionally, modular units are over-built so they can be hauled on wheels over roads to get to the site and so that a crane can lift them off the wheels and place them on a foundation. Only modular construction is sturdy enough to withstand such forces which are the equivalent to that of a healthy earthquake.

FACTORY-BUILT HOMES ARE EASIER TO FINANCE.

Factory-built homes are very easy to finance because they have a positive track record. When the homeowner wants, for instance, the Acme Plan 3A from a factory with some variations, chances are the local banker has seen it before and knows the value. Bankers also like the idea that factory-built homes are well insulated which means the ultimate buyer won't go broke paying utility bills. Bankers also like the simplicity of the construction process compared to on-site construction.

FACTORY-BUILT HOMES ARE QUICKER TO BUILD.

From the time you place your order, even when the factory is hopping busy, you can get a two-module home delivered to your site in eight weeks or less and you can move into it within a few more weeks. From the time you place your order, the average site built home takes six to nine months to complete.

FACTORY-BUILT HOMES APPRECIATE IN VALUE THE SAME AS STICK BUILT HOMES.

Other things being equal (primarily location), factory-built homes appreciate in value in lock step with site-built homes.