One of the most important decisions in life is a choice of comfortable and suitable home for ourselves and our family. The house is a place where we spend time with our friends and family, thus it is of utmost importance to select a house where we and our loved ones feel comfortable. Modular homes represent a one of the best options available. The notion of modular homes, sometimes called modulars, is rather confusing for many people. While these homes are built in the factories, they are not mobile homes or manufactured homes. The difference is in the materials and building method. The selection of materials and building methods is prescribed by building codes. While mobile and manufactured homes are built to HUD code, modulars follow the same building code as traditional homes built on-site. There are 5 different building codes in effect across the USA. The construction conforms to the building code which is in effect in a location where home will be situated. The sections of the house (modules) are transported on trucks to the building site, then they are lifted and set by a crane on a prepared foundation, where contractor anchors and join them together, and finish the inside and outside of the house. Since these homes come 85% completed, the finishing can be done within a week, or two. Modular houses present several big advantages to home buyers who are looking for a new home. Most modulars can be built at the factory in few weeks and delivered within a month, can be customized, and can cost less per square foot then on-site-built houses. The speed and the cost are not the only factors. The enviroonmentally conscious people appreciate the fact that highly organized factory-based building process results in less waste than on-site built construction, and from the viewpoint of precision brings the better results. These homes are better insulated, becomes more energy-efficient houses, thus can greatly reduce heating and cooling costs. Their longevity is the same as longevity of onsite built homes. You do not have to worry about the quality of these houses, since their design, engineering and construction is more precise, thought out and organized than a construction of traditional homes. Modular homes producers use computers in order to customize floor plans. Modular houses are of quality which supersedes traditional construction. Modular homes can be the ideal choice if you want to purchase a high quality house. Since their construction takes place in protected environment, these homes are not encumbered with any restrictions from building regulations like manufactured homes conforming to HUD-code. Modular houses have their own floor system and are set on a regular foundation. The construction of modular houses never suffers from delays because of weather conditions, the absence of the contractor, or the lack of material. Modular houses don't look any different from their on-site-built counterparts and their manufacturers are very flexible to customize their designs. Modular homes are built faster, stronger, cheaper and better. Who could wish anything more.
Want to shift from Boston to California and worried to death because you do not want to abandon the home that took every drop of your sweat to build and neither do you want to rent it to a faceless stranger? What about packing it and taking it with you? Yes sir!! You heard me correctly. That's the modular home for you
A Modular home is the distant, less-tainted cousin of the mobile house. The mobile house, though considered as the answer to America's "affordable-housing" void, faced a head-on blow when it was categorized as 'low class' and 'trailer-park'.
Modular means design based on a module (unit of measurement) which is repeated throughout the building. Thus a modular home is a house, the sections of which are transported to the building site and then joined together by local contractors.
This kind of a house has it's own advantages. To begin with, modular homes are built in such a way that they conform to any kind of geographical territory. So if one wants to shift from Bristol to Brunei, there would be no worries about the reconstruction of a house. And then, there is the question of economic viability. To test which, a two-unit modular townhouse was built in Cambridge by Epoch and the Hickory Consortium - a Cambridge Massachusetts based group. With the aim of constructing environmentally sustainable and economical houses, the group found that modular homes cost a whooping 15% less than site-built construction.
As Steve Snyder, the executive director of Modular Building Systems Association in Harrisburg puts it, "A lot of people find out that it can be inexpensive and also look the same as stick-framed houses." Since the houses are inspected at every phase of construction, there are no cost overruns because the number of contractors are less and most of the costs are fixed. What comes as an added advantage is that a well- built modular home has almost the same longevity as it's site-built counterpart - something that raises its value over time.
However, the modular home has had a difficult journey towards widespread acceptance because buyers have often had to sacrifice quality for affordability.
Such trivial issues have found their solution in Douglas Cutler, principal of Douglas Cutler Architects in Wilton. It always struck Cutler that manufacturers never sought out talented architects to "jazz up the design" - an initiative that he took in collaboration with manufacturers like Goscobec Modular Homes, SUN Building Systems and Haven Homes. As a result, we today have modular homes with an architectural flair.
And still, the best is yet to come. MIT researchers are 'studying ways' to reduce the brittleness and reinforce the cement with microspheres. Innovative metallic and adhesive bonding techniques are being worked upon to join the panels into a weather-tight shell. Combining metal fasteners with structural plastic tapes are also under consideration.
The modular home is yet to see its best days when the completed design will be sent via computer network to an automated factory where the components would be prefabricated and the entire house with roof, floor and walls would be erected - all in one day!!
Both Kevin Morris & are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Kevin Morris has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement. are of high quality. You can findavailable for your vicinit. Kevin Morris's top article generates over 880 views. to your Favourites.
has sinced written about articles on various topics from . . 's top article . to your Favourites.