When people hear the term “modular home” or “modular building,” a lot of misconceptions come to mind. Many people don’t truly understand the meaning of the term “modular” and incorrectly associate this concept with negative images. Sometimes modular buildings—in particular modular homes—get a bad rep and are viewed as somehow inferior to traditionally built homes. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
In fact, modular homes are gaining popularity in many communities because of several benefits compared to traditionally built houses.
Myth 1: Modular Homes Are Just Trailer Homes.
Nope! Modular home fabrication is often referred to as “manufacturing,” but this doesn’t mean that they’re manufactured homes, like trailers, mobile homes, or doublewides. While manufactured homes are only required to be HUD certified, modular homes are held to the highest building standards.
Myth 2: Modular Homes Are Unsafe.
Modular homes are anything but sloppily constructed. Modular homes are built in factories and therefore are held to higher standards than even many traditionally built homes. If you think about it, each module of the house has to be able to be lifted onto the back of a flatbed truck and driven to the construction site. Sometimes the construction site is the next town over, but it’s also not uncommon for it to be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Furthermore, according to FEMA, modular homes are more likely than traditional homes to withstand hurricane-type conditions. A modular home on the Long Island Sound survived Hurricane Sandy while many of its neighbors were literally split in half.
Myth 3: Modular Homes Look Completely Different from Traditional Homes.
Quite the opposite. You can’t to tell the difference from looking at them.
Myth 4: Modular Homes Are Harder to Maintain.
People might have this perception because they believe that modular homes are not held to the same building standards as traditional homes, and therefore they must work harder to keep the house in good condition. In reality, modular homes are easier to maintain because of the superior construction quality associated with the factory fabrication.
Myth 5: Modular Homes Depreciate in Value.
Again, this myth is associated with the misconception that modular construction is inferior to traditional construction. Manufactured homes do depreciate in value, but modular homes do not. They actually increase in value the same way that traditional homes do, and in many cases even more so because there are fewer maintenance issues due to their hardier nature. Because modular homes also age better than non-modular homes, you should have no trouble selling your modular house at a good value.
Convinced that pre-fab is the way to go? Contact Nashua Builders to get the process started!
Source:
Elitzer, J. (2015). 6 Things A Modular Home Is Not. The Definitive Guide to Building Modular: Modular Homeowners.