Prefab Homes
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Prefab Homes
Anyone have any experience with a prefab house. My daughter is getting married soon and is considering a prefab home. I understand they have come a long way in the past few years. She's thinking about one on the secondary market rather than brand new, in the Eastern Massachusetts/Southern New Hampshire area.
Any idea on how much less they cost, percentage-wise, over a "regular" home will be appreciated.
Any idea on how much less they cost, percentage-wise, over a "regular" home will be appreciated.
Posting Guru
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From: charlotte, nc
a few of my friends live in them, and they are quite happy with them. i think they are pretty good, but it seems that they still like to put cheap hardware and doors and stuff like that in it. ive even seen some where the owners have had drywall put up inside of them, put real hardwood floors in them, and you cant even tell that they were once prefab. id go with it, if you could find one with the layout that you like.
Posting Legend
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From: Grapevine, TX
My previous house was a panelized-kit home from a company in Alberta, Canada. The quality of the materials was excellent and it was a pretty good value. When we sold it last year, it appraised like anything comparable and sold quickly. The only problem we had was the idiot contractor who built it... he didn't have a clue. We ended up taking legal action against him and getting another contractor to fix the screw-ups.
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I have a prefab garage. 40 X 23. The walls were framed and sheathed in a factory, the roof trusses were pre-fabbed then they brought it all down on a trailer and tilted it up. 4 hours from bare slab to parking in it.
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From: colorado
i can tell you she will have to pay more for a loan on a prefab. she can figure paying around an extra 1.5 points in origination fees or get a loan with an interest rate that is around .75-1.0 % higher than on a stick home
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2004
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From: Michigan
I've seen some pretty bad pre-fab homes. There are a lot of companies that will use very cheap materials in them that look nice... at first. My apartment, although not obviously a house, has the nastiest carpet. It was really nice when we first moved in, but it's been just over a year and anywhere you had to scrub, walked on a lot, or cleaned at all has pretty much fallen apart. The doors, also, are not measured right so they have difficulty closing, especially if it's humid. I'd be very careful in considering a pre-fab home, especially given the higher interest rate. You're essentially paying more for it in the long run, it's better to have something that can be easily improved than something that needs to be fixed.
Post Fiend
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From: Damascus-Boring, Ore
When you say "pre-fab," do you mean "pre-fab" or "mobile home?" Pre-Fabs sit on the dirt, mobiles can be moved- big difference.
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From: Northern Massachusetts
I am also looking at pre-fab homes possibly for my property in Maine i checked some out at White Mnt Homes in Ossipee Nh and i liked what i saw, construction was 2x6 construction and the pricing was decent!
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Another difference between Mobile homes and prefab is that mobile homes are built to HUD specifications, 2x6 outer walls, etc. Prefabs/modulars are built to local building codes.
Edit - Just like autombiles, in mobile homes there are Yugos, and there are Lincolns, with alot in between.
Edit - Just like autombiles, in mobile homes there are Yugos, and there are Lincolns, with alot in between.
Last edited by kingfish51; Aug 17, 2005 at 03:18 PM.
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From: N. Mississippi
Originally Posted by kingfish51
Another difference between Mobile homes and prefab is that mobile homes are built to HUD specifications, 2x6 outer walls, etc. Prefabs/modulars are built to local building codes.
Edit - Just like autombiles, in mobile homes there are Yugos, and there are Lincolns, with alot in between.
Edit - Just like autombiles, in mobile homes there are Yugos, and there are Lincolns, with alot in between.
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Originally Posted by ddrumman2004
When did they start building manufactured homes with 2x6 outer walls? My home is 28x80 feet and has 2x4 walls and 3/4" tongue and groove plywood floors. We looked at a home that was built with 2x6 walls but heck....the price was up there with a regular stick built house.
Edit - Just got to thinking, it may have to do with the region you live in as to 2x4 or 2x6 construction. My area requires 2x6 now.
Last edited by kingfish51; Aug 17, 2005 at 04:45 PM.
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From: N. Mississippi
Originally Posted by kingfish51
That change cam some time in the 90's, not sure when. Mine was built in 83, to HUD specs at that time which was 2x4.
Edit - Just got to thinking, it may have to do with the region you live in as to 2x4 or 2x6 construction. My area requires 2x6 now.
Edit - Just got to thinking, it may have to do with the region you live in as to 2x4 or 2x6 construction. My area requires 2x6 now.
