"ameijers" wrote in message
...
(not top-posting, but due to length of OP, answers are in-line.)
"Todd" wrote in message
om...
Anyone have an opinion of the quality and durability of a home that is
built in a factory & delivered to your vacant lot versus a 100% on
site, stick built, traditional home?

IMHO, having grown up in the stick-built business, few modulars measure up
in quality and 'class'. Having said that, modulars are a whole lot better
than they used to be, and much of their bad rep is due to the 'glorified
mobile home' look of entry level models, with the tell-tale little peak
over
the front door, the visible row of siding under the front door, and the
ultra-predictable interior layout and cheap materials and fittings to make
the low price points. High-end modulars overcome at least some of the
40-foot box floorplan problems and dinky roofs, but cost a lot more,
almost
as much as stick built.
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In our case, our stick built was less. I took our specs to a local high
quality
modular builder and he said he couldn't come close to the price we were
getting on the
stick built. Last week I saw a show where a two story modular was being
erected.
They lifted each upper quad (?) section with a crane to rest on the lower
sections.
No one can tell me those sections are not well built. I certainly would not
trust my
stick built (which has built to very good specs) to hold together during
such a maneuver.
I would not hesitate to go with a quality modular builder and may even do so
when we
build our next house in 2-5 years. I like the quality control (I won't have
to be onsite
daily checking on the subs) and there should be fewer weather delays. I
expect construction time to
be less than the 6+ months it took to build the house we are in now. We are
fortunate
enough to have several good mod builders from which to chose so will take
our plans/specs around for
estimates and plant tours at planning time. I expect a custom modular to
cost more than a site built home.
If you haven't checked out modular builders lately, it is worth a look.
Here is a site with several.

http://modular-homes.netfirms.com/index.html
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