Quite simply, modular construction is the building of a home in separate sections, within a controlled environment of a factory. Our homes are built in programmed stages from flooring to finished product. Floor treatments, framing, insulation, drywall, roofing, windows, siding, cabinetry, plumbing and light fixtures are all installed and completed by skilled craftsmen utilizing state-of-the-art production technology. The home is then shipped to the building site and assembled on a foundation. Only minimal site construction is necessary, such as the foundation, modular set-up, securing the roof, and connection of various utilities. This explanation is the same for both modular (I-code) homes as well as manufactured homes (HUD-code) homes. For the difference between the two see Modular versus Manufactured.
The answer is NO. As you may or may not know, every manufactured home is built to a very strict federal code known throughout the industry as the HUD Code. Inside these regulations are some features whose sole purpose is to make manufactured homes safer from fire. Some of these features include low flame-spread smoke generation in building materials such as: interior finish, wall and flooring coverings, heating units and cooking areas, bathroom fixtures, and fire-stopping elements. The HUD Code also requires that windows in all bedrooms allow for emergency exit. Also, there is to be at least two exterior doors, which must be remote from each other, and must be able to be reached without passing through another door that is lockable. Site homes require only one exterior door, and there is no "reachability" requirement.
There are many advantages to choosing T&C Homes, manufactured or modular, over site-built.
T&C Homes' price per square foot is lower than typical site-built homes.
We often hear our customers say, "We want a home that doesn't look like a trailer." We'd be willing to bet that if you drove by one of our homes after it has been installed, you couldn't tell if it was a modular or a site-built home. In addition, the quality standards of T&C Homes are built to meet or exceed those of site-built.
Your choices are endless. You decide how you want your new home built. You choose the floor plan, or design one of your own. You choose the options and features. You decide the specifications. This truly is your new home. If there is a piece of property where you would love to live and raise your family, having a range of home prices to choose from can make that dream a reality.
When a buyer chooses to purchase an older site-built home, they take the chance of buying someone else's problems. How old are the appliances and how long will they last? How about the furnace and the hot water heater? In a new T&C Home you can rest easy knowing everything is new. There are no questions. See also Site-built versus Off-site.
We understand that home buyers want the highest quality home they can get for the lowest price possible. We are not part of a huge corporation that specifies to its sales center what profit margin they need to keep. We are confident that we can beat our competitions' "best offer."
When you visit with us, you'll get a price and an explanation of what's included in that price. This price will include delivery and installation.
But the above is just regarding price, there are many more reasons, far more important reasons, than price to buy from T&C Homes. Just click on this link to find out those reasons.
A standard 30-year mortgage of all types
There are two basic quality home foundations. The Basement Foundation is a home supported on a cement wall around the perimeter of the home and down the center of the home on the floor jacks. Exterior cement walls usually extend five feet or more into the ground to get below the frost line so the foundation will not be moved by frost as long as the home is heated.
The cement slab foundation is where the factory-built home is placed on a six-inch thick slab. Cement blocks are placed every eight feet under the four steel I-beams the home was transported on, plus the home is supported every 20 feet down the middle of center line of the home with cement blocks. Most factory built homes sales centers consider this method a complete support system.
At T&C Homes, we have the cement slab contractor build a 28-inch perimeter cement wall underneath the rim joists for additional exterior wall and roof support. Styrofoam insulation is glued to the inside of the perimeter wall and down the outside of the cement slab and extending out from the cement slab. With this design, your home ends up having seven rows of support: two outside walls, four I-beams and support down the center.
The two halves are bolted together, approximately every 16 inches at the center line floor sill plates and on top of the roof line. The temperature stays 40 degrees or more under the home and the Styrofoam keeps the frost from getting close to your foundation.
This type of foundation qualified as a frost-proof foundation when designed by a licensed engineer.
The answer is yes! Many manufactured homes are built in a factory to the same standards, as per Part 3280 of the HUD Code, also called the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (HUD is the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development). Manufactured homes can be shipped and installed in any state. No state or local jurisdiction is allowed to regulate any aspect of construction that is covered by the federal standard.
If you are having trouble with a local city zoning ordinance which allows modular factory-built two-section and site-built homes on a city lot or subdivision but disallowing a HUD factory-built two-section home, the zoning board has written an illegal zoning ordinance. If necessary, you can contact the State Building Code office in your state and send them a copy of the zoning ordinance in question. They will take the issue with the local zoning board, if necessary, on your behalf.
No. If a factory-built home or a stick-built home is built to federal and/or state codes and installed on a quality frost-proof foundation, future depreciation should not be a factor. The location of the home and the economic climate of that area would have more of an effect on the resale value of the home.
Yes. The interior walls are 2x4 and the exterior are built with 2x6" studs. The insulation is R38 in the roof with R19 in the walls and a R22 in the floors. Twelve to 14-gauge electrical wire is used depending if you are building a HUD home or an I-Code home..
The base price includes transportation and set-up of your home on your foundation. The base price basically gives you a home that is ready to move into, but without any options that you might want to select. Depending on the geographic location of your home there might be either a savings or a small additional charge for transportation.
It takes an average of 60 to 90 days to spec out the home, have it built in the factory, transported to your site, and installed.
The home itself has a warranty against any structural integrity defects. Carpets, appliances, hot water heater, furnace, etc. are all from the individual companies that they are purchased from. T&C Homes also provides a one-year sheetrock cosmetic warranty.
Most insurance companies will insure Manufactured (HUD-code) homes at no higher rate. Modular Homes (I-code) are considered the same as site-built so they are insured at the same cost any site-built home would be insured at.
We can help find land for you. We just need to know how much you want, where you want to live, and the price you are willing to pay. We work with a number of local Real Estate professionals to understand all about the availability of land in our market area.
Yes. We have some of the most qualified contractors that will build garages, porches, as well as any other on-site construction to our customer's request.