| With soaring real estate prices, many Americans are | | | | have been approved, a state-approved third party |
| looking to alternative home options. Modular homes | | | | reviews the plans to guarantee they meet the code |
| are one of the popular affordable housing options. | | | | for the state where they will be built. Moreover, a |
| Modular Homes | | | | third party inspection agency licensed by the state |
| Modular homes represent almost 8% of all new U.S. | | | | conducts inspections at the plant while the home is |
| home sales, with nearly 43,000 of them built in 2004 | | | | being manufactured and assembled. In the interim, a |
| alone. In the Northeast today, 10% of the houses | | | | local builder lays the home's foundation. |
| constructed are modular. It is primarily the states of | | | | Once manufactured, the home's sections are shipped |
| North Carolina, Michigan and New York that make up | | | | to the site on flatbed trucks, and lifted onto the |
| the most popular locations for modular construction. | | | | foundation by crane. Construction can take as little as |
| Modular homes are manufactured in several sections | | | | a day. Final completion may require another few |
| at a factory. The factory environment allows | | | | weeks. The overall process, from the first order to |
| protection against harsh weather and vandalism | | | | move in, normally lasts about 90 days, compared to |
| during construction. The quickness of the process | | | | site-built homes, which may need from six months to |
| also significantly decreases building costs. Even though | | | | a year. |
| these homes are factory built, it is possible to have | | | | Its estimated a homeowner can save up to 25% on |
| these homes customized. | | | | their house by going modular. That is a sizeable |
| Typically, modular homes are bought through a | | | | saving in our economy. |
| modular builder. After the floor plans and options | | | | |