Did you ever decide to repair something only to discover that it was cheaper to buy a new one? That’s the case with cars and with shoes (and many other items). Because they are produced in a factory, rather than by hand, it costs more to buy the parts individually than it does to buy the entire completed item. That’s the way it is with homes, too, although this concept will be unusual to most people. Modular homes are custom homes that are built in large units in a controlled environment and are sent to the site and assembled there. However, when people hear of modular homes, they often mistake it for a mobile home. But a modular home is different.

Modular homes look just like regular homes. The difference is in construction, not appearance. Most “regular” homes are built onsite. That is, a big load of materials arrives at a recently poured foundation and a home is constructed one piece at a time. This is called a stick-built home. A modular home is built in a controlled, factory-like environment. Each home is built in large units and these units are built above code in order to make them strong enough to easily stand up to being transported. When they arrive at the site, they can be assembled in just a day or two and once complete, no one would ever know the difference.

But if you were the homeowner of a modular home, you would know the difference! That’s because a modular home comes with many more benefits that a stick-built home does not. A modular home is cheaper to build because it’s built along with other modular homes so the building materials are bought in bulk and used across several homes to minimize wastage. (Compare that with the stick-built practice of buying “allowances”).

A modular home is faster to build because it’s not dependent on good weather to be completed on schedule. The location where the units are built is climate controlled and out of bad weather. So your home is built, rain, shine, snow, or hail. (As an added bonus, a faster home costs you less in accruing interest on your construction loan). (Oh, and as a double-added bonus, it only takes a day or two to put your house so your neighbors won’t be annoyed at you for running heavy equipment for 6 months).

A modular home is built better than a stick built home. Throughout the construction process it is monitored by licensed inspectors who make sure the homes are up to code. And as mentioned earlier, the units are built well beyond acceptable structural loads to reduce the impact of transportation. (Not only that, modular homes come with a 10 year guarantee. Compare that with the stick-built 1-year guarantee).

There are other benefits, too. The house is more eco-friendly, the building costs are more predictable, and the house will be more energy efficient when you’re living in it. And by the way, in case you missed it, these homes are custom designed by you. You choose the components you want in the house and arrange them into a floorplan of your choice. When you add up these benefits, it’s hard to believe that we’re still stick-building houses when it costs less to approach home-building like assembling a car.