Everyone wants to live in a modest house, but sometimes the cost of owning one can be too high. As the United States looks for solutions to curb homelessness, new and affordable methods to own a home has become paramount. If looking for an affordable home, you can look into modular homes. Read on as we show you the best modular home manufacturers to buy from.
What Is a Modular Home?
A modular home is built in a factory setting. The houses are fabricated piecewise inside a controlled climate setting, so you will not suffer unexpected delays like poor weather conditions. A modular home is also called a prefabricated home or system-built home. This home differs from other types of houses like mobile or manufactured homes because they can be removed from a chassis and set on a permanent foundation. For example, mobile homes are often built on steel chassis since they are not set on the ground or have a permanent foundation.
Image source: homeadvisor.com
For you to own a modular home, you need a reliable home builder to guide you through the process. These manufacturers or architecture firms build unassembled house parts based on the module or plan you choose for your house. When they have built and inspected each part, they will ship the parts to your land to finish the installation process. Modular home builders can get your house ready in as little as a month, though the completion time depends on the house size and style.
When choosing prefab home builders, you need to look for one with many house plans to choose from and make sure you can customize the plan to suit your preferred design. In addition to the online house design services, you also need to understand if your company ships houses to your area or state and how much their services will cost per square foot. Finally, choose a builder with the best building materials to have a durable home.
Builders specializing in prefab homes might not operate countrywide for various reasons, including state building codes. Since modern modular homes are set in permanent foundations, they need to adhere to building codes in a specific state, and, unfortunately, these codes vary from state to state. Another reason a builder might not serve in your area is because it might be tough to source materials or even a lack of workers.
With that information in mind, we have compiled this list of the top modular home builders in the country to purchase from.
Best Modular Home Builders
The search for affordable housing has paved the way for these easy-to-customize and build homes. They are cheaper than stick-built houses though they offer the same housing standard. The rapidly evolving modular home construction industry can lower homelessness while encouraging sustainable living for new homeowners.
If you are looking for builders using the best quality building materials and available in your area, here is where to start your search.
Image source: commodorehomes.com
Here is the thing; while modular homes promise a lower construction budget, it is very easy to sacrifice some home features. But, if you choose the Commodore Corp, you are guaranteed high-quality yet affordable modular homes with a 10-year warranty. The Commodore Corp is a home building conglomerate comprising various companies serving around 32 states.
The company's website lists around 59 house plans that you can still customize to fit your desired look. In addition to the plans, you can start designing your home by choosing either a single or multiple-section modular home. The latter is the best option for a growing family.
One feature we like about this manufacturer is that you first choose the most important features for your house to stay within a set construction budget. For instance, you can choose a single or multi-sectional house, then design the most important features for each room first. Then, Commodore Homes takes you on a 3D tour of your creation for every feature you choose so you can order when satisfied.
When choosing a modular home manufacturer, you also need to understand their pricing plans. Since you can adjust the house plans to your liking, Commodore Homes will charge per square footage after you have chosen your house features. You can use their budget estimator to understand what you need to pay for each service or feature.
2. Impresa Modular
Image source:impresamodular.com
When choosing a modular home manufacturer, it is best to get one that serves your area and also has the most floor plans on offer so you can find your dream home. Impresa Modular is one such manufacturer. The company has nationwide locations, plus over 1000 floor plans.
You can customize any floor plan using interactive tools on the website. For instance, when you sign up for an account, you get instant access to their budget estimator, allowing you to choose a plan that fits your budget. Before ordering, you will need to input your building zip code to estimate the land cost and other home features, like garage and fittings.
Additionally, you gain access to the company's Project Homestyler, an interactive tool that lets you modify a floor plan or blueprint. Regarding floor plans, you can choose different types of homes from single-section, ranch, two-story, Cape, and multi-family houses, among others. You can also choose various house styles like traditional, contemporary, or coastal styles, among others.
As with other manufacturers, the floor plan and modifications you choose will affect the delivery time and cost of the entire project. That said, Impresa Modular is known to deliver homes in a few months.
3. Champion Homes
Image source: championhomes.com
Champion Homes is one of the oldest modular and manufactured homes builder you can buy from. Founded in 1953 in rural Michigan, the company has grown to own over 40 home-building factories in the United States and Canada. The company builds and sells single-family and multi-family houses in record time.
You can also choose from an extensive portfolio of floor plans the company offers, including ranches and storied homes. Besides many floor plans, Champion Homes also allows you to customize the design where you can add more space or rooms or also improve different house amenities.
However, since this company is not available countrywide, you will need to enter your location for the manufacturer to understand your state building codes and distance from the factory. With these factors considered, you might be unable to choose some floor plans.
As one of the best and energy-efficient manufacturers in the country, Champion uses the best building materials for a durable and safe home. The pricing for your house plan can be swayed by different factors like location, size, amenities, and land ownership. Unfortunately, you cannot estimate the pricing online, nor can you go on a virtual tour of your creation. You will need to visit a local Champions retailer for more information about their modular houses.
4. Method Homes
Image source: methodhomes.net
Method Homes is another reputable prefab home builder from whom to design and buy your dream modular home. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Washington. Method Homes offers many floor plans ranging from 655 square feet to 2753 square feet. These houses come in more than 30 sizes, including single-unit homes and ADUs. Still, you can customize your desired floor plan for a growing family house.
Method Homes is an affordable manufacturer whose prices range between $325 - $425+ per square foot, depending on your chosen features. However, they do not handle the site building process, so you will need to find another contractor to prepare your land. When the site is ready, Method Homes will come and install the foundation and all the amenities you need, including fittings and low-VOC paints.
There is one more reason you may want to work with this company, even though they are relatively new. All Method Homes houses are built to the International Building code, and the company is also LEED-certified. As such, your house will be environmentally friendly with efficient rated vent fans, low-flow fixtures, above-code insulation, and solar pre-wiring. Still, you will get a sleek, modern home with sliding glass doors, tall windows, and flat roofs if you desire them.
5. Blu Homes
Image source: bluhomes.com
Blu Homes is another modern prefab homes manufacturer you can work with, but only if you are based in Northern California. Previously, the company worked in over 31 states but was recently acquired by Dvele, a newer company that currently works in this area only. Luckily, the new ownership intends to continue the Blu Homes brand that has the following to offer in modular home construction.
The brand offers sleek houses ranging in size from 605 square feet to 2140 square feet. In addition, you can choose from four styles, including the 2140-square foot Breezehouse 2100, the biggest and most iconic home. Like the Breezehouse 2100, all Blu Homes houses are built with a modern look in mind, so you will get tall windows, flat roofs, sliding glass doors, open floor plans, and more.
This company is environmentally friendly with fittings that allow you to lower your electricity and water bills by 50%. If you would like an even more modern house, you can also check out the offers from the now parent company Dvele.
Image source: dvele.com
Dvele is a luxury modular house builder founded in 2017 and bought Blu Homes in 2020. The company offers nine high-tech modular homes ranging from 415 square feet to 3523 square footage. As a luxury home builder, you are in for features like keyless and silent door and garage openers, mesh network Wi-Fi systems, solar roofs, and other smart home features.
As a result, Dvele modular houses are a bit expensive, with costs ranging from around $350 - $500+ per sqft, depending on the smart features you choose. Note that these are for modular costs alone, so you will have to pay more for other site features and fittings. Like Blu Homes, Dvele is an energy-efficient company that also does more to curb climate change by planting 10,000 trees to offset their carbon footprint of building one house. The company currently serves the majority of California.
6. Cavco Industries
Image source: cavcohomecenter.com
Founded in 1965, Cavco is another best modular home builder to buy from. The company builds and sells modular, manufactured, RV, and vacation homes to many parts of North America. Besides prefab homes, the company can also help you with construction financing, land ownership, and home insurance processes. This company is your best bet if looking to start the entire home ownership process, right from sourcing land, floor plans, amenities, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Modular Home Builders
What are Modular Homes Manufacturers?
Modular home manufacturers build a house in a factory. But, unlike other types of manufactured homes, these builders use modules you choose for your affordable dream home. After they build the parts in a factory, they transport them to your land and finish most of the installation.
However, you can choose a different local contractor to assemble the parts on-site, work that includes adding plumbing and lighting fixtures, among other amenities.
Is a Modular Home Good?
A modular home is your next best permanent option if you don't have a big budget for a traditional stick-built home. You can choose from modern and traditional designs like you would for stick-built homes, yet the budget for the building process could be halved in a modular house.
Regarding the building budget, your quote will include costs for materials, building permits, and inspections. Note that your preferred house plan, design, and amenities will affect how much you will pay for your home. Apart from the modular home costs, you will also need to factor in on-site costs from your local contractors. Generally, a modular house costs at least $350 per square foot.
Besides the lower budget, here are other benefits of getting a modular home:
- As modular homes are built inside a factory, you mitigate delays that climate changes or other external factors can cause.
- The building process takes less time since you can prepare the building site while the house is being built in the factory.
- With the advantages of your home being built in a climate-controlled facility, you can anticipate moving in in as little as three months.
- The building process generates less waste, making modular homes better for the environment. This is because the building materials are designed and stored by the prefabricated home builder; if they don't use some materials when building your house, they can recycle them in another project.
- Modular homes offer great design flexibility and allow you to work directly with architects and engineers to design your dream house.
- Modular homes are perfect for you if you live in a remote location where you'd struggle to find contractors willing to relocate for months to complete the building process.
- Modular homes are also quite durable since they are built per state building codes and designed to withstand travel requirements. In addition, the homes are also built with durable materials that can withstand environmental abuse.
