I've been reading about accessory dwelling units. One option that seems interesting is going with a modular (offsite) construction approach, as opposed to stick built. But I can't seem to find much information about companies that offer such products. Since the GRM forum knows all, I fully expect someone here to be able to educate me. Thanks!
What is an accessory dwelling unit?
In reply to Floating Doc :
A second house/apartment on the property for renting out and such
Modulars are decent and they show up with everything in them. I'd consider it if I found some land or something I could actually afford, since they usually end up much cheaper than a stick built house and not as turdy as trailers.
Does your municipality allow a second dwelling on your property? They are strict around here.
My wife's stupid uncle had a heck of a time with this a few years back. Even though he has 10 acres or more, what he has is a deep property and the local zoning is ruled by amount of road frontage which he did not have enough.
Yes, ADUs are permitted here. But that's secondary to my interest in modular/pre-fab construction. I'm also considering it as an option for raw land.
One thing to keep in mind is that someday you will need to sell your property and modular/pre-fab might mean your buyer can't get financing which means you can't sell.
In other words don't cheap out, do it right. If you choose to do modular make sure it is of a high enough quality that it is indistinguishable from stick built.
So, there's a difference between "modular" construction and "manufactured" construction (mobile homes). It's important to be clear about what you want and what you're expecting while researching and while discussing them here.
Rightly or not, they're often confused for one another by the public and even local governments, which can hurt resale value, insurance, etc.
There is a house about 5 houses down the the street that is a modular home. It came in two parts and they were craned into place. Seemed like it took way less time to build out than a stick built house. Now that is is finished and lived in it is indistinguishable from any other house around. I have not been inside to see what it's like in there. My wife still thinks of it as a trailer even though it is not and does not look like one.
I pass by a place where they manufacture these homes a couple times a year. It is a big building. I'm interested in learning more about them.
Not a canoe, I just want to contribute this:
My wife and I had been planning to build a Deltec since we married.
It's been 23 years, and not going to happen, but if our fortunes ever change, this is what we would do.
They're practically indestructible. We toured the factory in Asheville in about 2000. At that time, no Deltec home had ever been destroyed by wind. That may still be true today.
Page on Deltec site about wind resistance
There is a photo from about the time Katrina hit Mississippi showing one of their homes standing in a beach front neighborhood. There is nothing left around the house but bare concrete slabs.
When we looked into one as a replacement for this house, we found the houses themselves started cheapish, $50k for essentially a box, $75 for something moderate, and then the sky was the limit. But delivery fees, transport permits, building the foundation or bollards that it will sit on, and necessary site work added up to the cost of just building a house the traditional way.
A big part of that it's the accessibility of my property, I'll grant you, but they are extras that need to be considered that aren't always spelled out in the catalog. That $125k 3 bed 2 bath can hit $200k real easy before anyone can live in it.
My house is a modular. Once built its technically a "stick built off site" not a mobile. Built just like any other wood framed house but with an extra ceiling system basically and an extra wall in the middle and stiffer rim joists. We have done 8 or so of them now. The builder makes a big difference.....
Don't believe everything the company tells you about them. Hooking up the plumbing is more often then not, more difficult than starting with an empty stick built house. Nothing lines up. Everything installed needs to be uninstalled for testing. Working on one years after its erected can be infuriating. The last one I did was about 5 years ago. It will be the last one I ever touch. It was so bad, the building inspector finally gave up trying to have the homeowner and the manufacturer bring it into compliance. I was there when he finally gave up. He said something to the fact that if you are stupid enough to buy a modular, you get what you deserve. He took the permit down, told them to do whatever they want, and don't call the building dept again. This was in Massachusetts where this kind of stuff just doesn't happen. When I went for my rough inspection, the inspector was all over me about the way I hooked up the drains with the vents sticking thru the floor. I told him if he could come up with a better way, I'd gladly rip out my work and do it again. We spent the next 15 minutes thinking thru ideas. Well if we go over here and then pick up this drain and then, oh wait thats not going to work. Well how about going this way, and then , no nope thats not going to work either. Despite both of us feeling terrible about how it was done, there was not a better way. Every time I have ever been in one, thats the way it always seems to work out. You like random electrical junction boxes everywhere. You had better if you want a modular. Lots of fun trying to figure out why things like a dishwasher suddenly don't have power anymore.
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