Any one live in modulars/double-wides???

[NECowboy]

Stick house.
Dave lives in NW Washington--Pacific Northwest.
You live in Nebraska.
Which is most likely to have cheaper building materials?

(Rock is expensive in East Texas where I live--almost free in West Texas where I used to live)

Stick built can use any type of materials - it ain't sticks. That's why I was wondering if he did cheap vinyl siding or what he did on it.

Of course materials gonna be more in Nebraska but you can't tell me that it's THAT much more expensive in middle of country. Wash State I would think labor would be expensive as all get out but maybe not once you get outside of Seattle Area.

Around here, stick built generally means lumber studs and built on site. Most current builds are stud walls, sheathed and with brick faced or hardy plank--some go with metal siding. I haven't seen any vinyl siding in a long time--hurricane country.
Mine was built in late 2008-finished May 2009. 1775 interior sq ft, 2x6" wall thickness. 2 bdrm. pine ceilings from end to end (they were not cheap) . Ready to move in, with all new major appliances kitchen/bath/laundry ran me $65/sq ft. Add another $5000 for the well + $5200 for waste water treatment plant bumped it up to $71/sq ft.
No garage.
There are no basements in this part of the world.

Greybeard, u mind pming me some pictures of your house? Sounds awesome.

Here we do basement as you have to have either a crawl space or basement and we are in northern end of tornado alley. Basement is nice cuz it doubles your square footage but not your property tax bill (new houses are taxed at full value based on square footage which gets expen$$ive but basement is much reduced square footage cost).

Garage again too with winters we get important to have.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

In this part of the country, a well built and well cared for double-wide will resale for almost its purchase price, even 20 years later....

I personally would prefer to have a basement, but it is a cost effective starter for most people.

 

[Clodhopper]

My husband is a contractor for a living (although we'd both rather own a HUGE cattle ranch) He said that modular homes are built basically as inexpensively as possible. He has seen them with 2x2 trusses and 1/4 inch sheet rock on the inside. He also told me he is amazed that they pass code up here in North Idaho with our huge snow load with the poorly made trusses and structural soundness that is lacking in the roofs. That being said my parents have a modular home that they bought when I was a kid in 1999. They haven't been to happy with it. The sky lights leak. The plumbing leaks and they have had problems with the siding on the outside falling apart and rotting. All houses require up keep. My husband built our house and it has needed upkeep but nothing structural. (we actually did consider buying a modular home because they are so cheap but built instead) Just keep in mind that you pay for what you get and expect to be putting more money and time and headache into a modular home. Also check the blue prints and make sure your home is built meeting or exceeding the code for your area.

You are painting with a wide brush there... Not all modular homes are alike same as all contractors are not the same. I am also a contractor for a living. If you buy anything of quality generally it is not cheap. If you buy a home and have to get a bldg permit you have to supply plans atleast here in va so they can check to see if your plans meet or exceed code. I am sure your husband has ran across some cheap modular but them being build as inexpensive is relative to where you buy and what you pay for. Carry on...

A true mod has to be built heavier than a stick built, die to the added stress of hauling it down the road. Duramax, I would say what your husband is referring to is a double wide, and a cheap one at that. They can be built cheaply due to the metal frame they are built on, it takes the stress instead of the structure itself. I live in a true modular, built by Contempri Homes of Pinckneyville, IL. When I put the house in twelve years ago, everyone who worked on the place was impressed at how well built it is. It's things like 2x10 No.1 floor joists 12" on center under the kitchen (16" everywhere else) with subfloor designed for 24" centers that make these houses strong.

 

[tom4018]

We did a double wide about 14 years ago, set on a block foundation. 2 x 6 walls and full OSB wrap. So far it has been pretty good. Roof shingles were probably 20 year shingles that made it about 10, I guess the baseball size hail didn't help them or the vinyl siding and windows. Had just a light switch or 2 give problems and maybe one water leak. I wish the interior walls where better, some homes are. My biggest worry is how the roof structure is going to hold up long term, I guess time will tell. We bought one with the heavier snow load rating and heavy insulation package. I think it is pretty efficient. Roughly 1500 sq. ft. and electric everything averages $125 a month for a family of 4, heating and cooling. We do use some gad logs in the worst of the cold and for emergencies, last years was about $130 in propane. So $140 a month for heating and cooling total. Might have been a mistake but we did what we could at the time. Old farm house was rough, need more room.

 

[NECowboy]

My husband is a contractor for a living (although we'd both rather own a HUGE cattle ranch) He said that modular homes are built basically as inexpensively as possible. He has seen them with 2x2 trusses and 1/4 inch sheet rock on the inside. He also told me he is amazed that they pass code up here in North Idaho with our huge snow load with the poorly made trusses and structural soundness that is lacking in the roofs. That being said my parents have a modular home that they bought when I was a kid in 1999. They haven't been to happy with it. The sky lights leak. The plumbing leaks and they have had problems with the siding on the outside falling apart and rotting. All houses require up keep. My husband built our house and it has needed upkeep but nothing structural. (we actually did consider buying a modular home because they are so cheap but built instead) Just keep in mind that you pay for what you get and expect to be putting more money and time and headache into a modular home. Also check the blue prints and make sure your home is built meeting or exceeding the code for your area.

You are painting with a wide brush there... Not all modular homes are alike same as all contractors are not the same. I am also a contractor for a living. If you buy anything of quality generally it is not cheap. If you buy a home and have to get a bldg permit you have to supply plans atleast here in va so they can check to see if your plans meet or exceed code. I am sure your husband has ran across some cheap modular but them being build as inexpensive is relative to where you buy and what you pay for. Carry on...

A true mod has to be built heavier than a stick built, die to the added stress of hauling it down the road. Duramax, I would say what your husband is referring to is a double wide, and a cheap one at that. They can be built cheaply due to the metal frame they are built on, it takes the stress instead of the structure itself. I live in a true modular, built by Contempri Homes of Pinckneyville, IL. When I put the house in twelve years ago, everyone who worked on the place was impressed at how well built it is. It's things like 2x10 No.1 floor joists 12" on center under the kitchen (16" everywhere else) with subfloor designed for 24" centers that make these houses strong.

Post some pics. We are looking at Wardcraft of Minden, NE. Sounds cool!