For the past few years my family has grown and our mind sets have changed. Now with 2 kids my wife and I decide its time for something different. Current home is great just not enough space for the kids to play out side. We decided last year we wanted more property and be away form other houses. A few homes popped up most were in the 500k range but all needed some form of work. My wife one night asked about building and i quickly stated that buying a property and then building would put us way out of budget. After a few deals that fell through I changed my mind set and started researching, looked as though it just might be feasible. So the start for a property started after a few months we found one we just loved. 980sqft garage on site with electric and a well all on 5 acres. We just recently closed on the property. While reading my wife come across a post about modular homes that makes them seem like it would be a great fit for us. She likes the fact that there more efficient, less in cost to build and quicker. We are in Sarasota, FL and doesn't seem like there are that many reputable builders which has me concerned. We went to a place called Palmer Harbor homes and looked at a few of there models ( La belle, and Tradewinds). Both seemed very nice but just not the exact look we want. There are other builders but there reviews are horrible. We found this site with great info in hopes to find that right home for us without having a horror story to go with it.
Hi Tony, welcome to the community! First off, congratulations on finding a great plot of land! Sarasota is a beautiful place, I’ve got relatives down there and spend New Year’s with them often! Most likely, you talked with Palm Harbor Homes (click to see their profile on our site). You’re right that they do build modular homes, but they’re actually a modular home manufacturer, not a modular home builder. That means that they’re the ones prefabricating the home off-site, but not preparing your land or doing the finish work on your home like attaching those utilities. I always recommend finding the right modular home builder, and using them to decide on a manufacturer. Some builders work with only one manufacturer, so that makes your decision really easy! The reason I recommend finding a builder first is that they’ll be the ones you work closely with. 90% of the time when you need to deal with the manufacturer, a good builder will be right there with you using their knowledge of modular building and relationship with the manufacturer to help you along. So pick out a builder! The best way would be to do that is to reach out to a few and see who fits best. Find a home in our database and request more information on it and we’ll help you find local, regional, and national modular home builders who can help you custom-tailor that plan to make it perfect for you and your family. Your wife sounds like a smart woman! Modular homes are indeed both much faster to build and more efficient, therefore costing less to build and maintain in the long run. Keep in mind that for the vast majority of modular home builders, the plans they have listed can just be a starting point! If you like the look of a model, but want to make some changes, let them know! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them right here in the forums!
Quick update for what's going on. We ended up purchasing the Tradewinds model from Palm Harbor and even though there are some bad reviews for them we have not had any troubles ourselves. We just did out closing this week and everyone we have dealt with at the company has been very helpful. There is however a question we are interested in finding out others opinions on. Our home is currently in the construction process of the stem wall being put up and we have heard from a friend that if we put down washed shell before the home is placed that it will help with both keeping it cooler and also the fact if you do need to ever go under the house you will not be laying in dirt or mud. Has anyone else done this or something similar?
