My wife and I are interested in building our retirement home in the Florida Panhandle. We have "drawn" a plan based on a house we rented for a week at a time for years for vacations. Do all Modular Home Companies provide "Engineered Plans" from Architects on staff or do we need to hire an Architect first to create an approved plan? After reviewing your website, it appears we have several choices of manufacturers in our area, Clayton, Palm Harbor, Nationwide, All American, any others you would recommend would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi John, Not all modular home builders have architects on staff, though many do. Still others contract out the work to professionals. Some buyers will also chose to work with a modular architect separately from their builder, though this is generally only done for homes with a higher price-point as this is generally a more expensive option. If you're not looking for a really "out there" home in terms of design, most modular builders will be more than capable of taking even a napkin sketch and coming up with proper plans for your home. I'd recommend asking builders how they normally draft custom homes as part of your initial interview with them. As for manufacturers in your area, I have a piece of advice: Pick your builder first. I would never say that which manufacturer you pick doesn't matter, but I do think that picking the right builder matters more. You will be dealing with the builder day in and day out and it is of paramount importance that you find a company you like with people you trust. Generally the builders will have pre-existing relationships with manufacturers and they will be able to steer you in the right direction based off of the home you want to build.
