I have seen about 4-5 homes that I would be interested in buying. The question is do I have to find my own contractors to put it together or will that be tacked on to the price and provided by the seller of the homes? I was also told by a friend that the homes shown with garages are not part of the home and that it would be doable for but will add a few more thousand to the bill. If I have a house currently in the lot where I want the modular home, do I need to tear it down before even considering a modular home or can that be added on to price and have their contractors do it.
Hey PRossie, You raise some good questions, so let me answer them in order. The vast majority of modular homes can be built by any builder you choose; there are only a few prefab manufacturers that have more complex building systems that require that they are the ones to assemble the home. For the most part, as a buyer you'll be dealing with builders, not manufacturers. Concerning garages with modular homes: Your friend is half right. Most of the time garages are built on-site by your general contractor and are not included in the cost of the home. If a garage is shown on the side of the house, it is probably an optional extra that you can add to your home if you choose. With some models however, the garage is such an integral part of the design that the home cannot be constructed without it. In these designs, the garage is generally included in the cost. The only way to know for sure is to ask the manufacturer or your GC whether or not the garage that's pictured is included in the cost of the home or not. As for building a modular home where a home currently exists, that's something that should be looked at on a case-by-case basis. You can discuss that with your general contractor and see whether or not the foundation that currently exists can be used for the modular home as well. It may be that you won't have to completely remove the previous house, but if the modular home you're building is a radically different shape or size from the previous home, your builders may have no other option. To get in touch with a modular builder about a specific home, check out our database of homes and fill out the contact form on the page for the home you're interested in.
