Modular homes are growing in popularity as a more affordable option for single-family home buyers. Prefabricated parts are brought to the site and then assembled by the builder.
Fred Hallahan, a housing industry consultant with Hallahan Associates, in Baltimore, says many buyers have preconceived notions about modular, that they are "plain Jane or boring,” while in actuality, modular homes can be designed in any style, based on homebuyer desire. Different from manufactured mobile homes, modular homes are site-built, even if parts are manufactured offsite. Realtor.com says modular homes do have three specific advantages over traditional site-built homes: faster production, lower costs, and higher quality.
First introduced near the end of World War II, modular homes—also called factory-built, prefabricated, or prefab—still represent only about 1.5 percent of the homes manufactured in the U.S. today. But modular homes are getting hotter than ever with design-savvy buyers who want the flexibility to choose their floor plans and styles. In other words: Just because it's made in a factory doesn't mean it's a boring box just like everyone else's. That's a myth of modular building!
