New home builder

[Gadgetmonster]

Recently purchased 5 acres in Owen county by Cataract lake. Leaning towards a manufactured home (not mobile home). Might you have a recommendation on a better quality manufacturer? Any advice on the topic would be great. Thanks

 

[04FXSTS]

We just had a modular put up here in Indiana to move from Illannoy. It is a Schult-Middlebury by Clayton Homes and we are very happy with the home and the move to Indiana. Made the move March 14th so have been in for 2 1/2 months and all is well with the home, had the "fix it" person here a couple times for some minor issues and he was great. Still waiting for the "factory" tech to come for an issue with the kitchen cabinenits. All is under warranty for one year so that should be time for everything to get sorted out. Glad to help with any specific questions you might have. Jim.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

Are modular homes a lot cheaper? I know as for as the ones I have been in, everything just felt cheaper. Doors, walls, floor all just felt kinda flimsy to me compared to a normally constructed home.

I personally would get a house plan and some quotes from local contractors on a conventional style home and compare it to the prefabs and see if the savings is worth it.

 

[Gadgetmonster]

04FXSTS

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See Mark-DuCo comments. What do you think? Would you contract to have a stick built home if you did it all again?

 

[slipnotz]

Check out Rochester Homes, they are located in Rochester IN. They have some nice home models to pick from.

 

[04FXSTS]

04FXSTS

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See Mark-DuCo comments. What do you think? Would you contract to have a stick built home if you did it all again?

I would still go with the modular home, like I said we are very happy with it. I remember last fall while our modular was being built inside a factory I would drive by a construction site near where we did live. There were days when no construction going because it was raining or snowing with all the components wet and frozen.
Mark-DuCo's comment has value in the proper context. Just like anything there are cheaper and more expensive models of everything. We looked at several different manufactures products and at the available floorplans and found what would work for us within our price range. The doors are not solid oak and the countertops are not solid granite but everything feels solid and functional. If that is what we wanted and could afford that is what we would have. Anyway we are happy, that is what matters, Jim.

 

[Gadgetmonster]

Check out Rochester Homes, they are located in Rochester IN. They have some nice home models to pick from.

Thanks, I will look into them too.

 

[Sigblaster]

If I was to build a home, it would be stick-built, and to my specifications.

This is actually a topic that my wife and I are dealing with right now. I'm close to retirement, and we're trying to decide whether to stay put and improve, buy a home, or buy land and build one.

Our current home is only the second house we've lived in (an Army career limits the practicality of a home purchase), but we've developed very solid ideas about what we do and do not want in a home. Shopping for an established home is kind of a nightmare, as we find things we love about some homes, but have to disqualify them because they have features we hate also. Staying where we are is an option, but we would make some radical changes that we would never see a return on if we were to ever sell.

Building to suit us would be the best option, but the biggest hassle. As Mark-DuCo said, manufactured/modular homes seem to me like they're built with "cheaper" materials. From what I've seen, they're not very customizable either. I may be a bit biased, as 35 years ago I used to work residential construction. But a proper stick-built will be more solid, and if you want to have total control over the build, you have to do a lot of leg work to go from concept to completion.

My advice to you is to do a lot of hands- and eyes-on research before you decide to go manufactured. Find some already built manufactured homes on a realtor website and do a walkthrough, like you're a prospective buyer. Take a good look at the materials used, like plumbing fixtures, doors, electrical fixtures, flooring, and the like. The bare bones of what makes a house. Look at the oldest ones you can find, and see how well they've stood the test of time compared to stick-built.

Sorry, I didn't mean to get so long winded here, but a home is probably the biggest purchase you will ever make, so be picky. Ridiculously picky, even if you're a pain in the builder or realtor's butt. If you do it right, you'll never have to deal with them again anyway.

 

[Dirtebiker]

Recently purchased 5 acres in Owen county by Cataract lake. Leaning towards a manufactured home (not mobile home). Might you have a recommendation on a better quality manufacturer? Any advice on the topic would be great. Thanks

Hey John,
good for you. We are wanting to get away from the city too. Would you mind letting us know what you paid for your lot? A pm would suffice.
My vote would definitely be for a stick built home for several reasons but the most important is resale value. Stick built WILL go up in value. Manufactured home MIGHT go up, but not nearly as much. If resale isn’t a consideration, a manufactured home can get you moved in faster, but to me that’s about the only upside (besides cost maybe).

 

[Jaybird1980]

A good framing crew can have the average home dried in in a week easily. Also a good crew will not be available in the near future, so your timeframe may determine some of your options.

 

[Gadgetmonster]

The land, 5.9 acres, has a two-story cabin on it and city water. It also has a one-year-old metal six car concrete floor garage. We paid 62,500 for it. The intention is to turn the cabin into a guest house after we build the home. Right now I am looking at Shults-Middlebury. They are represented by a company in Bloomington, Clear Creek Homes, that appears to be top notch. Great reviews.

 

[Dirtebiker]

The land, 5.9 acres, has a two-story cabin on it and city water. It also has a one-year-old metal six car concrete floor garage. We paid 62,500 for it. The intention is to turn the cabin into a guest house after we build the home. Right now I am looking at Shults-Middlebury. They are represented by a company in Bloomington, Clear Creek Homes, that appears to be top notch. Great reviews.

Sounds like you got a decent deal! How old is the cabin? And when you say cabin do you mean log cabin, or shack, or ???

 

[chocktaw2]

Are modular homes a lot cheaper? I know as for as the ones I have been in, everything just felt cheaper. Doors, walls, floor all just felt kinda flimsy to me compared to a normally constructed home.

I personally would get a house plan and some quotes from local contractors on a conventional style home and compare it to the prefabs and see if the savings is worth it.

You couldn't haul a stick built house down the roads in this state without it falling apart. There is more glue, construction adhesive, staples, and nails in them things.

 

[Gadgetmonster]

Sounds like you got a decent deal! How old is the cabin? And when you say cabin do you mean log cabin, or shack, or ???

10 year old stick built.

 

[Leadeye]

Plan on heating with wood, I did and never looked back.