" mobile homes or prefab homes "

Prefab is a home built the same as a stick built, just built in a factory, no real downsides or price savings, typically the advantage is time on site. Mobiles are typically just that, single or double wides.

I'm not an architect or designer, but I know enough to know that a house should fit into it's environment. An English cottage in the desert or a traditional Adobe house in the Appalachian Mountains would be a bad idea. Choosing a design that doesn't relate to the land isn't a good idea.

That said, the first and third options are attractive in some environments. The middle option-no thank you.

Mobile homes DO NOT depreciate.

Lomo, you need to get a better handle on your qualifiers, like "never", please.

My house - in fact the entire neighborhood - built between 1941-1949 - is pre-fab. Designed by a local architect, then, just as Millworkman said, built in a factory, shipped by train and unloaded at the nearby siding. These are all simple and typical 1940s "Colonial" 2 stories, cape cods, 1.5 story "cottages", or single story ranches - all small by today's standards (1000 sf or less) but very sturdily built; this neighborhood is very popular in the housing market.

There's no downside in quality to a pre-fab home, but there may be cost savings depending on where it's going and what the local labour market is like Or they may cost more, depending on where it's going and what the local labour market is like.

" That said, the first and third options are attractive in some environments. The middle option-no thank you. "

For me, the first and third would work in some locations, but not the third. Chaqun son gout.

Your situation opens the door for continuing your research into being your own GC. That's where money can be saved with the correct planning. 84 Lumber has materials kits. Link.

Mobile homes are not real property. Even when fastened to a foundation, they are a poor choice. It is difficult to get a mortgage for one, unless offered through the manufacturer. Defaults are common, and the resale amount doesn't approach what is actually owed. They are a trap for the low income, wasting that payment on something that is worth less than they paid for it immediately. Over time, the land appreciates, but the home does not.

Invest in a traditional permanent home if you want to have your value build.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/the-mobile-home-trap-how-a-warren-buffett-empire-preys-on-the-poor/

We had planned on a modular home, but were planning during the pandemic and factories were behind because of long shutdowns, so my builder offered to stick build it for the same price. I have 2 friends in our town who did modular and saved quite a bit during the process and both are in their homes now where I have had huge delays. Our home plan was originally a modular with some modifications.

@Charles Ross Homes - Thank you for your response. I like the idea of a modular home and have seen some really chic designs. Ideally, I would like to rent the space out, but I don't know If I want to go the Airbnb route or become a landlord. Thanks!

I am smitten with this company -

https://www.re4a.com/featured#/sharon-residence-1/

As mentioned, stay away from mobile or double-wide homes.

@pennfire - wow, now this is superb! I love the wrap around deck.

The Simple Genius of a Prefabricated House - My Net Zero Home Build - YouTube

Just be aware that prefab and a modern look is often just as expensive as it’s modern stick built brother. Simple looking is deceptive. It takes many more skilled man hours to execute. Also, if you are not relatively close to a factory, forget that as an option. Worse than ending up costing more is the head scratching of your contractors on site to deal with putting together the big puzzle.

When we investigated custom modular homes (more than 10 years ago) we found the cost to be the same as stick-built, on-site. Many of the modular companies have their own traveling set crews which connect the modules on site so assembly is not a puzzle for a local contractor.

@Creative Cabinets - that's a valid point. I want the process to go as smoothly as possible.

We are in Kentucky, and when we started looking for prefabs that were modern in appearance, they either weren't offered in our area, or were in the $1m+ space for something that's comparable in size to our 1700 sq ft 2br+office, 2 ba house, where our stick built house (with frankly fantastic build quality) is going to be well under that, and we got to have the entire house designed and revised to our tastes. I've been checking into this off and on for the last few years and I think we are making big strides with prefabs (we are also considering bringing a small home onto our farm to function as a VRBO in the future) but it seems like getting widespread adoption is going to take a decade or 2.

@rosesmith - We were looking into this, too and had a small portion of the property we would like to convert into a farm cottage for guests. We decided to proceed with it, and it's been a worthwhile investment. I would do your research.

Also ask:

• Can the plans be changed, and to what extent?
• What suppliers do they use?
• Who is responsible for consents and permits?

I found a few examples of plans and projects that you may want to take a look at:

• Ezyline
• Epic Monday
• Out of the Valley

Good luck!

I am looking into starting a company that assembles a temporary factory on your site, builds a modular home in the temporary factory, drops it on your site, then disassembles the temporary factory. Designs are limitless. It is about the same cost as a stick built home.

Stick building a home on site makes about as much sense as building a car from pieces and parts in your driveway. Modular homes--constructed in the conditioned environment of a factory with the better precision offered by jigs and gigs-- are a more sensible approach. While they don't cost any less than on-site, stick-built homes, they involve less on-site risks, e.g., weather delays, the framer not showing up on site, jobsite theft, etc. They offer a more predictable level of quality. The downsides of modular are the limited availability, limited designs, and limited ability to customize them.

Except that -- unlike a car -- you can't drive a house down the road. Moving a completed house is no small feat /no small expense.

"Except that -- unlike a car -- you can't drive a house down the road." Don't tell that to folks who own "tiny" homes or class A motorhomes.

To be sure, the freight cost and logistics of transporting pre-fabricated modules are important considerations. Where modular home factories are far away from an installation site, alternatives such as pre-cut SIPs and panelized construction may be better alternatives. Pulte Group--the nation's third largest home builder--purchased a panel manufacturer in Florida in 2020. They are using pre-fabricated panels to speed construction. Pulte's goal is to use panels to build at least 70% of their homes within a decade. Another production builder is considering setting up modular factories next to their communities and building 100% of their homes that way. When the community is built out, the factory would be disassembled, relocated to another new community and the process repeated.

It seems like the consensus is to stick with straight up traditional building then...

What consensus?

The consensus is that some people are willing to pay more for the things that they value, whatever that is. But the market will not reward them by an increased value above market rates. So, have a large contingency when building any type of home, to be able to choose things that you value, but which will add no increase in home value. That lower than market value preference includes having a home built in a factory instead of built on site.

"That lower than market value preference includes having a home built in a factory instead of built on site." I wouldn't be so sure about that. According to a 2022 survey by Freddie Mac, the majority of consumers view manufactured homes favorably. https://www.freddiemac.com/research/consumer-research/20220629-majority-consumers-say-they-would-consider-purchasing-manufactured-home

They view fireplaces and swimming pools favorably as well. But they are not willing to pay significantly more for them.

@HU-328301744,

You indicated a lower "market preference" for factory-built homes. Do you have any data to share?

". . . makes about as much sense as building a car from pieces and parts in your driveway."

There is a Johny Cash song by the title "One Piece a time" . . .

Sure, Mark. But the question is: was he building a car in his driveway or a panelized home?

A car, but I think the results would be the same with either one.

It is my understanding that the song is based upon a true story.

I know you're not a "TV person," Mark, but if you ever watched the show M*A*S*H you might recall that Radar O'Reilly was mailing a Jeep home from Korea one part at a time. He probably listened to Johnny Cash as he was assembling pieces and parts when he finally got home.