For those people shopping for a modular home, the following article written by Al, while it is a tad on the long side, will in all likelihood open your eyes as to what to expect when making choices about your home. 

Thank you Al for your insight.

MODULAR HOMES 101

 

Article Two

 

 The Modular Package Offerings, Changes We Made and Costs for Changes

 

The title for this article could just as easily have been, “Would you like fries with that?”

 

Most of us have heard that question before or a similar question.  It may sound a little bit strange here, but what I’m trying to point out is, there are areas of wants and needs beyond and above the basic modular home offered for sale.  That basic model will be about 70% of your total cost for the house, not including site costs.  Each modular home buyer should be educated about these things that may be added to the basic home, since additions, deletions and modifications to the basic home will always be a part of the modular home purchasing process. 

 

Modifications start with the manufacturer offering a basic model and permitting the buyer the opportunity to request changes before it leaves the factory.  You may find out later that certain things you didn’t change will probably return to haunt you at a later time, so give these some careful thought.

 

Oops, you must not have ordered fries with that! 

 

Selections, upgrades, deletions and modifications are as easy to make as marking items on a drawing of the floor plan, checking items on a factory work order list, and signing your name at the bottom of each document.  Don’t forget that every change you make to the basic model will cost you.  Modifications may cost you about 15% of your total cost for the house, not including site costs.  We found out rather quickly that if we eliminated an item there was usually no credit, but when we added or modified an item there was always a cost.  After the factory makes these modifications, you accept the modular on your site and you move into the modular home; you may think or say, ‘Gee whiz, I wish I had changed this or that.’  The reality then is it’s probably too late for the factory to change anything.  You might as well pull out your check book for an independent contractor to do the work or do it yourself. 

 

Let’s start with the basic modular package offered by the builder; keeping in mind that I’m using our experience and I’m unfamiliar with other manufacturers or factories.  But, I am assuming most, if not all, modular home manufactures use the same modus operandi.  The “m. o.” for the factory is, in addition to the normal “profit” made from the sale of the modular home, to also make a profit as a result of your changes to the basic product.     

 

For your edification you will need a floor plan and a list of modular basic improvements similar to the list I have provided below.  As a buyer, you must have these in hand. 

 

A word of caution is in order.  Do not completely accept the manufacturer’s floor plan as you see it, because it may not be clear or accurate.  For example, although I’m used to looking at full sized architectural and engineering drawings, I remember distinctly looking at the ‘gigantic’ 8 ½ inch by 14 inch drawing of the 2,300 square foot floor plan that was provided to us and asking a factory representative/manager at the factory, “I don’t see electrical receptacles or switches shown on this floor plan.”  He answered, “This modular meets HUD (Federal Government, Housing and Urban Development) minimum standards and those standards require an electrical receptacle every 10 feet around every room.  It’s understood, so we don’t have to show them on the floor plan.”  A second word of caution is in order.  Do not completely accept the manufacturer’s list of basic features of the house as you see it, because it may not be clear or accurate.  For example, “emergency exit windows in all bedrooms” may be a fact, but they look like every other window in the house and I cannot see exiting these windows quickly in an emergency situation.  Did I miss something somewhere?    

 

Of course, I had not read the HUD standards for electrical receptacles, nor had I been given instructions on how to exit bedroom windows in an emergency.  This could be my fault for not asking enough questions.  It’s most likely that you too, as a prospective buyer, wouldn’t know HUD standards or unique product features.  The lesson to be learned is not to trust the accuracy or completeness of the floor plan drawing or list of items provided by the manufacturer.  Always ask questions!

 

Below I have provided a list of basic improvements, fixtures and equipment.  This list has been copied from our manufacturers list of basic items and features provided by the factory and given to us by our consultant. 

 

I know this may seem to be boring reading, but if you’re seriously in the market for a modular house you need to immerse yourself in this information.  

 

The Modular Package Offering

 

“General Construction

1. Foundation ready

2. Residential front door with dead bolt and side light

3. 2X6 floor joists

4. 2X8 floor joists

5. 2X4 exterior walls

6. Auto ignition furnace
7. Shut off valves throughout
8. Copper wiring throughout
9. 100 ampere electrical service
10. Smoke detectors installed adjacent to sleeping areas
11. Emergency exit windows all bedrooms
12. U. L. approved rocker light switches and receptacles
13. Insulation: Floor R-14, External Walls R-11 and Roof R-33
14. Dual pane grid windows for comfort and savings
15. 30 gallon double element electric water heater
16. Plumb for washer
17. Wire for dryer
18. Detachable hitch
19. In-swing cottage rear door with dead bolt and side light
20. 30 lb. roof load
21. Heavy gage steel I beam frame
22. Outriggers for perimeter frame support
23. Oversized windows

 

Kitchen

1. Recessed can lighting
2. European style “hidden hinges”
3. 30 inch gas range
4. 30 inch exhaust range hood with light
5. Laminated countertops in a variety of designer colors
6. Beveled heavy duty countertop edge with 4 inch backsplash
7. Oversized 33 inch overhead cabinets in kitchen (most areas)
8. Adjustable overhead shelves
9. Formica window sill on kitchen windows
10. Center shelf in base cabinets
11. 9 inch deep porcelain sink
12. Double metal drawer roller guide system in kitchen
13. Residential top drawer system in kitchen
14. Single lever faucet with sprayer
15. Deluxe molding above kitchen cabinets
16. 18 cubic foot refrigerator

 

Baths

1. Power exhaust fan in all bathrooms
2. Beveled edge medicine cabinet
3. Elongated water saver toilets with shut off valves
4. Single lever faucets
5. Upgraded china lavatory sink with pop up drain plug
6. One piece tub and shower
7. Decorator tub drape
8. Deluxe beauty lights in both bathrooms
9. Drawer bank in Master Bathroom (most models)

 

Exterior

1. Stucco finish over Hardie panel
2. 8 feet sidewall height (optional 9’)
3. Parapet wall design
4. Porch or recessed entry
5. Scupper drain system
6. VIGA design accents
7. White framed dual pane grid windows with tint
8. Trim all windows and doors
9. Composition fiberglass shingle roof
10. Decorative porch light front door
11. Continuous attic ridge vent

 

Interior

1.      Flat ceiling throughout

2.      Knock down ceiling

3.  Durable ½” Tape and Textured walls throughout

4.  Chandelier in Dining room

5.  Designer upgrade lighting

6.  Heavy duty door jambs with mortised hinges

7.  6-panel interior door with water fall casing

8.  Baseboard molding throughout

9.  Tough no-wax vinyl flooring by Congoleum

10.  Upgrade raised panel cabinet doors

11. Overhead utility shelf

12. Block and wire for ceiling fan in living room (1), double switched

13. Bonded logic carpet pad, FHA Certified

14. Residential drapes in main living areas & mini blinds throughout”

 

Notice that I put quotation marks on either end of the above list to indicate it is a direct copy from the factory brochure.  That, verbatim, is the very poorly prepared and printed presentation from the manufacturer provided to us. 

 

There are a number of problems with this particular manufacture’s written presentation and it’s my opinion that the presentation of the list does not speak well for the modular maker.  It could have been created with much more accuracy and for much better marketability.  There are unnecessary duplications, mischaracterizations and factual errors in this list.  I suspect the list was written by someone who does not fully understand modular houses or various details of modular homes.  That may be a reflection of the importance decision makers give to such a list.  And of course we must recognize that this printed sheet was probably used for a number of different models, floor plans and details; so I submit my apologies to the manufacturer/builder if apologies are really needed.

 

If you are a prospective buyer you need to carefully study this ‘wordplay’ and learn to dissect the factual and meaningful from the word fabrication (marketing jargon) that may be purposefully written to misdirect you.  It’s the old zigzag game, only it’s done with words.

 

Zigzag is something my brother and I used to do when we were kids.  If you have been a brother, parented brothers or even known brothers you’ll know what I’m talking about.  Brotherly competitiveness or sibling rivalry often morphs into anger.  My younger brother and I would play in our yard and I would tease him, he would chase me and just when he was about to catch me I would zigzag, by dodging one way and then moving in the opposite direction, causing him to stumble and fall down on the grass.  Then I would laugh at him and he would angrily chase me again and we would do the whole zigzag thing all over again until he was really angry and he would leave the yard to do something else.  Word zigzag is when the manufacturer writes one thing and causes you to focus on that, while it really means something else.  Watch out for the zigzag!

 

Changes We Made

 

Serious purchasers of costly items will usually have likes, dislikes and changes to be made.  I want to present to the actual list of changes my wife and I made when we bought our modular, but I want to attempt to follow the manufacturer’s sometimes incomplete format as I presented it above.  This will not be easy for the reader to follow because in my opinion the manufacturer left quite a few salient points out of the written presentation.  Also, I will make a number of comments throughout the list.  You can draw your own conclusions as to the validity of my criticism and editorial comments of the manufacturers marketing sheet and the product itself.  Occasionally, I’ll insert comments or clarification and, of course, adding a bit of additional information.

 

 

Modular Package Offered (My Comments and Notes are Bold)

 

General Construction

 

1.  Foundation ready (This should be understood, I would think.)

2.  Residential front door with dead bolt and side light (Yes, there’s a front door and no, we don’t have a side light, it’s overhead on the porch.  Let me take a moment to comment that nearly all doors in this house are problematic.  The manufacturer has not figured out how to move modular housing without causing a ‘racking’ of interior door frames.  When the house is in final location on the property nearly all interior door frames are not square and plumb, so the doors do not open well and do not close properly.  Similar, although less severe are the external doors not closing properly, not opening properly and not locking properly. )

3.  2X6 floor joists

4.  2X8 floor joists

5.  2X4 exterior walls (We upgraded our modular to six inch thick external    walls.  I highly recommend this upgrade to all who might be living in extreme weather areas.  Elsewhere in this article you’ll see comments about upgraded wall, ceiling and floor insulation.)

6.  Auto ignition furnace (We tried to eliminate the furnace in favor of a heat pump (combination heating and cooling in one unit), but were told, through our consultant, (County of San Diego?) we could not do that.  We had to include a furnace in order to obtain an occupancy permit.

7.  Shut off valves throughout (This means for all water and gas.)

8.  Copper wiring throughout (Generally speaking, the entire electrical system for this modular house is lacking.  After we moved into the house we discovered that the “copper wire throughout” reads well in word zigzag, but the electrical wire itself is of such a small gage that when my wife turns on her hair dryer all lights in the house dim.  I suspect small gage equals low cost, but quite frankly this is not the place to lower manufacturing costs.  There are certainly other less critical areas to lower cost.  This is the kind of decision that is dangerous to the occupants.  And I suspect the HUD standards, California Housing standards or at least the County of San Diego building code have been violated.  In other words I believe the inspection/implementation of government housing laws, codes and standards are not being met and local, state and federal government is neither upholding their respective responsibility nor doing anything about it.  The cheapening of the electrical system in the house is nearly criminal and the decision makers at the manufacturer’s offices should be ashamed.  If this is not an absolute violation of legal requirements it certainly is a moral and ethical problem.  One other issue that pales to near insignificance regarding my above comments is that the placement of switches and electrical receptacles throughout the house is not well thought out or properly designed.)

9.  100 ampere electrical service (Note that #8 above identified a smaller gauge of wire than that size that would be used in stick built houses.  I wasn’t aware of this when we asked for an up grade to 200 ampere service.  We did get the 200 ampere circuit breaker panel in the house, but what good does it do with undersized wiring?  But it is not that simple.  The on-site contractor, who just happened to be suggested by a factory representative, failed in his miserable attempt to provide proper electrical power from the meter panel/breaker box to the house. I’ll cover the incompetent onsite contractor in the next article.)

10.  Smoke detectors installed adjacent to sleeping areas (Probably another HUD requirement and if so, it’s a good one.  Be aware that some minimal standards are required by HUD when a modular exits the factory, but those minimum standards may be replaced by local codes when the house is placed on your site.  Requirements may not be retroactive, but let’s say you choose to obtain an electrical permit from your local jurisdiction to make some modification or change something electrical.  NOW, you’ll have to meet the local codes for whatever work you’re doing. )

11.  Emergency exit windows all bedrooms (After living in this house for more than two years I have yet to figure out how one might exit/escape through the bedroom windows quickly, unless one takes a chair and breaks the window.  No instructions came with the house.)

12.  U. L. approved rocker light switches and receptacles

13.  Insulation: Floor R-14, External Walls R-11 and Roof R-33 (We opted for an upgrade of the external wall thickness from four to six inches and thus obtain a higher “R” rating for insulation.  Floor R-21, Walls R-19 and Roof R-50.  We have extremes in weather here with snow in winter and 110 degrees F. in summer.)

14.  Dual pane grid windows for comfort and savings (Also good for energy cost saving.)

15.  30 gallon double element electric water heater (We upgraded to 40 gallon hot water heater and changed ours to propane gas due to rather costly electrical bills in the San Diego Gas and Electric service area.)

16.  Plumb for washer

17.  Wire for dryer (We opted to change our clothes dryer to propane gas for the same reason as noted in # 15 above.)

18.  Detachable hitch (Does anyone want a couple of hitches?  Since they were removed from the two halves of the house they have been resting on our property, hidden about 200 yards from the house.  Note that a small pittance is paid back to you for the axles and tires used in moving the house to your site.  I suspect they will be used numerous times by the same moving company, each time charging the customer a nice ‘user’ fee. )

19.  In-swing cottage rear door with dead bolt and side light (And yes, there is a rear door, dead bolt and a side light.  Note, as I mentioned above the placement of electrical switches and receptacles could have been better thought out.  Our modular has one switch at the rear door for the light in the utility room.  That means when one enters the utility room from inside the house in the dark of night, you must pass through the dark room to the switch adjacent to the back door on the other side of the room.  It’s got to be poor thinking leading to poor layout somewhere, sez me.)

20.  30 lb. roof load (I think this is written poorly.  What is meant here is 30 pound shingles, a measurement of the density and presumably durability of the shingles.  “Roof load” has to do with the ability of the roof structure to hold certain weight per square foot.)

21.  Heavy gage steel I beam frame (Note: Gage should be spelled “gauge”.)

22. Outriggers for perimeter frame support (Metal sub floor support from the outside of the main longitudinal frame supports to the perimeter walls or perimeter of each section.)

23. Oversized windows (I’ve never figured out why they are referred to these windows as “oversized”.  They are mostly 36” W X 58”H.  It seems to me that these are average sized windows.  We upgraded one window in our master bedroom to 46” X 58”.  This has been a nice improvement for increased natural light and cross ventilation during certain times.)

 

Kitchen

1.  Recessed can lighting (This is a good thing, but we supplemented this lighting with two four feet long flush mounted fluorescent lights in the ceiling above the island.)

2.  European style “hidden hinges” (The hinges that the factory uses are not of high quality and seem to have a weak point (plastic piece) in them that tends to break.  When a hinge breaks the cabinet door will not completely close via the spring loaded hinge.  We believe we will eventually replace these hinges with similar, but higher quality hinges.  Another point about kitchen cabinets is that the adjustable plastic shelf holders will break and collapse under an ordinary weight load, such as fruit, vegetable cans, and those things you would normally put in your kitchen pantry.  A factory representative replaced these shelf supports with something better and then, anticipating future problems, replaced the shelf holders in other kitchen cabinets.)

3.  30 inch gas range (We replaced the basic range, refrigerator, etc. by upgrading to the ‘stainless steel kitchen package’ in the kitchen.  This upgrade includes stove, microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher.  All appliances are GE, General Electric)

4.  30 inch exhaust range hood with light

5.  Laminated countertops in a variety of designer colors (Due to an onsite workman placing a carpet iron on the countertop and ‘burning’ a medium sized mark in the surface and due to small bumps, probably grit/grime, beneath the laminate on the island; a factory representative replaced both countertops.  Needless to say, this amounts to serious corrective measures for the factory representative workmen as well as owners.)

6.  Beveled heavy duty countertop edge with 4 inch backsplash

7.  Oversized 33 inch overhead cabinets in kitchen (most areas)

8.  Adjustable overhead shelves (As noted in #2 above, we found out after living in the house for about a year that the plastic pole holders in several closets would not hold any amount of normal clothing weight placed on them.  Several hanger poles in the master bedroom closet partially collapsed and caused me to replace all these plastic pieces with wood holders in this closet as well as all the closets throughout the house.)

9.  Formica window sill on kitchen windows

10.  Center shelf in base cabinets (I wanted to comment here that there is no ‘center shelf’, but my wife pointed out to me these are ‘half-shelves’. 

11.  9 inch deep porcelain sink (This may be one of the best things about this kitchen in my not so humble opinion.)

12.  Double metal drawer roller guide system in kitchen (The factory installation of these metal rails, that drawers slide upon, are low cost items and very poorly installed at the factory with staples (no screws) and we have had one break recently.  I purchased a better quality set of rails and drawer parts and have installed them myself in the kitchen.  Eventually, I suspect we will need to change all of these drawer parts.)

13.  Residential top drawer system in kitchen (For some strange reason that statement makes me think of one of my favorite TV shows, “Top Gear”.

I honestly don’t know what this statement in the brochure means, but I suspect it means that we have a level of drawers just below the counter in the kitchen.) 

14.  Single lever faucet with sprayer

15.  Deluxe molding above kitchen cabinets

16.  18 cubic foot refrigerator (This was changed due to our upgrade to the stainless steel kitchen ‘package’ and resulted in a 23 cubic foot refrigerator.)

 

Baths

1.  Power exhaust fan in all bathrooms

2.  Beveled edge medicine cabinet (We added a second medicine cabinet in the “hers” bathroom, mostly to provide two mirrors opposite each other, so my wife can see the back of her hair.)

3.  Elongated water saver toilets with shut off valves (A worker for the contractor, not a factory representative, dropped a large glob of drywall compound into the toilet in the “his” bathroom, rendering it nearly inoperable. This toilet had to be replaced with a non-elongated toilet by a factory representative.)

4.  Single lever faucets

5.  Upgraded china lavatory sink with pop up drain plug

6.  One piece tub and shower (We upgraded the “hers” bathroom to a whirlpool type bathtub with a hand held shower head operating out of the wall and tiled walls on three sides of the bath tub.  The tiling by non factory workers was attempted twice and finally accomplished with reasonable success.  My advice: watch out for tile setters with no craftsmanship.  There are lots of them out there in the big world.)

7.  Decorator tub drape (Provided only in the guest bathroom and the “his” bathroom.)

8.  Deluxe beauty lights in both bathrooms (Provided in all three bathrooms, but they are limited to 60 watt bulbs, as are all factory installed lights throughout the house.  I guess this is another cost saving measure.  On the other hand, if you installed an upgraded light fixture for 100 watt bulbs you might burn the house down due to those undersized wires.)

9.  Drawer bank in Master Bathroom (most models)   

 

Exterior

1. Stucco finish over Hardie panel (If you are in a  prone area this should be an owner requirement if not a local jurisdiction minimum standard.  Another good point about the parapet walls and elimination of the roof overhang is that in case of a , embers do not blow up underneath a roof overhang and start the house burning.  If your site is in a rural area always think about measures that can be taken to provide a defense against wildfires.  Our house included an inside fire sprinkler system, required by the County of San Diego.  This amounted to an additional significant cost, but in addition to being a code requirement it is just good sense, but it does add to the modular cost.  The only negative thing I can state is that we have experienced vertical and horizontal stucco cracks on outsid3e walls where Hardie panels fit flush against each other beneath the stucco.  It seems to me that some sort of tapeing over the edges of the panels where they butt together under the stucco might solve this problem. )

2. 8 feet sidewall height (optional 9’) (We chose to upgrade to a 9 foot high ceiling.  This is well worth the additional cost and the perception of a much larger space/volume in the house is really amazing.  Thank you consultant for the suggestion.)

3. Parapet wall design (See # 1 above.)

4. Porch or recessed entry

5. Scupper drain system (As I have written elsewhere, the scupper drain system must be sealed properly at the factory or one will experience roof leaks, as we did.)

6. VIGA design accents (?)

7.White framed dual pane grid windows with tint (The dual pane windows with the grid strips between the panes provides the ability to clean the windows without having to deal with the muttons; architectural term for small vertical and horizontal pieces that break up the glass space and window pane appearance.  Muttons are not to be confused with mullions, a vertical structural member separating two windows.  Did you know that?)

8. Trim all windows and doors

9. Composition fiberglass shingle roof (Noted elsewhere herein.)

10. Decorative porch light front door (Noted elsewhere herein.)

11. Continuous attic ridge vent (I would like to add something that might be of interest.  I’m in the process of building a detached 24’ X 30’ garage on our property.  I finally got a permit after five trips to the building department and fire marshal’s office.  I thought one of the interesting requirements the County of San Diego has instigated since the horrible fires of 2003 and 2007 was that typical flush to the walls attic vents are not permitted, presumably so the embers of a  will not blow into those vents on either end of a conventional garage.  Two vents are now required with one about a foot above the slab adjacent to the walk in door and the other about six feet above the first vent.  That’s it!  No other vents are permitted.  I’m just about finished with the garage and ready to call for final inspection and I can tell you my garage is extremely hot with very little true ventilation during this time of year.)

 

Interior

1.  Knock down ceiling (This means that a texture is sprayed on dry wall and then flattened with a tool before painting.)

2.  Durable ½” Tape and Textured walls throughout (Also see #1 above.  We have experienced various cracks in the drywall within the house and we cannot determine if this problem was caused during manufacturing, during moving the two halves from the factory to our site, due to poor support beneath the floor or normal settling.  Not much can be done to correct this issue which may be due to weather, temperature changes and/or earthquakes.  Yikes! )

3.  Chandelier in Dining room (We did add center ceiling lights in all bedrooms and, as I commented elsewhere, we added wiring and blocking for center ceiling fan capability in our family room, living room and master bedroom.  These fans also include lights.) 

4.  Designer upgrade lighting (I’m not sure what this means.  Overall, I must say the electrical system in this house leaves much to be desired in many ways and the selection of light fixtures is mediocre.  All in all “designer upgrade lighting” is something I would recommend the manufacturer not brag about.  )

5.  Heavy duty door jambs with mortised hinges (Elsewhere I have commented about the door jams not being square and the doors not fitting properly.)

6.  6-panel interior door with water fall casing

7.  Baseboard molding throughout (Workers had to replace portions of this base board.) 

8.  Tough no-wax vinyl flooring by Congoleum (Our vinyl seems to develop bubbles or large wrinkles in it depending upon temperature changes.  A couple of factory representatives have attempted to fix it and have completely replaced the vinyl twice--partly due to paint and joint compound splattered around-- all to no avail.)

9.  Upgrade raised panel cabinet doors

10. Overhead utility shelf

11. Block and wire for ceiling fan in living room (1), double switched (We added blocking, electrical wiring and switches in two other rooms for overhead fans.  This is well worth the additional cost and I highly recommend it.  Overhead fans can be installed by anyone with a basic knowledge of installation after you move into the house.  The fans provide an additional level of comfort in both winter and summer.)

12. Bonded logic carpet pad, FHA Certified (When the modular arrives on the site the carpet is not installed.  Rolls of carpet and pad can be found inside the house.  The contractor installs the carpet.  We decided to install the basic carpet and not to upgrade it, but in place of upgraded carpet, we opted to upgrade the pad beneath.  After we were living in the house for awhile, the carpet in the master bedroom and living room had to be replaced and at that time we found that the pad under the carpet looked like it had been salvaged from another house!  I suspect this was the doings of the contractor, not the factory.  The new carpet installer, not the on site contractor, installed a new upgraded padding and new carpet in both rooms.) 

13. Residential drapes in main living areas & mini blinds throughout (Interestingly enough, the drapes in several rooms did not match within the same room and several had to be replaced.  I believe the blinds throughout the house are of minimal quality and we’ll probably be replacing them in the future.  Also, the horizontal and vertical blinds at windows and sliding doors are not of high quality and most of the time cause problems when attempting to open or close them.  We chose not to install the drapes in the living room and dining room to make these spaces look more open and clean.)

 

 

That concludes the list of changes we made to our basic modular house.  I believe in the big picture of things we made intelligent changes that will benefit ourselves now and in the future.  Ongoing heating and cooling costs are reduced, safety has increased and our general comfort is better.  These changes have also increased the value of this home and if we decide to sell this property these changes will add to the marketability of the house and property.

 

 

 

Costs for Changes

 

Now that we have ventured through these modular basics and our modifications, the question might be, “OK, how much did this cost?”

 

I don’t believe it is necessary to get into the minutia of dollars and cents for each of these changes because that was a couple of years ago and costs constantly change.  I think it is worth while to get a relative idea of one general cost center to another.  I have converted our actual costs to percentages the actual total costs we paid for the modular and changes.  In an upcoming article I’ll do the same thing for site improvement costs.

 

 

Percentages of Relative Cost Centers

 

Modular basic price                                         70%

Modifications and upgrades                           15%

Moving, site set up and miscellaneous            10%

Taxes and fees for house only                                      5%

                                                                        ____

                        House Cost                             100%

 

This might give you a ballpark idea within which you can play your ‘cost factors’ game.  It will give you an idea of what your costs could be if you start with the modular basic unit cost and work from there.

 

The next article will present government requirements, utility systems and other site improvements and, YES, many more problems.

 

Al Mercer

dadamercer@yahoo.com

 

August 2008  

 

 

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