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When selecting a size for your backyard storage building there are several questions to ask yourself. Use this list as you start your research, and contact a Leonard storage shed specialist with your questions.

What are the common sizes for storage sheds?

The table below shows the available length and widths which can be easily ordered. The shaded boxes represent the most popular sizes that we sell. Leonard Buildings manufactures its sheds here in North Carolina and is equipped to handle custom requests that are not represented on this size chart. Contact a storage shed specialist.

Important Note: Sizes are represented as "Nominal Measurements" accross the entire industry - meaning they are not exact. Example: a 2x4 board is not exactly 2"x4" but the refrence is useful and simple. In the same way, a 10x12 shed in one model may only have an interior footprint of 9'-2"x 11"-2" while another may be 9'-10" x 11'-10." This is due to several factors. The outside dimensions from the Department of Transportation's point of view is from tip to tip; therefore, if your shed has an overhang or boxed eave the outside edge is driving the dimensional constraint. Also, the thickness of the exterior wall varies depending on siding and frame material. Be sure to contact a specialist before you make your final decision so we can provide better specifications for your project.

How much room do you have where you want to place the shed?

Consider all three measurements: Length, Width, and Height (look for wires, tree limbs, etc.). Also look at the terrain. While the spot need not be perfectly flat, you want to measure an area where the drop at the lowest corner does not exceed 3.5 feet from the highest corner. If you do not plan on doing a lot of preparation work, this may influence your placement area and affect the size of your unit. Many of our customers find it useful to purchase a few stakes, string and a simple line level. If you don't have time, perhaps we can help you during a site visit.

How do you plan to use your storage shed?

We find that this is not as obvious as it may first appear given that so many of our customers later discover multiple purposes for the extra space. Will the building's primary use be:

What do you plan on storing in your unit?

It is useful to make an actual list of your major items with a rough estimate of each item's size. In general, you can group your items into three categories:

1. those items you easily lift over your head,

2. those you can lift and move around by yourself but not necessarily over your head, and

3. those you can not lift by yourself: (lawn mower, refrigerator, etc.).

This will also help you assess your loft, workbench or shelving needs whether you get it from the factory or add it yourself later.

What are the dimensions of the largest items you plan to store in your shed?

In some cases a large door (perhaps a garage style door) is required and this will determine the minimum width of at least one side of your storage shed. Also the height of the largest stored items may rule out building styles or sizes that have shorter sidewall heights or built-in lofts.

Path to Placement?

How will the building be brought in? What will fit through, or will it need to be built on-site? We have some pretty crazy stories of obstacle courses we've delivered our buildings through. Our delivery specialists are incredible, but even they have limits. It's very important to think through exactly how the building will arrive at its final destination. Yes, your beautiful privacy fence with narrow gated entrances will require that your building be built on-site.

Note about Size Restrictions:

For fully assembled shed deliveries, the DOT (Department of Transportation) restricts the width to 14', length to 50' and the height to 14'-2" in most places. The height restriction often affects the pitch of the roof as this height includes the distance from the ground to the bed of the truck. Also, units wider than 12' feet require us to provide a driving escort in most areas. Leonard offers a built-on-site program that may better suite your needs.

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Selecting the SIZE of your storage building or shed

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When selecting a size for your backyard storage building there are several questions to ask yourself. Use this list as you start your research, and contact a Leonard storage shed specialist with your questions. The table below shows the available length and widths which can be easily ordered.

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When talking about different kinds of homes, there may be some confusion in regards to the terms used to discuss what kind of house is being built. Prefab, Modular, Panel Built, and Manufactured are sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably, but they all mean different things.

Prefab

Short for Prefabricated housing, "Prefab" is a broad term that encompasses several different types of building. Technically, any home that has sections of the structure built in a factory and then assembled on site can fall under the "prefab" designation. Both Modular and Panel Built fall under the umbrella term of prefab, but just as different types of dogs are all canines but differ from each other, Modular and Panel Built both qualify as prefab, but are still different.
Panel Building
As you can see in the video to the right, panel building is accomplished by laying down the floor and then lowering each section of wall in to place one at a time.

This type of construction can be useful in building houses that don't work neatly as modules and it can be just as structurally sound as other types of prefabricated building. Commercial prefabricated building is often done this way as it allows for wide open spaces and high ceilings. It is also much less expensive to transport a building in panels than in modules if it is large enough.

In the video you will notice that both the first and second story floors are bare when they are lifted in. This is not always the case. Sometimes manufacturers will already have placed anything that can be bolted down. Toilets, sinks, dishwashers, and anything else that can be properly secured during travel can be pre-attached to the floor and cabinets and light fixtures can be pre-attached to walls. This means less work for the builder and saved time and money for you.
Modular Building
This picture shows a module being lowered in place by a crane. With modular building, the house is constructed in separate box-like modules which are then secured together to form a whole. Since the modules have to be transported on the backs of flat-bed trucks over highways, they generally have to be no longer than the truck and no wider than 16'. This traditionally meant that every room in the house had to be less than 16' wide, but with new technology, old barriers in modular building are breaking down and houses are becoming infinitely customizable.

Modular building usually doesn't allow for additional structures like garages or porches to be built in the factory, but by combining panel building and modern modular building techniques, modular home factories are able deliver your home up to 90% complete.

Manufactured Housing

While built in a factory like prefabs, there is no construction that happens on site. Manufactured homes are constructed on a steel frame, shipped on its own wheels, and then laid on a crawl space, or a slab of concrete. In some cases, the wheels that got the house to the build site aren't even removed, just covered up with side skirting. The picture on the right has had skirting added to try to conceal that it is a manufactured home.

Manufactured homes don't tend to age well, are prone to maintenance issues, and are generally considered to be the worst type of home to live in.

The Difference Between The Two
Building Codes
Prefabricated houses of all kinds must adhere to state and federal building codes and undergo regular inspections, just like any site-built home. This ensures that prefab homes are at least as safe as their site-built counterparts, though there is evidence that a well-built modular home is even more sturdy than a similar site-built home. Manufactured homes on the other hand only have to adhere to HUD standards (Department of Housing and Urban Development) which has much more lenient rules and regulations.
Resale Value
Unlike prefabricated homes which are considered real estate and so maintain or increase in value over time like a site-built home, manufactured homes are considered personal property and so lose value as soon as it's driven off the lot, just like a car. Their value will continue to decrease for the full life of the home.
Building Limitations
While prefabricated housing used to be limited to very basic designs, modern building techniques have allowed prefabs to become just easily customizable as site-built homes. Unfortunately, manufactured homes are still very much constrained, and have extremely limited options. Most manufactured homes dealers will have the home pre-built and then just sell from their available stock. This means that any customizations made would be done by the owner.
Appearance
Prefab homes are traditionally wood framed, but the push toward modern styles and sustainable living has forced the industry to adopt steel-frame construction for some projects. This allows modular and panel built homes a flexibility in design that allows for custom architecture. Some manufactured homes still have the tin-can look of years gone by and some have been modernized to look almost like a standard home, but there is little to no room for exterior alterations or creativity.
Quality
Perhaps the largest difference between prefab homes and manufactured homes is the quality of the final product. Modular homes are built with factory precision using 25% more material on average than either site-built or manufactured homes. According to FEMA, they stand up better in extreme weather, and they require comparatively little maintenance.

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Do You Know The Difference Between Prefab And Manufactured Homes? - ModularHomeowners.com

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When talking about different kinds of homes, there may be some confusion in regards to the terms used to discuss what kind of house is being built. Prefab, Modular, Panel Built, and Manufactured are sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably, but they all mean different things. Prefab Short for Prefabricated housing, "Prefab" is a broad term that ...

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I'm thinking we focus on panels that include insulation, drywall, and structural components. They have stuff called structural insulated panels that I'd like to learn more about. I created a document for research aggregation that I will share with you guys.

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A brief summary of Chapter 8 "Building a Modular Addition" (16 pages) in The Modular Home by Andrew Gianino, President of The Home Store
Modular construction is a great way to build an addition. You get the quality and price advantage that modern modular homes are known for along with faster build time. Speed is particularly beneficial when building modular home additions, since the construction will temporarily disrupt your family's life, especially if you remain in your home while the work is being done.

Modular home additions come in two types. The most popular type is attached to the side of a home to create either a separate living unit, such as an in-law apartment, or additional rooms, such as a new kitchen, dining room, and great room. Some customers build an in-law apartment at the same time that they build a new modular home. The second type of modular addition is set on top of a one-story home to make it into a two-story.

The full chapter of the book answers the following questions about building a modular addition:

When do modular home additions make sense and when do they not make sense?

Should you remodel your existing home when building a modular addition?

Does it make sense to complete other construction projects, such as building a deck, at the same time that you are building a modular addition?

Modular General Contracting Issues with a Modular Home Addition

Before you spend too much time considering an addition, find out whether or not you can build one, and what will be required if you can. There is any number of issues that can prevent you from going forward. Not surprisingly, several of the issues that affect your ability to build an addition are the same as those that can restrict what you can do with a particular building lot. (For more information, see chapter 6 (17 pages), " Finding and Preparing a Building Lot ".

The full chapter of the book will explain how the following issues will affect your ability to build an addition:

How can covenants and deed restrictions impact on your ability to build an addition?

Why can an easement or right of way prevent you from building an addition where you want to on your property?

How do zoning regulations affect your ability to build an addition?

Can you build a detached addition, that is, an addition that is not directly connected to your existing home?

Could the building inspector require you to update features in your existing home to bring it in compliance with current building codes?

How could having a septic system impact on what you are allowed to build as an addition?

What must be done to make it possible for the crane and set crew to set up in the proper location on your property?

Financing a Modular Home Addition

Before entering into a contract to build an addition, determine how you will pay for it. If you intend to use a lender to finance the construction, you may have a choice of either an equity or a construction loan. To use an equity loan, you must have sufficient equity in your home, since the lender will only allow you to borrow against that equity. An appraiser hired by your lender will determine the amount of equity in your home. If you owe money on your home but the mortgage is small, the appraisal is less likely to matter, since the lender will have sufficient collateral even with a low appraisal.

If you have little equity in your home, and need a construction loan, the lender may require a down payment. It will also want an appraisal of your home that includes the proposed addition. Before you spend too much time exploring modular home construction costs, speak with a couple of lenders to see what they can do for you.

For more information, see chapter 9 (16 pages), " Financing a Modular Home ".

Modular Home Addition Pricing, Specifications, and Plans

If you are able to build an addition, you will need to work with each of your dealer candidates to determine modular home additions pricing and specifications. The steps will be essentially the same as for building a single-family modular home, except that you will probably need at least one of the dealers to help you create custom modular home additions plans. For more information, see chapter 2 (26 pages), " Selecting a Dealer," in The Modular Home.

Although most manufacturers build additions, few offer standard house addition plans. Many standard modular home plans, however, can do double duty as additions. For example, small ranch modular homes can serve as in-law apartments, and the second story of an appropriately sized two-story can work as a second-story addition. For more information, see chapter 3 (55 pages), " Designing a Home," in The Modular Home .

You must provide prospective dealers with photographs and approximate measurements of the inside and outside of your home. This will help them create a design that meets your needs and fits your existing home. When you sense that a particular dealer can help you, invite him to see your home and take his own measurements.

A Modular Home Addition and a General Contractor

When building a modular home, it is recommended that you hire a general contractor (GC) with modular-home-construction experience. In some respects, this advice is even more important when building custom modular home additions. There are usually a number of surprises when building an addition, regardless of the type of construction. Most of them derive from the fact that you are connecting a new structure to an existing structure that was not specifically designed to accept it. Surprises are typically more frequent and complex with an older existing home. Construction surprises almost always cost money and time, and they can cause personal stress, especially if you remain in your home throughout the project. The best way to manage the challenges of building an addition is to have a professional GC directing the activities. For more information, see chapter 5 (20 pages), " Selecting a General Contractor," in The Modular Home.

The GC tasks will be similar to those in building new modular homes. For more information, see chapter 7 (51 pages), " The General Contractor's Responsibilities," in The Modular Home. These tasks include completing the site work, foundation, plumbing, electrical, heating, and interior and exterior carpentry. The GC will need to build any site-built structures you need, such as a deck. He will also be responsible for completing some construction tasks that are unique to building an addition. The following are examples of GC responsibilities that will be discussed in the full chapter of the book:

What should the GC do with the electrical, phone, and cable TV wires that are connected to your existing home?

What must the GC do to make the electrical service and panel box in your existing home work with your modular addition?

What needs to be done so the GC can interconnect the smoke detectors in your existing home to those in your modular addition?

When should the GC tie the heating and cooling systems of your existing home into the systems for your modular addition?

Should you consider electric heat for your addition?

When should the GC tie the hot water system of your existing home into the system for your addition?

How might the topography of your property affect the construction of an attached modular addition?

How much damage should you expect to happen to your landscaping and driveway when you build a modular addition?

Building an Attached Modular Home Addition

Attached modular additions are sometimes built to create a separate, additional living unit and sometimes to create more living space. Most zoning boards consider any addition with a separate kitchen to constitute a separate living unit, which requires that the wall between the two units serve as a "fire stop." The full chapter of the book will explain how this can be done. It also discusses the following issues relating to building an attached modular addition:

What needs to be done to ensure that the intersecting roofs of the addition and existing home shed water and snow properly?

What steps might need to be taken to make the roofs from your existing home and the attached addition structurally sound?

What other steps do you need to take to attach a modular addition to your existing home?

What is an ECHO (Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity) addition?

Can you build an ECHO home for your parents or in-laws if your town's zoning regulations don't specifically allow you to do so?

What will you need to do to disassemble your modular addition, whether or not it is an ECHO home, if you later choose to do so?

Building a Second Story Modular Home Addition

If you are building a second-story addition, you are most likely doing it to create more living space rather than a separate living unit. The GC will turn your one-story into a two-story by removing the roof from your home and immediately setting the new second story with its own built-in roof on top.

The speed of modular construction is a tremendous benefit when building a second-story addition, since the addition can be set in place within hours after the roof is removed from your existing home. Once the addition is in place, the inside of your home is protected from a sudden storm. A site builder cannot realistically protect your home as quickly. Another advantage is that the second story can be finished faster. This means your family can use the upstairs more quickly, even if it must wait to enjoy the downstairs until the remodeling is completed. The full chapter of the book discusses the following issues relating to building a modular second-story addition:

What size and style of existing home works best if you want to build a modular second-story addition?

Why should you hire a structural engineer before designing second-story modular home additions plans, and what must he do?

How do you get the electrical power, water, sewer, and heat to the second floor of a second-story modular addition?

How do you coordinate the exterior appearance of a second-story modular addition with your existing home?

What do you do when building a second-story modular addition if you have a chimney?

What else do you need to do when building a second-story modular addition?

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Modular Home Addition and Prefabricated Home Addition

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A brief summary of Chapter 8 "Building a Modular Addition" (16 pages) in The Modular Home by Andrew Gianino, President of The Home Store Modular construction is a great way to build an addition. You get the quality and price advantage that modern modular homes are known for along with faster build time.

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A brief summary of Chapter 1 "Why Build Modular?" (18 pages) in The Modular Home, by Andrew Gianino, President of The Home Store
Modular houses are built out of boxes, called modules, which are constructed off site, transported to a building lot, and assembled into a finished home. All of the materials - from framing, roofing, and plumbing to cabinetry, interior finish, and electrical - are identical to what you would find in a conventional "stick-built" home. The most striking thing about a modular home is not anything you can see, nor how it is made, but where it is made: in a modern factory designed to build good-quality modular homes.

Why Build a Modular Home: The Factory Advantage

The modular factory system combines engineering know-how and factory-production methods to design and build more efficiently and with greater quality control. When done well, the efficiency results in lower costs and the quality control results in a better product. The idea of building homes, especially the components that make up a home, in a factory is not a recent phenomenon. Prefabricated houses have been built in the United States since the 1890s. Americans began buying houses out of mail-order catalogs as soon as it was possible to ship the materials cross-country by railroad. Sears sold about 100,000 mail-order homes from 1908 to 1940. The use of production-line techniques again picked up after World War II and made a sizable contribution to reducing the housing shortage that developed after the war.

Even stick-built houses today use a growing number of mass-produced, factory-built components, including pre-hung windows and doors, roof trusses, interior moldings, drywall, and kitchen and bath cabinets. More and more aspects of home construction are being completed in factories because the factory environment helps to organize the construction process. By using automatic assembly equipment and repetitive assembly-line techniques, factories assemble component parts more efficiently and with greater consistency in product quality. This is true whether the components are assembled to make a window or an entire house.

Virtually all of the best products in the world, from computers and appliances to automobiles and planes, are manufactured in factories. That is why both consumers and industry professionals in Japan and Scandinavia consider the modular method of home building superior to site-built construction. This makes it ironic that the country that has led the world in the design and mass production of manufactured goods, the United States, took until the 1980s to embrace prefabricated houses. Today, there is still a bit of a romantic notion that building custom home floor plans on site piece-by-piece is somehow superior. This belief lingers even though consumers would reject new appliances and automobiles that were built in someone's backyard, with the materials exposed to the weather and with no one watching over the assembly.

Yet the romance with custom stick construction is starting to lose some of its bloom. Many stick builders have converted to modular houses, driven in part by the severe shortage of skilled construction workers. This shortage is being caused by older, experienced workers retiring or choosing less physically demanding work and by younger people choosing other careers. In an ABC News study of 10,000 high-school students that rated their interest in potential careers, the construction trades ranked 251st, right behind cowboy. In addition, those that are entering the trades are doing so with little formal training or mentoring. The problem is particularly severe in some trades, such as carpentry, where few companies have apprenticeship programs. A study by the National Association of Home Builders, which is made up primarily of stick builders, found that two of three builders are now forced to hire workers with skill levels below those expected for their jobs.

This labor shortage has eroded craftsmanship, driven up prices, and caused delays, shoddy construction, and unhappy homeowners. Frustrated by these problems, custom stick builders have turned to modular homes as a way to introduce some control into the building process. Modular manufacturers have, in turn, enticed them by presenting new house plans that meet the needs of builders' style-conscious customers.

Consumers in search of a custom-built home are also giving custom modular home designs a more favorable look. Sometimes they turn to modular houses because they cannot get a stick builder to respond in a timely fashion. More frequently, superior quality, faster completion time, and better prices are the primary inducements, along with greater energy efficiency, extended warranties, and flexible design options. Customers who want high-quality finishes as well as high-quality construction increasingly understand that they can get both with a custom modular home.

Why Build a Modular Home: The Modular Advantage in Quality

Many consumers assume that the primary advantage of modular technology is lower modular home prices. That is only the third most important reason for building a modular home. Faster construction time is the second, and superior quality is the first.

To learn why each of the following contributes to the better quality that is the hallmark of a modular home, see chapter 1, "Why Build Modular?" (18 pages) in The Modular Home (310 pages) by Andrew Gianino:

Trained and closely supervised workforce

Larger, more powerful, and more sophisticated equipment

Assembly with precision jigs

Use of the highest quality, kiln-dried lumber

Construction in a climate controlled facility with materials protected from the elements

Construction standards that meet or exceed local and state building codes

Unparalleled structural strength

Superior energy efficiency

Rigorous quality control systems

Extended warranty coverage

To learn why each of the 10 factors contributes to the better quality that characterizes modular homes, see chapter 1 of my book The Modular Home.

Why Build a Modular Home: The Modular Advantage in Time

Building a modular home will normally save you time compared with building a conventional stick-framed house. Saving time on construction not only saves money, it also reduces the stress involved in home building. The faster you build your home, the sooner you will be able to enjoy it and dispense with the worries and preoccupations of construction.

When a manufacturer is building without a production backlog, it delivers a house five weeks after the customer has finalized the plans and obtained a building permit and financing. The general contractor begins the site work and completes the foundation while the manufacturer is building the house. If the house is small, uncomplicated, requires little on-site construction, and the GC is not too busy, it will be completed in about three weeks. Adding these two time frames together, a prospective homeowner can plan to move into the house eight weeks after finalizing the preliminary steps.

In most regions of the country, the fastest stick builders require at least 13 weeks to build a small, uncomplicated custom house, and many need several weeks longer. Even the most efficient stick builder is significantly limited by small subcontractor crews. His systems are no match for the modular manufacturer's assembly line and large workforce. Consequently, the simplest stick-built house completed by the most competent custom builder is likely to take at least five weeks longer than a comparable modular home. A typical two-story house that includes a garage, porch, and deck will take a few weeks longer for both the modular builder and the stick builder.

Larger, more complicated modular home designs, such as a 7,500-square-foot two-story, will take considerably longer to build. If the design requires substantial custom finish work and multiple site-built structures, and the GC has a substantial backlog, it might take sixteen weeks or longer to complete the home after it is set on the foundation. Adding the five weeks required by the manufacturer to build and deliver the house produces a total of 21 weeks. A good custom stick builder is likely to take at least a couple of months longer to complete such a project, since he will have considerably more work to do from scratch compared to the modular builder, who will have most of the house built at the factory.

Why Build a Modular Home: The Modular Advantage in Cost

Manufacturers of prefabricated modular homes are usually able to build new house plans more affordably than custom stick builders, for the same kinds of reasons that automobile manufacturers are able to build a new car for far less than a mechanic could build the same car in his garage. They include:

Volume purchases of materials, which allows modular manufacturers to secure significant discounts

Lower labor costs: Experienced factory workers are well paid, with good benefits, but they do not command the wages paid to professional carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and painters

Assembly-line efficiencies: Organizing the construction process with inventory controls, power tools and equipment, and quality-control systems enables the factory crews to produce a home with greater efficiency than a handful of construction workers building in the field

Less material loss: Inclement weather does not damage the materials

Less pilferage and vandalism: Factories are easier to secure than building sites

Less waste: By working with standardized dimensions, modular manufacturers are better able to make optimal use of materials and avoid waste

To learn why each of these factors contributes to a more affordable price for modular homes, see chapter 1 of my book The Modular Home.

To compare the costs of modular home designs versus site building, you need to make sure you are comparing apples with apples. For a modular house, add the dealer's price for the house to the general contractor's price for finishing the new house plans at the site. In an area with average construction-labor costs, you can expect to save about 5 percent over a comparable site-built house for the part of the house built by the manufacturer and GC. You will not save any money on the other construction work, however, since the GC will charge the same amount to clear the land, drill the well, install a septic system, install a driveway, build a foundation, and a landscape the property, regardless of the type of house being built. He will also charge the same for building a garage, deck, porch and other site-built structures.

The construction costs for prefabricated houses are always fixed in advance of construction. Most dealers and manufacturers offer guaranteed modular home prices for long periods of time, even in a market of moderately rising material and labor costs. To secure this price lock, the customer needs to authorize their home to be built, sign-off on all plans and specifications, and have their order accepted by the manufacturer. This process greatly reduces the possibility of cost miscalculations and overruns later.

Many site builders have a modular home price-escalation clause in their contracts that remains in force until the house is finished. In a typical construction season, prices are unlikely to rise by more than a few percent. But every few years there are some dramatic price increases, usually caused by sudden spikes in demand due to natural disasters or building booms. If material prices were to rise sharply during construction of a stick-built home, the customer might be responsible for a big jump in costs.

Many customers save even more money on the construction financing of their modular homes than they save purchasing it. The significantly shorter construction phase required to build a modular home means there are fewer monthly interest payments required to service the loan. Lenders like modular home designs because customers are unlikely to incur large cost overruns, the home will be built on schedule, and the quality is predictable. The construction inspections are also easier to complete for a lender, since a modular home is mostly built at the time of the first inspection.

The shorter construction period lessens your exposure to the typical risks that attend construction sites, such as vandalism and the pilferage of construction materials. Vandalism is further curtailed because the modules can be secured more rapidly than a site-built home. The ability to quickly secure the modules also makes it more difficult for someone to steal construction materials. Pilferage is further reduced because of the size of the modules; you cannot walk off with a module in the way you can carry away a few sticks of lumber. And completing the home more quickly reduces your biggest financial risk, that of a personal injury to a contractor working on the job or a neighborhood child playing around the home after hours.

Why Build a Modular Home: Modular Advantage in Planning Discipline

Building a modular home compels the customer and the dealer to complete most, if not all, of the planning steps before beginning construction. That is because the manufacturer cannot begin construction without knowing what it is going to build and how much it is going to charge. This forces the customer and dealer to make final decisions about the home's design and its building specifications.

Some customers building a custom stick home complete their planning tasks with the help of an architect, others with the help of a builder. But it is much easier to skip some of these steps when stick building, since to some extent customers and builders can make things up as they go along. These planning steps sometimes get short shrift when stick building because it takes a large investment of time on the part of both the customer and the builder, just as it does when building a modular home. When pressed for time, both parties often prefer to start construction and postpone the meetings and decisions to a later date. Modular dealers would be just as prone to do this if they could get away with it. The planning discipline imposed by modular construction is an advantage for customers, because as most banks will tell you, poor planning almost always leads to cost overruns.

For example, customers who do not spend enough time thinking through the design of their home often discover some design flaws once construction has started. One week they notice that the foyer closet is too small, the next week they decide that it is better to make the dining room smaller so the kitchen can be larger, and the following week they realize that the door to the study will be swinging into a bookcase. When they make discoveries like this, they have the choice of accepting the layout as is or asking the builder to make the necessary changes, which might include tearing down the walls he has already built. If they decide to make the changes, all of the additional costs are passed on to the customer through expensive change orders.

Another way in which delayed planning can cost a customer money is when "allowances" are used to cover the cost of materials that have not yet been selected, such as cabinets and flooring. This is sometimes done so that construction can be started before every selection has been made. The builder assigns a dollar amount for those items yet to be specified. The allowances are adjusted, often higher, depending on the cost of the customer's final decisions. If you build a modular home, you and your dealer will not have many opportunities to procrastinate on your decisions, and you will not be subject to as many unbudgeted expenses.

Why Build a Modular Home: Modular Advantage for Do-It-Yourselfers

Many people want to build their own home but are afraid of getting in over their head. This book does not encourage you to take the do-it-yourself route. In fact, it strongly recommends hiring a professional GC with modular experience. If you are going to take the leap, however, modular construction is a much better way to act as your own GC while building your first home than stick building, primarily because there is less work to do and it is more defined and manageable. Also, if you want to complete some of the construction tasks yourself, you are less likely to be overwhelmed by the work because the tasks are more limited in scope. This book will not turn amateur home builders into modular professionals, but it will help you make the right decisions and stay on budget and on schedule.

Why Build a Modular Home: Modular Opportunities in Design and Amenities

In the late 1970s, the modular homes for sale had the reputation of being affordable, as long as you were satisfied with mediocre finish quality and limited design choices. Today, modular homes are still affordable, but with first-rate quality and a wide selection of creative designs. Modern assembly lines are producing unique, custom designs that were not possible a few years ago.

All manufacturers have an array of standard plans that are traditional in function and style. Many modular manufacturers supplement their standard offerings with more modern modular homes and designs that could pass for a contemporary architect's creation. Many of them, in fact, have been created by architects, as that profession has begun to explore the possibilities of modular design. Manufacturers have learned to use wood and steel beams to open up floor plans, and they have borrowed from both classical and contemporary elevations to give their homes attractive exteriors. Steeply pitched roofs, vaulted and cathedral ceilings, reversed gables, and angle bay towers are just a few of the design elements that grace modular homes today. When complex house plans cannot be built completely at the factory, a few of the cutting-edge manufacturers build as much of the house as possible at the factory, with the rest to be completed on site by the GC.

Many manufacturers are willing to help everyone design a plan that expresses their personal preferences. You may start with one of their standard plans or a design of your own - wheelchair accessible floor plans, luxury fixtures, and other factory-built features. Computer-aided design (CAD) has made it possible to prepare custom home floor plans quickly and accurately. As long as it can be built economically in their factory, most manufacturers will consider building it.

The design work begins with the dealer, but the modular manufacturer completes the engineering when it prepares production plans, which detail the actual construction of a house. The combined design and engineering services provided by the dealer and the manufacturer are substantially greater than what is provided by custom site-builders, who are usually small and without the necessary time and resources. Most dealers and manufacturers charge very reasonable fees for their services. When a customer needs detailed design assistance to construct a site-built home, he often must obtain it from an architect, who rightfully will charge thousands of dollars for the work.

Manufacturers routinely customize a home's interiors as well as exteriors according to a customer's tastes. Skylights, central vacuum cleaners, whirlpool tubs, and bay and bow windows are just as common in modular homes as in site-built homes. Hardwood floors, solid-surface countertops, and cedar siding can be installed either at the factory or on site. After a home is set on the foundation, the GC can customize it with a porch, balcony, deck, sunroom, or garage. In short, modular homes can be every bit as luxurious as stick-built homes.

Modular Construction - Its Time Has Arrived

Modular construction has become the construction method of choice for the quality- and cost-conscious house buyer. The best-built modular homes are better built than the vast majority of stick-built homes. Modular homes offer better materials, state-of-the-art construction technology, superior finished quality, and time and money savings. And you gain all of these benefits without sacrificing design or amenities.
To purchase a complete copy of The Modular Home, click here.

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Why Build a Modular Home - Quality, Time, Cost, Planning

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A brief summary of Chapter 1 "Why Build Modular?" (18 pages) in The Modular Home, by Andrew Gianino, President of The Home Store Modular houses are built out of boxes, called modules, which are constructed off site, transported to a building lot, and assembled into a finished home.

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A modular home is one that is built indoors in a factory-like setting. The finished products are covered and transported to their new locations, where they are assembled by a builder. A modular home is not a mobile home; it is simply a home that is built off-site, as opposed to on-site. These homes are often called factory-built, system-built or prefab (short for prefabricated) homes.

Modular and manufactured homes are not the same. Manufactured homes are not placed on permanent foundations. Manufactured homes, sometimes referred to as (but are not always) mobile homes, can be moved from one location to another. There are specific laws and regulations regarding these relocations.

How do modular homes differ from houses built on-site?

Because modular homes are built indoors, they can be completed in a matter of a few weeks, as opposed to months. They don't see the typical on-site delays caused predominantly by the weather. Modular homes must conform to specific rules, guidelines and building codes that often surpass those of traditional on-site homes.

When considering a modular home, it is important to shop around, as not all companies that make factory-built homes are alike. There can be significant differences in quality, price and service. As with purchasing or building any home, it is crucial to do your research.

Modular home facts

Modular homes appraise the same as their on-site built counterparts do; they do not depreciate in value.

Modular homes can be customized.

Most modular home companies have in-house engineering departments that utilize CAD (Computer Aided Design).

Modular home designs vary in style and size.

Modular construction can be used for commercial applications, including office buildings.

Modular homes are permanent structures - "real property."

Modular homes can be built on crawl spaces and basements.

Modular homes are considered a form of green building.

Modular homes are faster to build than 100 percent site-built homes.

Home loans for modular homes are the same as site-built homes.

Insurance premiums for modular homes are the same as site-built homes.

Taxes on modular homes are the same as site-built homes.

Modular homes can be built to withstand 175-mph winds.

Modular homes can be built for accessible living and designed for future conveniences.

Do all modular homes look alike?

Contrary to popular misconception, modular homes do not all look alike. Modular homes have no design limitations. You can create any style of modular home you wish, whether you want a traditional center-hall colonial or a Mediterranean.

You can add any style of window or architectural detail that you desire. Nearly all host plans can be turned into modular homes, which means you can create your dream home.

How is a modular home assembled?

A factory-built home starts out as sections that have been built in a climate-controlled area. The finished sections are transported to the building site and then assembled with cranes. This process resembles a child building with Lego blocks. Modular homes cannot be moved after they have been placed and set on their foundations.

If you are designing your own home, it's important to ask specific questions, as each manufacturer operates under a different set of guidelines. Modular homes offer hundreds of personalized features that include (but are not limited to) ceramic floors, solid-surface countertops, various cabinet styles and wood species, exterior finishes, plumbing fixtures, etc. You can essentially customize your home.

Are modular homes more expensive than those built on-site?

Prefab homes can typically save you quite a bit of money. Because they are constructed in a factory, they can be built fairly quickly - in a matter of weeks, as opposed to months - because there are no weather delays. Furthermore, all inspections are performed at the factory during each phase of construction by a third-party inspector, and are completed before the homes are transported to their permanent locations.

It is important to note, however, that the more complex the design and specs, the more your home will cost. Electrical, plumbing and duct work are often not factored into the initial pricing, so your final cost may be 20 percent more than the builder's quote. You might also need to install a septic system, natural gas or a basement; these, too, will add to your bottom line.

How can you recognize a modular home?

Every modular home should have a small metal tag on the outside of each section, or in kitchen cabinets and bedroom closets. If you cannot locate these, you should be able to find details about the home in the electrical panel box. The tags also include the manufacturing date.

Prefabricated houses are built on non-removable metal chassis. If you are looking at a home that you think could be prefab but whose markers have been removed, look for small holes in the structure where the markers should be.

What are the benefits of owning a modular home?

Modular homes can be more affordable than site-built homes. Their shorter build time will save you money on the overall construction. Home inspections are not needed, as these are all done in the factory.

Modular homes are much more energy-efficient, so your monthly expenses will be substantially less. They also are environmentally friendly. There are a great variety of homes from which to choose, and many architects specialize in designing modular homes. As with any home, modular homes can be expanded.

A homeowner must own the land on which the home will reside; depending on your location, that could cost upwards of $100,000. Unlike regular homes, the lots cannot be built on subdivisions. The initial fees can be cost-prohibitive for some; the builder must be paid first, and in full, before the process has been completed (or, in some cases, before it has begun).

One option is to get a special construction loan. This loan is valid for one year; when the work is completed, the dealer will pay off the loan and a traditional mortgage will be issued. Therefore, it is important that you know your budget and shop around.

Another important thing to note is that the rules in this article apply only to U.S. residents. If you live in another country, you will need to check that country's guidelines.

Would you consider a modular home for yourself, or are you more of a traditionalist?

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10 Basic Facts You Should Know About Modular Homes - Freshome.com

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A modular home is one that is built indoors in a factory-like setting. The finished products are covered and transported to their new locations, where they are assembled by a builder. A modular home is not a mobile home; it is simply a home that is built off-site, as opposed to on-site.

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1. Discuss possible clients/markets in your group (make a list and choose one)

2. Research, "get to know", Empathize, with the chosen clients/market. (Interview, direct experience, online research)

Empathy is the foundation of a human-centered design process (to better understand the clients needs that could be solved by your product/service)

To empathize, you:

Observe. View users (possible clients) and their behavior in the context of their lives.

Engage. Interact with and interview users through both scheduled and short casual encounters.

Immerse. Experience what your user experiences.

3. Create a Detective Research Virtual poster on PADLET (use text, videos, sketches, images, maps, make connections!!)

In grouping the material in the poster you are looking for common or contrasting elements in what you found.

What did you find that people have in common?

What did you find that was different?

What was surprising?

Capture the different groups on virtual post-its and move the post-its to show what fits in each category.

If there are differences, then capture the differences on a spectrum (line).

4.Watch the "How Might We" video

5. Identify Possible Problems to solve (be prepare to explain why you choose those problems using your research.

6. Compromise and choose one problem to solve among the ones previously identified.