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The other day a realtor buddy asked, “How can you tell the red necks in a new subdivision?” Since he’s the type that answers his own questions, without waiting to draw a breath he said, “They’re the ones with the stick built homes.”St. John's Modular Home

It got the intended laugh around the room, but if you’re either bit like me, you probably thought, “Stick built homes? What’s he talking about?” Turns out stick built are traditionally built homes as opposed to a modular home that is factory built. Stick built? Red necks? I remember when modular homes were considered one step above a mobile home!

Since he’s a man who knows his stuff and, in this case, I seemingly didn’t, I decided to do a bit of research. Talk about an eye opener! First off, what I remembered as a modular home was actually a prefab home - cookie cutter homes that were assembled in a plant and placed on site. Today’s modular homes are so much more. They are built in sections, customized to meet your needs and designed to fit the specific requirements of the selected site. This new trend in home construction combines advanced technologies and custom finishes to build luxurious new homes.

My research showed me that new home buyers stand to benefit in a number of ways with cost controls, shorter wait times, superior construction and the environmental bragging rights that come with owning a modular home. One local supplier did say that their price per finished square foot was lower for modular homes than stick built homes.

A New Home in 10 - 12 Weeks

Once you have chosen your plan and it goes into production on the factory floor you’re on the fast track to a move-in ready home. Production facilities use an assembly line with quality controls and efficient processes. This ensures your home is built quickly while adhering to the highest standards for quality control and local, provincial and Canadian building codes. Since much of your home is factory built, the site preparation and foundation work can take place while the house is being built. There are also fewer opportunities for construction delays due to inspections, bad weather on the construction site, theft, vandalism, and difficulties finding or scheduling skilled subcontractors.

Modular Homes are a Superior Product

Being factory built, modular homes are normally inspected for quality control every step of the way. The larger more powerful equipment used in the factories produce precise cuts so walls are plumb and corners are square. You can be sure that fasteners are accurately applied and all parts are screwed and glued in preparation for the move to the building site.

Modular Homes are Eco Chic

Building green is cool! If you decide to go modular, you’ll be amongst the first in the St. John’s area to choose this option. They’re green for a number of reasons. First, there’s so little wastage. In an organized factory line environment, it’s easy to appropriately use discards from one station in another. In my reading I found out that modular home construction generates somewhere around 2% waste, compared to 30% – 40% wastage on a traditional home construction site. Can you imagine the amount of garbage generated by new home construction in an area like St. John’s where you can’t turn around but there’s a new subdivision going up? Massive!

Modular homes are also incredibly energy efficient because usual areas of air infiltration such as around plumbing and electrical fixtures are all sealed in the factory. Many manufacturers insulate walls from the outside and the vapour barrier provides one continuous seal, even at the corners.

Is it All Too Good to be True

Isn’t there always a downside? In the case of modular homes, site access can sometimes pose a problem. Not every street or road can accommodate a flatbed truck transporting a large home. Aside from access, the other challenge may be finding a lot on which to build your home. Most subdivisions only offer turnkey packages. Simply put, their onsite builders want to build you a stick built home. This means you may have to find a site outside an organized subdivision or a subdivided lot within an existing subdivision.

If you think a modular home may be the way to go, feel free to contact me to discuss your options. If you like to do your own research, the following information may prove helpful.

Modular Builders in Newfoundland

There are currently two companies, Builder’s Edge and Modular Home Solutions, which build modular homes in the province. Builder’s Edge does not build for the general public, they work strictly for builders. The four remaining companies are authorized dealers for New Brunswick based companies.

Company LocationAuthorized Dealers for:Web site
Homeworx Modular Home Systems Inc.St. John’sKent HomesKent Homes
Builder’s EdgeMakinsons Builder's Edge
NL HomeMount PearlMaple Leaf HomesNL Home
Gregg ConstructionParadiseMaple Leaf Homes 
KSAB ConstructionCorner BrookMaple Leaf HomesKSAB Modular Homes
Modular Home SolutionsLaScieHospitality Homes 

Once you’ve done your research, if you’d like to explore all your options for building a modular home in the St. John’s area, please contact me. I’d be pleased to put my expertise to work on your behalf.