Prefabricated Structural Insulated Panel Homes vs. Modular
Homes
There are certain advantages and disadvantages to purchasing a modular home. Some of the advantages of modular homes are as follows: both modular and mobile home are built quickly, they are built in a controlled environment where no weather conditions can interfere with the process, and they have foundations built at the same time that the home is being built in the factory. Some of the disadvantages of a modular home are as follows: size limitation. - unlike with a prefab home, you are limited in the size of your modular home due to the regulations for the roadways on which the modules of the home are transported. The maximum size each module can be is 11 feet wide and up to 60 feet long. If your modular home is 36’ by 60’, it will have to be transported on up to four trucks, which is very costly. In addition to the transportation costs, you also have to take into account the fact that not all roads have smooth, straight surfaces, in other words the modules of your home will have to endure the rough roads that may be encountered and hopefully the units will not fall apart or loosen during transportation, causing the loss of structural integrity. In addition, modular homes typically do not have as good of a resale value as that of site built or Ameripanel panelized kit homes. This is mostly due to the many stigmas that modular homes have garnered over the years, including structural integrity, quality of construction, quality of materials, and many other issues which potential buyers may consider a negative selling quality.
Another issue is that a modular home is not easily upgradeable
after it has been assembled. If you choose to put an addition
on your modular home, it may not be possible due to the
following factors; The manner in which the modular home
was constructed in the factory; where the modules are tied
to one another; and where they are dependant upon one another
structurally. Also, unlike an Ameripanel Home kit, all
your finishes are included within the modules upon delivery.
Although this may seem like an advantage to the home buyer,
the fact is that the company that has assembled your home
has purchased and installed these finishes for you, it is
very likely that there is a huge mark up. Whereas with an Ameripanel Home kit, you’re responsible for purchasing
all of the finishes locally (including appliances, windows,
doors, exterior siding, carpeting, etc.), this gives you
the opportunity to purchase them at the best possible prices
available in your area saving you a lot of money.
An Ameripanel Home is not a modular home.
The benefits
of an Ameripanel Home over a modular home are many.
The first is the insulation factor. an Ameripanel Home
is 2-3 times better insulated than a modular home. This
is due to the fact that the walls of an Ameripanel Home
are solid foam sandwiched between two layer of OSB making
it air tight. A modular home is basically a stick built
home with fiberglass batt insulation which allows warm air
to escape in the winter and cool air to escape in the summer.
The reverse also happens, unwanted warm air gets into the
home in the summer and cool air gets into the home in the
winter, throwing costly heating and cooling costs out the
door.
The second benefit is that a manufactured Ameripanel Home wall
system is 3-5 times stronger than a modular home’s
wall system, due to its design. The third benefit is ease
of construction and cost savings; Building an Ameripanel Home is simple for the do-it-yourselfer saving thousands
of dollars in labor costs over a modular home. Another huge
benefit of an Ameripanel Home is flexibility in design.
an Ameripanel Home can be designed based on virtually
any plans, from small cabins under 500 sq. ft. to mansions
over 10,000 sq. ft. or more, the design possibilities are
limitless. Try that with a modular home!
When considering all these factors, if you are looking
for a good quality, super insulated, super strong home that
you can build on your own, while saving tens of thousands
of dollars then Ameripanel is the way to go.
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It's
fabulous! SIPs are a proven technology that deserve much greater
application in the building industry.
