Denver is expanding rapidly as we’ve discussed before. There are thousands of people moving to Denver, and many of these people are looking to purchase homes. However, with all this expansion comes higher purchase prices, which means people are looking for affordable housing options and viable alternatives. This is true for not only Denver but other cities around the country. In our latest Community Partner Education Series podcast, we sat down with Audree Grubesic of Modular Sure Site to discuss affordable housing alternatives such as modular homes. You can listen to the entire podcast here, or read a summary of the podcast below.
What is a Modular Home?
Modular homes have been around since the early 20th century, where homes would come in pieces and would have to be put together on site. Now, places like Europe, Australia, and places on the East Coast and West Coast all take advantage of the modular style homes.
Modular homes often have a stigma around them, which is why we need to educate homebuyers about them. When people think of a modular home, they often think of a manufactured home or a mobile home. That is certainly not the case. A modular home is very similar to a “sticks and bricks” home but is simply designed and built in a factory and shipped to your location, rather than being built on-site. These homes are quality built at a more attractive price point.
Modular homes are vastly different from a mobile home because they are built using different building codes. Whereas mobile homes are built using HUD codes, modular homes are built using the IRC code (International Residential Code), which is the same as a “sticks and bricks” home. Builders in the modular home industry are moving more towards the name “system build” or off-site construction to get away from the stigma of a manufactured home.
What are the benefits of a Modular Home?
There are many benefits, besides the attractive price point, that draw people to modular builds. Here are a few of the key factors that make a modular home different and attractive to buyers:
- Staying up to code: As mentioned before, there are many codes and permits you must follow when building a home and because modular homes are built in factories, they are under a lot more scrutiny to follow those codes.
- Environmental Factors: When building a home on your land, you have to worry about weather and keeping those materials dry and clean. With a modular home, you don’t have to worry about those factors.
- Workers: When building a home, you have to deal with workers not showing up, waiting months for a certain trade worker to have the time, or the same worker performing multiple trades. Especially in Colorado and the rapid growth, there is a shortage of trade workers, so it can be months of waiting to get something done. With a modular home, you don’t have to wait for builders or workers, so it is much more efficient.
- Green Products: In building a modular home, there are many more “green” products and materials that are being used. Combined with fewer transportation emissions and material waste, modular homes are clearly better for the environment.
- Make it Your Own: Every part of your module home can be customized the way you want it. This can be better, and even more cost-efficient, than buying a home and having to make changes, customizations or upgrades in order to make it your own.
- Great Structure and Engineering: About 20-30% more materials are used in modular homes because they must be designed for travel. Many of these homes come from factories in Sante Fe or Albuquerque, New Mexico and therefore must be structurally sound to withstand travel.
Not only are modular homes affordable, but they come with many benefits, especially efficiency and flexibility. You can choose any design plan and floor plan you want, have it sent to the factory, put together a strategy, essentially the exact same way it would be done if you were building on your land. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of modular homes. Next week, we will discuss the timeline of building, and other details that go into your modular home.
About Audree Grubesic
Audree’s background started in Chicago, as a television engineer for CBS-WBBM TV and then to ABC-WLS TV. She has always been interested in technology, behind the scenes of broadcast news, speaking about life events and connecting with real people. From television she moved onto radio sales, direct response marketing and sales. 16 years ago, she relocated to Colorado Springs, CO. While in the Springs, she created, developed and designed a publishing company called PETacular. It was the brainchild of Audree Grubesic and Kelly Nesbit. The goal was to connect people and pets through statewide pet directories, quarterly publications, Yappy Hours and pet expos. After 11 years of building PETacular the business, it was sold to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Through sales and marketing she met several builders and discovered a love for the building industry. She became a quick study of luxury home builds as the director of sales and marketing for two prominent custom home builders. She and her family moved to Denver, CO in 2016. Because of the high cost of living in Denver, affordable living was her quest. “Everyone should be able to afford a home they love. A home is the foundation for living and connecting.” Modular Sure Site was created to assist builders and clients to understanding the build process, have a well designed foundation and site work for their home place. Our goal is to have our homeowners feel a sense of accomplishment moving into their brand new affordable custom home.
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