Modular Homes?

[Jenny4198]

Frequent lurker coming out of the shadows for another question! Does anyone know anything about modular houses? I seem to remember PEG showing some pictures of one going up but I can't find anything much about them in a search. We are living in really cramped quarters and since moving in we have all been sick constantly, I can't help but wonder if it is in this house, so, we are trying to think of a way to get out of here and in the new house ASAP. From what I have read it seems they are treated the same a stick-built in terms of financing and appraisal values but I can't help but be skeptical. So, any insight? Are they cheaper than hiring someone to build one (we were going to do 80-90% of the stick built ourselves) and are they quality? Any ideas on where to start with finding a company? Thanks!

[John_C]

I'll leave the good and bad of modular homes to others but I think you would be well served to first find out what is making you sick.   There are many things in modern houses that irritate some people and without knowing which one(s) affect you they may well be present in any new house you build, whatever the construction method.

For example plywood, OSB, and particle board all outgas small amouts of formaldehyde.  It wouldn't matter how or where the house was built if those are the culprits. The various preservatives in treated wood, termite and other pest treatments, some wood finishes, petroleum based upholstery and carpet, or mold inside your forced air ducts are other possibilities.  The list is very long.

Good Luck.

[Jenny4198]

We are trying to figure out the cause of our illness, or should I say lack of immunity. It might not be the house at all but everything started just shortly after we moved in. I know that mold can suppress the immune system so we are thinking that there are probably some mold issues somewhere. We would rather not put anymore money into this place as once the new house is done we have no use for it (it is a 20+ year old trailer with issues other than mold) and it will probably be torn down. Anyway, now we are just focusing on getting out of here ASAP and I was looking into modular thinking it would be faster than stick built and if there were no cons to it then what was the harm? I am still looking into log cabins (I posted about that a couple months ago) but also researching some other solutions as well. We will probably wind up going with stick built, but just curious about modular! Thanks!

[glenn kangiser]

In an earlier discussion I had read of rats or mice chewing into insulated heating ducts and sending little pieces of fiberglass throughout the entire home through the ventilation system.  This is also a cause of legionnaires disease if I remember right -  disease spread by the HVAC system.

[Amanda_931]

IIRC, the big outbreak of Legionnaire's was finally traced to a design choice that gave a friend who was an HVAC engineer the willies--felt-like (?) duct insulation on the inside of the air ducts, collecting molds moisture and microbes from, and releasing them to the air stream, now increased in number.

When I was looking for a travel trailer back in 2000, the moderately priced Gulfstream Conquest had a definite odor but didn't give me any problems, but a good many of the others did.  One poor salesman was still trying to sell me on one kind as we sat inside with our eyes streaming.    Most house trailers--or the modular versions thereof, I found pretty intolerable.  

OSB smells, I may be lucky that it does not give me troubles--a few things do.

Carpet, including things like dust mite excrement, is a frequent offender.  I was on a list once with a woman who was sensitive to a whole lot--the acronym is MCS--multiple chemical sensitivity.  Including gas stoves, most car interiors, even after the vehicle was 10 years old, detergents, cleaners.  I may have left an environment rich in automotive paint products just in time to avoid the worst of it.

What happens if you run a pretty heavy duty exhaust fan for a few days?  (assuming the weather isn't too cold, hot, or wet--this might be a good time of year to try this)  I would be able to tell the difference immediately--unless the maples were blooming.  But if "all" that is happening to y'all seems to be a lowered immune system, you might not be able to tell the difference.

There have been a couple of books written on the subject of building for MCS.

Here's an incomplete list of links (at least one person writing seems to have gone out of business):  

http://www.healthyhomeplans.com/our_links/

[PEG688]

Frequent lurker coming out of the shadows for another question! Does anyone know anything about modular houses? I seem to remember PEG showing some pictures of one going up but I can't find anything much about them in a search.

The two I've talked / posted about are panelized house's , the come as wall panels that you assemble onsite , a "Modular" house would be built  and finished in a plant and  towed over the road , generally in two or more pieces and push together on site .

They where POS years ago , they still are as far as I'm concerned, they have very poor fit and finish on everything , they have very low pitched roofs , and all sort of look the same.

A modular would seem quicker to build as site work,( on the building ), would be limited to spotting the house on it's foundation which could range from basically cinder blocks to a full fledged concrete foundation. All the other site work septic , power , water etc would be the same either way.

The kit houses we have done are OK , I'm not sure they say much time on the site , you still frame the floor just like any normal house , yes the walls are framed so they go up pretty quick , but someones already put time , read $$$ into building them , so all in all , unless the price of that kit package is way under the framing package and labor cost the "time " has been used / put in already . So it's a nut shell game as far as I can tell.

Anyway hope you get better , from what ever getting to you all.

G/L PEG  

[Jenny4198]

We are continuing to try and figure out what is wrong with us, but that is hit or miss. Hubby took a look at all of the duct work and it all seems fine with no chewing, but could still have mold spores on the inside. I am going on vacation this weekend so hopefully we will feel some relief at least for the weekend. I guess that modular isn't the way to go, but it sure was nice in theory! Thanks for all of the insight on our "issues", I am going to make a list of our symptoms today and try and see if I can link something to it. Who knows though, we might just be getting sick a lot lately!

[Sassy]

Jenny, what part of the country do you live?  Are you in town, out of town?  What type of weather?  When you moved to the place you are living at, was it the same area of the country/town?  Did your kids just start preschool or kindergarten?  

Those could all be factors in your health.  Some people can't tolerate the damp, cold weather, others can't handle the heat.  Are you by any factories or old landfills?  

Sounds like you are checking out the air ducts & other things around the house... I have a lot of allergies to chemicals like Amanda.  I seem to be getting a little better, but the wrong perfume, cleaning stuff, formaldahyde etc will give me a severe headache within 2-5 minutes.  I had a terrible time when I took an anatomy course  :-/ because of the formaldahyde.   It also burns my eyes.  Mobile homes, new carpeting etc can be full of toxic chemicals.

Otherwise, even working in a hospital ER & being exposed to everything imaginable, I never get sick.  Glenn seldom does, either.  Although he got West Nile last year... Lyme disease is something that can make you sick & if you don't know you have it can lead to severe problems.  There are so many variables.  

Sometimes, just the fact you have young kids going to school - you are exposed to everything.  And then there is the theory, which I believe is true, that the 20+ vaccinations kids get before they enter school causes overload on immature immune systems making kids more susceptible to getting sick.  If you look at the off-topics section here, there are threads on vaccinations & the FDA.  

[Freeholdfarm]

Summer is coming -- how about living in a tent for a while, while you work on your house?  I almost always feel better when I'm outdoors rather than inside -- maybe it would help your family, too.

Kathleen