Modular homes offer numerous benefits, such as affordability, but they also come with certain drawbacks. While some of these may be significant or even deal-breakers for some, others can be mitigated with careful planning. Here’s a look at where modular homes may fall short compared to traditional construction.
When discussing modular homes, their advantages over traditional construction are often highlighted first. Benefits like cost savings are evident and contribute to their popularity. However, it’s important to be aware of certain drawbacks. Some may not necessarily be considered disadvantages, but rather specific characteristics of modular homes, which can create limitations when compared to traditional, solid construction.
Lower Thermal Stability
One of the greatest advantages of modular homes is their excellent insulation, which helps keep heating costs low. This is achieved with prefabricated wall panels that are assembled on-site. These walls are of a sandwich structure, typically made of drywall, wood, and insulation material.
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This type of wall structure makes it easy to heat the space within a modular home. However, it also means that the space cools down quickly. In traditional homes, brick or block walls are often paired with exterior insulation. As the home heats up, the block or brick absorbs heat, releasing it slowly once heating stops.
As a result, traditional homes generally offer more stable indoor temperatures. In contrast, modular homes cool down as soon as the heating stops, which means traditional homes are more comfortable during summer because they resist daily heat waves longer and maintain a pleasant indoor climate even during winter.
Lower Wall Load-Bearing Capacity
Prefabricated sandwich walls, which combine drywall with insulation, have less load-bearing capacity than traditional brick or block walls. This means you can’t just hang large or heavy items wherever you like. The good news is that modular homes are carefully planned, so any spots designated for heavy items—such as water heaters or kitchen cabinets—typically have wooden beams integrated for additional support.
It’s essential to understand that making major changes later on may not be feasible. Hanging pictures or small shelves is usually fine, as long as the drywall can support them. For heavier items, however, modifications would be necessary, like reinforcing the walls with wooden beams to create load-bearing points.
No Possibility for Expansion
In traditional construction, you can initially build a single-story home and then expand it with additional floors as needed. If you opt for a single-story modular home, it will remain a single-story modular home, as adding an extra floor is not possible unless it was included in the initial design.
Limited Customization Options
Modular homes are typically built according to standard designs, and modifications to room layout or number are generally not feasible. With traditional construction, you have more flexibility to customize the layout to suit personal preferences.
That said, modular homes are designed by professionals, so they are highly functional and often more so than homes where people make changes on their own. Additionally, manufacturers offer a wide variety of modular home types, so finding the ideal appearance, square footage, and functional solution is easier.
Greater Depreciation and Harder Resale
If you choose a modular home, be aware that its resale value will likely be lower than that of a comparable traditional home. This is partly due to a general mistrust of modular homes’ quality and durability.
A quality solid-built home, even after several decades, can often be renovated with new windows or siding, making it functional for another long period. Modular homes don’t have this same longevity, so while they require lower initial investment and faster construction, they also tend to depreciate more quickly.
Photo: Hormipresa