These days, modular homes have become totally modern. Gone are the days of ho-hum designs, which often made it difficult to tell the difference between a modular home and a mobile home. Some of today’s modular homes have taken on an ultra-modern theme in look as well as function.

What’s the Difference?

First off, let’s recall the difference between modular and mobile. A modular home is manufactured off-site and assembled on-site. They can even be placed on top of a basement foundation. Mobile homes are built on a steel frame and come with wheels, which are removed when the home is placed on-site. Another great thing about modular homes is that they can often qualify for a conventional mortgage. Mobile homes do not qualify for mortgages.

Efficiency Rules

According to Popular Mechanics magazine, these modular prefab homes are way more efficient. “By using less space and materials, prefab homes preserve natural resources, while leaving the smallest of footprints. They are usually manufactured in a way that leaves a smaller ecological footprint than conventional on-site construction.”

My Favorite Modular Home Designs

Here are a few of my very favorite designs. I won’t get into the pricing of each of my faves, but I’ve included a link to each manufacturer. I’m just diggin’ what I’m seein’!

First Living Home

This beauty is called the First Living Home. It was designed by Architect Ray Kappe and was recently certified LEED Platinum (the highest certification) by the United States Green Building Council. It was built off-site and installed in just eight hours! Check out this one and others at LivingHomes.net.

M2

Method Homes designed and built this thoroughly-modern modular. Dubbed the M2, it has two bedrooms and one and a half baths. Note that the ceilings are rough-sawn plywood while the exterior siding is made from corrugated metal. The living/dining and bedroom modules are connected by a suspended, glass-filled bridge.

Breezehouse

Chase away the blues with this natural wood-themed modular home by Blu Homes. The Breezehouse features a glass-enclosed living area situated under a distinctive “butterfly” roof. Sliding glass doors open to connect the Breezespace to the outdoors, creating an “open-air living room that marries the home’s interior with the natural world surrounding it.”

Tumbleweed Connection

Now, this could be my favorite. It’s made from a steel shipping container. The modules are designed to fit snugly in an 8-foot-by-40-foot shipping container, and can be transported anywhere internationally for $5,000. The homes ship almost entirely complete – with plenty of green features like bamboo flooring, LED lighting, all-steel framing and FCC-certified woods. And the inexpensive shipping and more efficient, centralized production means all these features don’t carry a premium price. Find out more at Connect-Homes.com.

Do you have a cool modular house? Or have you seen one that really blows you away? Tell us about it and send us a snapshot. We’d love to see it! (Maybe you want to invite us over for dinner?)

Posted by:  Carlson Mortgage – a Saint Louis mortgage broker.  Our Home Loan Experts can be reached at (314) 329-7314 seven days a week. Let us be your source for some of the lowest interest rates in St. Louis on conventional, FHA, Veterans (VA), USDA, Jumbo and HARP 1.0 and 2.0 loans. We have 10 years of experience providing mortgage services that are tailored individually to your unique needs and to your financial situation. We speak English, Spanish and Russian. Call us today!

Original Article can be found here