Questions to Ask a Modular Home Builder
For buyers comparing modular home builders or dealers before signing a contract. The questions follow the order the decision usually takes: the builder and the factory behind it, what the quoted price covers, site work and set day, design and options, timeline and financing, then the warranty and the contract. The notes say what a builder who does this work regularly tends to answer, and which answers leave the site work or the risk with you.
Want questions from the whole vault instead? Try the random question generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Builder and factory
Which factory builds your modules, and how long have you been selling its homes?
Why ask it
Many modular builders are independent dealers or general contractors who order from one or two manufacturers, so you are choosing two companies at once. A solid answer names the factory straight away and says how many of its homes this builder has set. If the name is held back until you sign, you cannot look into the manufacturer, and that is a reason to pause.
Is this a modular home built to the local building code, or a manufactured home built to the HUD code?
Why ask it
The two are often sold from the same lot and the words get used loosely. In the United States a modular home is generally built to the same state or local code as a house built on site, and a manufactured home to a federal standard, which can change how lenders, appraisers and zoning offices treat it. Have the builder show you which label or data plate the home will carry, and get the answer written into the contract.
Are you a licensed general contractor here, or a dealer who leaves the site work to someone else?
Why ask it
Some sellers take the whole job from permit to keys, and others sell the house and expect you to hire a contractor for everything on the lot. Either can work, but the second makes you the project manager and divides the blame when something goes wrong. Licensing rules differ by state and sometimes by town, so find out what license the work needs where you are building and check the number with the licensing body.
How many modular homes did you finish last year, and how many of those were in my county?
Why ask it
The total tells you how practiced the office and the set crew are, and the local number whether they know your inspectors, your soil and your utility companies. A builder with plenty of homes and none near you will be learning your permit process on your job.
Can I tour the factory, or walk one of your homes that has been set but not finished?
Why ask it
A plant tour shows framing, insulation and wiring before drywall covers them, and many manufacturers welcome buyers. A home in the middle of its finish work is nearly as useful: look at how the two halves meet along the center wall, which builders call the marriage wall, and whether the modules arrived dry. A no to both leaves you judging everything from a decorated model.
Who inspects the modules inside the factory, and what does my local building department sign off on?
Why ask it
A common arrangement is an approved third-party agency inspecting in the plant while the local inspector covers the foundation, the connections and the site work. The split differs from place to place, so have the builder walk you through it for your town and then confirm it with the building department yourself. Vagueness about who inspects what suggests they have not built in your jurisdiction before.
How finished is the house when it leaves the factory, and what gets installed on my lot?
Why ask it
Factories differ in how much they complete, and whatever is left for the site depends on local trades, weather and scheduling. A builder who knows the product can hand you three lists: what ships installed, what ships loose inside the modules, and what is bought locally. Heating and cooling equipment is one item that is often left for the site, so check which list it is on and whether it is in the price.
Can I call two owners who have lived in one of your homes through at least two winters?
Why ask it
Seasonal movement tends to show where modules join: a drywall crack along the center wall, a door that starts to stick, a ridge in the floor at the seam. The useful things to hear from those owners are how many service calls it took and whether the builder or the factory turned up. Someone who moved in last month cannot tell you any of that.
What happens to my order and my deposit if the factory closes or stops supplying you?
Why ask it
Plants do shut and dealer agreements do end, sometimes with orders in the queue. Two details matter: whether your deposit sits with the builder or has been passed to the factory, and whether a second manufacturer could build the same plan. 'That has never happened' tells you nothing, so read what the contract says and find out how deposits are protected where you live.
The price
Is the price you quoted for the house at the factory, the house delivered, or the house finished on my lot?
Why ask it
Modular prices get quoted at three very different points, and advertising tends to use the lowest. Have the builder mark on the quote which one it is, because two quotes can only be compared once both describe a finished house you can move into.
Can you write out every cost between the factory price and move-in, line by line?
Why ask it
The lines to look for are excavation, foundation, delivery, crane, set crew, finish work, utility connections, septic or sewer, well or water tap, driveway, steps and porches, garage, permits and taxes. A builder who does this every month can put a range beside each one from past jobs. Any line marked 'by owner' is a bill you will be paying someone else, so price it before you compare.
Which foundation does the price assume, a crawl space, a slab or a full basement, and who builds it?
Why ask it
The foundation has to match the factory's drawings closely, because modules cannot be trimmed to fit on set day. That is a reason to favor the builder's own foundation contractor, or one who has poured for modular homes before. If you want a basement, ask what the stairs, the support columns and the extra wall height add to the figure.
Is delivery priced to my address, and what would escorts, permits or a hard route add?
Why ask it
Transport cost follows distance and difficulty: oversize-load permits, escort vehicles, low bridges, tight corners. A firm figure to your lot is the answer you want, not a rate per mile, and it means more if somebody has driven the last few miles of the route.
Is the crane in the price, and who pays if it has to come back for a second day?
Why ask it
Cranes are usually hired by the day, and wind, mud or a late truck can push a set into another one. A careful quote includes the crane and says who carries the cost of a weather day. If the answer is 'it depends', ask on what, and get it in writing.
What does your button-up include, and is all of it in this price?
Why ask it
Button-up is the work after the modules are joined: closing the roof and siding at the seams, finishing drywall along the center wall, connecting plumbing, wiring and ducts between sections, laying flooring across the joints. It can take weeks, and it is where 'we thought the other company was doing that' comes from. The list belongs on a page of the contract, not in a summary given across a desk.
Which utility connections are in the price, and what distances is the estimate based on?
Why ask it
Water, sewer or septic, power, gas or propane, and internet each need a trench, a connection fee and somebody to do the work. The cost follows the distance from the road and your utility's own rules, so a figure given before anyone has seen the lot is a guess. A quote you can rely on states the length of run it assumed and the price of each extra foot.
Are the garage, porches, decks and steps built in the factory, built on site, or left to me?
Why ask it
These are very often built on site and priced separately, even when the brochure photo shows them. Your building department may also want steps and landings in place before it allows you to move in, so 'left to me' can hold up the keys. Get each one named in the quote with a price or a plain exclusion.
Who applies for the building permit, and who pays the permit fees, impact fees, survey and engineering stamps?
Why ask it
It helps when the party doing the site work is also the one applying, since most of the building department's questions will be about the foundation and the connections. The fees vary widely from one town to the next, so ask for the actual figures from a recent job in your jurisdiction. A builder with none to show has not built there lately, and the department's own fee schedule is the place to get them.
Is sales tax on the modules in the quote, and how is it worked out here?
Why ask it
Tax on factory-built housing is handled differently from state to state, and it is sometimes charged on only part of the price. A rule of thumb from a forum or from the salesperson's memory is not good enough for a number this size. You want the amount as its own line with the calculation shown, and your state's tax office can confirm the method.
How long is this price good for, and what happens if the factory raises its prices before my home is built?
Why ask it
Months can pass between a quote and a production slot, and factory prices move with lumber and labor. The detail to pin down is when yours locks: at signing, at deposit or when the final drawings are approved. An escalation clause is not unusual, but look for a cap on it or a right to cancel if it is triggered.
On your last few homes, how far was the final cost from the first quote, and what made up the difference?
Why ask it
A candid builder will name what usually grows, which tends to be site work on a difficult lot and upgrades the buyer chose. If every job landed exactly on the number, ask to speak to one of those buyers.
Site and set day
Will you visit my lot before you quote, and what will you be looking for?
Why ask it
Beyond whether a truck can get in, a visit is for slope, rock or wet ground, where a septic field and a well could go, and how far the house will sit from power and water at the road. A quote written without one is a brochure price. If you have not bought land yet, find out whether they will look at a lot before you close on it.
Can the trucks and the crane reach my site, and what would have to be cleared or built first?
Why ask it
Modules arrive on long trailers that need wide turns, solid ground and height clearance, so a wooded, steep or narrow lot may call for a temporary stone drive, trees taken down or a utility line lifted for the day, and each of those belongs in the estimate. Be uneasy if nobody has measured the entrance.
Who sets the house: your own crew, the factory's crew or a subcontractor?
Why ask it
A set is specialist work, often over in a day or two, with a great deal of your money hanging from a cable. You want a crew that sets this manufacturer's homes regularly, has worked together before, and has one named person in charge on the day.
Who is responsible if a module is damaged on the road or while it is being lifted?
Why ask it
Responsibility passes between the factory, the hauler, the set crew and the builder, and each may carry its own insurance. Find out at what moment the house becomes your risk and what cover you need by then, since a lender may require a builder's risk policy. The answer should point to a clause in the contract, not to goodwill.
What is the plan if it rains between delivery and the roof being closed?
Why ask it
Modules usually travel wrapped, but there are hours on set day when the seams are open to the sky. Listen for a forecast check, tarps on the truck, a willingness to postpone, and a clear statement of who pays to replace wet insulation or drywall. 'It dries out' is the worrying answer.
If the foundation turns out to be out of square or out of level when the modules arrive, who fixes it and who pays?
Why ask it
The foundation contractor and the factory can each point at the other, which is why this one ends in disputes. The cleanest setup is one company answerable for both, with the foundation measured and signed off before the modules ship. If you are hiring the foundation yourself, ask for the factory's tolerances in writing and hand them to your contractor.
Which trades finish the house on site, and how many modular homes has each of them completed?
Why ask it
After the set you still need an electrician, a plumber, a heating and cooling installer, drywall finishers, and roofing and siding crews for the seams. Regulars who have joined modules before know where the factory left the connections. A builder still collecting bids for these after you sign will cost you weeks.
Who is my one contact from set day to the certificate of occupancy, and how often are they on site?
Why ask it
Finish work drifts when nobody owns it, because the exciting day is over and the crews have moved on to the next set. A name, a phone number and a pattern of visits is the answer you want; 'the office' means you will be the one chasing trades.
Which parts of the site work could I do myself or hire out, and which would you rather I left alone?
Why ask it
Painting, decks, landscaping and sometimes the driveway are common jobs for owners. Foundations and utility connections are riskier to split off, since a mistake there holds up the set or an inspection. Check with your lender as well, because some will not fund owner labor or will want it finished before the loan converts.
What will the lot look like when you leave: rough grade, final grade, seeded, driveway finished?
Why ask it
Cranes and trailers chew up a yard, so find out which of those stages is in the price and what your inspector requires for drainage before signing off. Photos of two finished sites, taken on the builder's last day there, answer this better than a description.
Design and options
How far can I change one of your standard plans, and where does the factory draw the line?
Why ask it
Modules have to travel on a road, so width, ceiling height and roof pitch have limits a site-built house does not. Moving interior walls, windows and doors is often straightforward, while stretching a section past what can be hauled is not. A useful answer sorts your wish list into free, priced and not possible.
Can the factory build from my own plans, and what does the engineering cost?
Why ask it
Some manufacturers will convert an architect's drawings or a stock plan for a fee, with adjustments wherever a wall has to land on a module line. See the converted drawings before you pay anything beyond that fee. Catalog plans only is a fair answer too, as long as you hear it now and not after a deposit.
What is standard in this home by brand and model: windows, insulation, cabinets, flooring, roofing?
Why ask it
The document to get is the factory's standard specification sheet, not the brochure. The model on the lot is usually dressed with options, so walk it with the sheet in your hand and mark everything that is an upgrade. What is left unmarked is what the base price buys.
Which upgrades are worth ordering from the factory, and which are cheaper to do locally afterward?
Why ask it
Anything inside the walls or the structure is hard to change after the set: insulation, window quality, a steeper roof, taller ceilings, extra outlets. Countertops, light fixtures and some flooring can cost less through a local supplier, though that adds one more trade to schedule. A builder who tells you to order everything from the factory has not weighed it for you.
What snow load, wind rating and energy code will my home be built to, and where does that appear on the drawings?
Why ask it
Factories ship to many jurisdictions and build each home to the requirements of the place it is going, so the builder should be able to put a finger on those values on your plan set. Confirm them with your building department, especially on the coast, at elevation, or in wildfire or earthquake country.
When do my selections and drawings become final, and what does a change cost after that?
Why ask it
Once the factory orders materials and gives your home a place on the line, changes get expensive or are refused outright, which makes this a harder deadline than a site build has. Get the sign-off date and the change fee in writing, and do your second-guessing before that date.
Timeline and financing
How long from a signed contract to move-in, stage by stage?
Why ask it
A useful answer has a separate figure for drawings and permits, the wait for a production slot, time on the line, delivery, the set, finish work and final inspection. Time in the plant is usually the most predictable of those, and permits and site work are where the schedule tends to slip. One total with no breakdown hides that.
How long is the factory's backlog today, and when would my home go on the line?
Why ask it
The build itself may be a matter of days or a few weeks, but the queue in front of it can be much longer. Find out whether your slot is reserved at deposit or only once drawings are approved, and what would push you back. A date for your home is worth more than an average for the plant.
What has to be finished on my lot before the factory will ship?
Why ask it
The usual answer is a completed, inspected foundation and a route in for the trucks. If the house is ready before the site is, ask where it waits and whether storage is charged. Sequencing the two is the builder's job, and a well-run office can show you a calendar with both on it.
What caused the longest delay on one of your recent jobs, and how long did it last?
Why ask it
Listen for something specific: a power company that took months to connect, a failed septic test, a seasonal weight limit on the road in. Detail like that means they keep track of their jobs, and the natural follow-up is what they do differently because of it.
What deposit do you take, when does the factory have to be paid, and what is the schedule after that?
Why ask it
Manufacturers often want a large share of the house price at or before delivery, earlier than a site builder would be paid for the same amount of structure. Lay that schedule beside your lender's draw schedule before you sign anything. Where the two do not meet, ask who covers the gap and at what cost.
Which lenders have financed your homes with a construction loan, and how did their draws handle the factory payment?
Why ask it
Not every lender is set up to release a large draw for a house that is not yet on your land. A builder with regular lenders can give you the names of loan officers who know the routine. Talk to one of them and to your own bank before paying a deposit, since loan products and rules differ by lender and location.
How have appraisers and insurers treated your modular homes around here?
Why ask it
Practice varies by market and by company, so take the builder's answer as a lead and not a ruling. Your lender can tell you how it appraises modular construction, and an insurance quote on the finished home is worth getting before you commit. Keep the factory paperwork that shows which code the house was built to, because a home wrongly recorded as manufactured can be valued and insured differently.
Warranty and contract
What does the factory warrant, what do you warrant, and where is the line between the two?
Why ask it
A typical split has the manufacturer covering the modules as built and the builder covering the foundation, the set and everything done on site. The arguments happen at the join, since a crack along the center wall could belong to either. Get both documents before you sign and read what each one excludes.
If something goes wrong after we move in, who do I call first, and who sends someone out?
Why ask it
The answer you are hoping for is one phone number, the builder's, with the builder chasing the factory for you. Being sent to the manufacturer directly only works if it has service crews within reach of your address, so ask how long the most recent warranty repair took from the call to the fix.
Is there structural coverage beyond the first year, and who stands behind it?
Why ask it
Some builders and factories add a longer structural warranty through an outside warranty company, and some places set minimum terms by law. Find out what applies where you are building and who you would claim against if the builder were no longer in business. The document's definition of 'structural' is usually narrow, so read it before you count on it.
Do we walk the house together after the set and again before closing, and what happens to the list?
Why ask it
A house that has ridden down a highway often arrives with cosmetic damage: hairline drywall cracks, popped nails, a cabinet door out of line. What matters is a written list, a date for the repairs and some money held back until they are done. Bringing your own inspector to the final walk is a reasonable request, and a refusal is worth noting.
Is this one contract for a finished home, or separate contracts for the house and the site work?
Why ask it
One contract means one party owes you a house you can live in. With two, the house seller may be finished once the modules are delivered, whatever state the lot is in. If it has to be two, make sure each says who answers for the foundation fit and for the set.
What do I get back if I cancel before production, or if the lot fails a soil or septic test?
Why ask it
Deposits generally get harder to recover once the engineering is drawn and harder again once the factory orders materials. Have those stages and amounts written down, along with a clause covering a permit, septic or financing failure that is not your doing. Cancellation rights differ from place to place, so with this much money involved have someone local who knows construction contracts read it.
How to compare modular home builders
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you call a builder
Know your lot, or say that you have none
Bring the address, a survey or plot plan if you have one, and what you know about water, sewer and power at the road. Without a lot, a builder can only give you a house price, and the house is only one part of the finished cost. If you are still shopping for land, say so and ask what makes a lot hard to set a modular home on.
Ask the building department two things
Call and ask how modular homes are permitted and inspected there, and whether anything in the zoning treats them differently from site-built houses. If the lot is in a subdivision, read its covenants for the same thing. Both give you something to test each builder's answers against.
Talk to a lender early
Ask whether they offer construction loans for modular homes and how their draws work when a factory wants payment at delivery. A lender who has never financed one may still be the right choice, but you want to learn that now and not in the week the modules ship.
Settle most of it by email
The factory's name, the specification sheet, a sample contract and a blank cost breakdown can all be sent ahead. Keep the visit for the questions where you want to watch the answer: the foundation that did not fit, the rain on set day, the job that ran long.
At the model home or sales office
Ask to see a plan set, not only a floor plan
A sales floor plan shows rooms. A plan set from a finished job shows where the modules join, where the beams and basement columns fall and what loads the house was designed for. Going through one with the builder tells you which of the walls you want to move are really free to move.
Ask about the last set day that went wrong
'What did you do the last time a crane day was rained out' gets a truer answer than 'do you have a weather plan'. Anyone can say yes to the second. The first needs a site, a season and a bill, and a builder who has been through it will have all three.
Listen for questions about your land
A builder who asks about your driveway, your slope and your septic before talking about countertops is thinking about the hard half of the job. One who only talks floor plans is selling a house, and the site may turn out to be your problem.
Take the paper home
Leave with the quote, both warranties and the contract, and read them where nobody is waiting for a signature. If a discount depends on signing the same day, weigh it against everything you have not yet been able to check.
Comparing two or three quotes
Bring every quote to the same finish line
Make one column per builder and one row for each cost: house, delivery, crane and set, foundation, finish work, utilities, septic or sewer, driveway, garage and porches, permits, tax. Where a builder left a row blank, get a local price for it and write that in. The cheapest house is often not the cheapest finished home.
Compare the specifications, not the square feet
Two homes of the same size can differ in wall thickness, insulation, window brand, roof pitch and cabinet construction. Put the two specification sheets side by side and circle every difference before you look at the price again.
Weigh the builder as heavily as the factory
The same manufacturer's house can be a good or a bad experience depending on who pours the foundation and finishes the seams. If two builders sell the same factory's homes, most of the difference between them is on site, so compare their crews, their finished houses and their past owners.
Check the money against the calendar
For each builder, write the payment dates beside the stage of work each one falls at, and beside the draws your lender will release. A schedule that has you paying for the house before your loan can fund it needs solving before you sign, not on delivery week.
Warning signs before you pay a deposit
The factory has no name
If you cannot learn who builds the modules until after a deposit, you cannot visit the plant, read its warranty or ask other owners about it. Withholding the name protects the seller and nobody else.
A price with no site visit
A firm number given before anyone has stood on your lot covers the house and little more. Either it will grow, or the site work will quietly become yours to arrange.
Site work brushed aside
'You can get a local guy for that' about the foundation or the utility connections moves the hardest and least predictable part of the project onto you. It may still be the right arrangement, but only if you chose it knowing what it involves.
Two warranties and no owner
When the builder says to call the factory and the factory's document says to call the dealer, the seam between the modules belongs to no one. Get one sentence in the contract naming who you call and who is obliged to come.