Structural Insulated Panel Homes vs. Modular Homes

There are certain advantages and disadvantages to purchasing a modular home. Some advantages of a modular home are; the speed of having your modular home built, the ability to have your modular home built in a controlled environment where no weather conditions can interfere with the process, and the ability to have your foundation built at the same time that your modular home is being built in the factory. Some of the disadvantages of a modular home are as follows; Size limitation - you are limited in the size of your modular home due to the regulations for the roadways on which the modules of the modular home are transported. The maximum size each module of a modular home can be is 11 feet wide and up to 60 feet long. If your modular home is 36’x60’, it will have to be transported on up to 4 trucks, which is very costly. In addition to the transportation costs, you also have to take into account the fact that not all roads have smooth, straight surfaces, in other words the modules of your modular home will have to endure the rough roads that may be encountered and hopefully the units will not fall apart or loosen during transportation, causing your modular home to lose it’s structural integrity. In addition, a modular home typically does not have as good of a resale value as that of a site built, or Valubuild panel home kit. This is mostly due to the many stigmas that modular homes have garnered over the years, including structural integrity, quality of construction, quality of materials, and many other issues which potential buyers may consider a negative selling quality.

Another issue is that a modular home is not easily upgradeable after it has been assembled. If you choose to put an addition on your modular home, it may not be possible due to the following factors; The manner in which the modular home was constructed in the factory; where the modules are tied to one another; and where they are dependant upon one another structurally. Also, unlike a Valubuild panel home kit, all your finishes are included within the modules upon delivery. Although this may seem like an advantage to the home buyer, the fact is that the company that has assembled your home has purchased and installed these finishes for you, it is very likely that there is a huge mark up. Whereas with a Valubuild panel home kit, you’re responsible for purchasing all of the finishes locally (including appliances, windows, doors, exterior siding, carpeting, etc.), this gives you the opportunity to purchase them at the best possible prices available in your area saving you a lot of money.

A Valubuild Panel Home is not a modular home. The benefits of a Valubuild Panel Home over a modular home are many. The first is the insulation factor. A Valubuild Panel Home is 2-3 times better insulated than a modular home. This is due to the fact that the walls of a Valubuild Panel Home are solid foam sandwiched between two layer of OSB making it air tight. A modular home is basically a stick built home with fiberglass batt insulation which allows warm air to escape in the winter and cool air to escape in the summer. The reverse also happens, unwanted warm air gets into the home in the summer and cool air gets into the home in the winter, throwing costly heating and cooling costs out the door.

The second benefit is that a Valubuild Panel Home wall system is 3-5 times stronger than a modular home’s wall system, due to its design. The third benefit is ease of construction and cost savings; Building a Valubuild Panel Home is simple for the do-it-yourselfer saving thousands of dollars in labor costs over a modular home. Another huge benefit of a Valubuild Panel Home is flexibility in design. A Valubuild Panel Home can be designed based on virtually any plans, from small cabins under 500 sq. ft. to mansions over 10,000 sq. ft. or more, the design possibilities are limitless. Try that with a modular home!

When considering all these factors, if you are looking for a good quality, super insulated, super strong home that you can build on your own, while saving tens of thousands of dollars then Valubuild is the way to go.