Modular Homes in Newton, MA. Specific question on Westchester Modular Homes (Boston: countertops, condos)

[paragvohra]

We live in Newton in a house which is pretty old (1941) but it was all we could afford when we bought it. The good thing s that the lot is 12000 feet, not much by suburban standards but decent for Newton.

Anyways, the house is a cape, has a one car garage and the layout on the second floor is weird. The first floor is fine, but again, somewhat dated kitchen etc. We got a contractor give us an estimate for a remodel and he came back with a 600K estimate!!!

Anyways, we are now looking at simply doing a tear down and rebuild in a year or so. My questions are:

- Anyone who has built a modular home, in Newton or the Boston are, are you happy with what you got, relative to what you think a stick built home would be like?

- any guidance around cost? Are there some savings or decent or none, relative to stick built?

- Any guidance around square footage costs for a 3500 sq foot house? Approximates or ranges are fine, just trying to get a broad idea.

any insight would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Parag

[SoFresh99]

I have virtually nothing to add but I do know of one person who used modular construction to replace their tiny house with a new victorian looking home that is lovely and they had a really good experience however they did put a ton of sweat equity in getting it completed b/c they do not have much money. I think they carried a mortgage of $375k in 2004 to get it done so maybe $250 of that was on the new house and $125 to pay off what was left on the old house. This was probably for 2200 sq. ft.

The previous owners of my home ended up moving to New Hampshire and building a modular home.

[MikePRU]

A stick built home of 3500 sf is going to cost someone building it for speculation around $500K-$600K to build depending on the level of finish, number of bathrooms, and bells & whistles you want to add. I find end users usually don't get as good pricing and typically spend money in unnecessary places driving up the cost. I would expect to spend over $600K. I've never dealt with modular homes, but my understanding is that they're somewhat less expensive than stick built. The reason there are so few modular homes around here is that in my experience they have a stigma attached to them. I'm not sure why but people around here poo-poo on modular homes. The perception whether it's true or not seems to be that they're not built as well as a stick built home. You'll get better re-sale value (if you do it right) out of a stick built home but it will cost you more to build.

[paragvohra]

MikePRU:

Appreciate your insight, but as per your estimate, cost of construction is from $140 - $170 per sq foot? Is that not a bit on the high side? I had heard $125 to $150?

So Fresh: OK, your math puts the house cost at approx 100 dollars a sq foot at 2004 prices. wow, I guess this place is more expensive.

[unit731]

You are better off selling you current home and purchasing a better home that meets your requirements. Why tear down a perfectly good home? Old and need of renovations or not. Waste of good money.

Modular or pre-fab or factory built homes come in all sorts of qualities. You had best do your homework if you still plan to do this.

If not a real good one in your town then you will never recover your costs.

[gf2020]

Modular doesn't necessarily save you money but it can save you time.

If I was building new in Newton today, I would expect to pay ~$150-160 per sq ft for typical finish, not super high end by any means.

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by paragvohra

MikePRU:

Appreciate your insight, but as per your estimate, cost of construction is from $140 - $170 per sq foot? Is that not a bit on the high side? I had heard $125 to $150?

So Fresh: OK, your math puts the house cost at approx 100 dollars a sq foot at 2004 prices. wow, I guess this place is more expensive.

It's all going to depend on the level of finish and size of the house, but I find custom builds generally cost more and take longer to finish. A spec builder usually builds at around $125-$150 per SF so I added a little extra for builder profit as well.

Originally Posted by unit731

You are better off selling you current home and purchasing a better home that meets your requirements. Why tear down a perfectly good home? Old and need of renovations or not. Waste of good money.

It seems silly at first blush to tear down a perfectly good house, but there is absolutely no developable land around here. The only way to build a new house is to demolish an old one.

Personally, I don't think I would ever, ever tear down my own home. Expect to be displaced about a year. It's not fun. My brother recently did it and they were miserable living in temporary housing. I think you're better off moving into something already built.

[bigfatturkey]

i've been toying with the idea of building a modular home as well and have spoken with a few modular home builders on the cape. one of them was using the westchester modular home and the price was substantially higher. the other one uses premier builders modular and the cost is lower for similar specs. i've seen actual modular houses by both and i couldn't tell that the westchester one is a better build. we are looking at building a cape house of 3-4bedroom/2.5-3bath of size around 2,500sqft with a big 2 car garage...and the price of a fully finished modular home (by premier builder modular) is close to $300K with all the site work/foundation, some upgrades (floorings, central air, solid countertops etc.) and handed over to you in turnkey condition. but i think if you are able to do a lot of finishings on your own...then you are looking at a lower cost.

and certain modular models might be less costly than others (say if you can incorporate a garage into part of the modular system)...you'll have to work with your builder to come up with the best configuration for your requirement/budget. you can also choose to just finish up part of the house (for example, just the first floor of a cape) and leave the second level roughed in for future completion when you have the time/resources....or just go with the basic modular package (vinyl/carpet flooring, laminated countertop etc.) and do the upgrades later

i don't think modular/stick built is gonna save you money in the current property market where you might be able to find some really good deals in resale properties (whereas building costs have probably gone up instead of down!). but with the new building codes and higher energy efficiency requirements....a new build will probably help you save in terms of future energy costs...and you get to have the house exactly the way you want it, at the location you want it to be.

good luck!

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by bigfatturkey

i don't think modular/stick built is gonna save you money in the current property market where you might be able to find some really good deals in resale properties (whereas building costs have probably gone up instead of down!).

There is definitely a glut of new construction on the market here in Needham. The newer houses usually priced starting around $1.2M and up are moving a lot slower than they were last year and prices have definitely come down a good amount on new construction here in the last few years even though the homes in town overall have maintained their value.

[cwaggy]

No way can you build in Newton for less than $200/SF. Anyone who tells you otherwise is fantasizing or lowballing to get your business.

You could KD your house then you might need a new foundation that meets NEW CODES so evaluate that FIRST. Add 50K for a new foundation, don't forget heating and electric will need to be ALL NEW etc.

Everyone way underestimates and always way too optimistic.

I've built 30+ houses and renovated thousands of homes and condos; trust me if you are NOT a builder yourself you have no appreciation of how a project can go south in a moment.