The Modular Home

by Andrew Gianino

Modular homes are the perfect solution if you want to build a high-quality, customized home without undue expense or hassle. In this informative guide, Andrew Gianino helps you make the best choices throughout the modular building process, with suggestions for everything from choosing the right dealer and contractor to setting the specs, price, and schedule. Whether you’re looking for a cozy Victorian or want to add a personal touch to a wide ranch, there’s a modular home that will fit your tastes, lifestyle, and budget.

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2005

Reviews

[Marta D Cardoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very complete guide about modular homes that easily explains all you need to know about their construction process: choosing a dealer, designing, land preparation, financing…

I believe it is specially helpful to those interested in bulding a modular home since the drawings, as well as the language used, are understandable for those who aren’t in the construction industry. Still, it is detailed enough to offer an accurate answer.

[mad mags · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Go-To Guide for Modular Home Consumers

Whether you're merely considering building a new home, or you've already made up your mind to purchase a modular/prefabricated house, THE MODULAR HOME by Andrew Gianino is a must-read! Gianino, founder of The Home Store (now going into its 20th year of business), has written the Bible of modular home construction. In THE MODULAR HOME, Gianino covers all facets of buying and building a new modular home, from choosing and tweaking the building's designs, to arranging financing and obtaining all the required permits, working with the dealer, manufacturer, and general contractor, and even dealing with warranty issues long after the house has been delivered and "buttoned up."

Modular home construction holds a number of advantages over traditional, stick-built homes, and author Gianino begins by helping you decide if building a modular home makes sense for you. Although he's quick to point out the assets of modular construction, THE MODULAR HOME isn't just a sales pitch for the modular home industry; Gianino also explains when it makes little sense to go the modular route. He also goes to great pains to list the special concerns that arise when building a modular home. As a result, THE MODULAR HOME is a fair and balanced look at the pros and cons of modular construction. ANYONE thinking about building a new home (or even remodeling an existing house) should read THE MODULAR HOME in order to get a firm grasp of ALL the available options.

Once you've made a firm commitment to go modular, buy a copy of THE MODULAR HOME immediately! Gianino has packed the book with all sorts of helpful information to guide you through the process. The book is divided into eleven chapters: Why Build Modular?; Selecting a Dealer; Designing a Home; Specification and Features; Selecting a General Contractor; Finding a Preparing a Building Lot; The General Contractor's Responsibilities; Building a Modular Addition; Financing a Modular Home; Warranty Service; and Building on Schedule. Additionally, he's also included a 15-page, full-color Modular Home Gallery, which illustrates the many styles of homes that can be built inside a factory.

As you can see, Gianino truly does cover all the bases - and in great detail, to boot! Each chapter is jam-packed with useful information, helpful hints, in-depth explanations, illustrative sketches, useful checklists, and even individual case studies (usually of other peoples' mistakes) that everyone can learn from. Unlike the watered-down Dummies' Guides, THE MODULAR HOME does not dumb the material down, or repeat the same information ad nauseam. Gianino is an excellent and engaging writer, and he manages to make complicated information comprehensible to the layperson - without sounding as though he's talking to a 7th-grader. He also reminds his audience of previously addressed material without beating you over the head with the same redundant advice (thus wasting both your time and money).

Currently a renter, I'm planning on buying or building a house in the next few years. Thus, I've read a countless number of books on manufactured, modular/prefab, and stick-built construction. THE MODULAR HOME is by far the best of the bunch, hands down. Five stars, all around!

http://www.easyvegan.info/2005/11/26/...

[February Four · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book for people considering a modular home. It's written from the POV of a modular home dealer, and targeted at modular home buyers who need more information about the process, what to expect, and so on. It comes with checklists, detailed explanations and ideas for everything from floor plans to types of electrical switches, and even some anecdotes from Gianino's own experience (usually things that went wrong, and more importantly, how to avoid making the same mistake he did.) It's fantastic and definitely worth a read if you want to buy/build a modular home or even just have some interest in the subject.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book for considering a modular home. The author was a GC and seller of modulars. He strongly advised against acting as your own GC, but most of the homes he sold were truly modular where they pieced the home together on the job site and a very experienced GC would be needed. In this area, most modulars are shipped as one unit and slid onto the foundation. Still need to know what to do for the button-up work, but the construction knowledge needed would not be as extensive. Good overview of all the pieces required to build a modular home and I especially liked all the extras from his experiences of particular problems that had come up and how to avoid them.