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Modular Homes Are Emerging as Building Alternative for Plaq. Parish
March 2006


With New Orleans area in need of housing after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, modular homes have received much attention.
They are not the same as trailers, even though they are built in factories. But they are not the same as stick-built homes, even though they are designed to fit into a neighborhood of traditionally built homes.


Modular homes have three main differences from trailers.


€Modular homes are permanent. They are hauled into an area 80 percent built, but they are placed on a permanent foundation. They cannot be moved later to another location like a trailer can.


€This means that modular homes are not considered ³movables² like trailers, and can be financed as a stick-built house would be. Trailers are treated like cars and are not handled by standard bank finances nor are not given mortgages. When purchasing a modular home, the buyer is eligible for VA loans, FHA loans and 30-year mortgages.


€Trailers are built to certain guidelines; modular homes are as well. But they also are custom built to adhere to city, state and national codes. As a result of these differences, modular homes, unlike trailers appreciate over time, and their lifespan is comparable to stick-built homes. Costwise, modular homes are closer to trailers. According to Nurhan Gokturk, founder of NOLA Homebuilders in New Orleans, modular homes cost less per square foot than trailers.
³More bang for your buck,² said Gokturk. This is due to the economy of scale, which refers to a factory that is more cost effective when its product is produced in mass volumes. The cost is even more exceptional when considering that modular homes are built with 25 percent more material than a stick-built home, Gokturk said.

 

This is a very important fact in Plaquemines Parish. Of the 30 modular homes in the New Orleans metro area that were designed by NOLA Homebuilders ³all survived (Hurricane Katrina) unscathed,² said Gokturk. This is attributed to every joist, rafter and stud nailed and hurricane strapped in all of his houses.

 

Modulars can also be raised off the ground, creating a second or third floor in case flooding occurs. Modular homes are stronger, cheaper and faster, with a production time of 2-4 months, Gokturk said. They also can be built with all the comforts of stick-built homes. Fireplaces, natural gas generators, water and air purifiers, alarm systems and granite countertops are easily available and are built in when constructed.


With many floorplans and facades to chose from, NOLA Homebuilders has designed all of their homes to fit in with various New Orleans architecture. Beginning with their standards of nine-foot ceilings and hard wood floors, their designs have even been allowed in historic areas of New Orleans. ³They¹re intended to give people pride of home ownership,² said Gokturk. The parish government is considering encouragement for residents to purchase modular homes in place of trailers. Modular homes are currently treated like trailers in the permits department.

 

Terri A. Sercovich
Plaquemines Gazette
504.392.1619

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