{"id":12287,"date":"2023-09-07T07:50:16","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T07:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=12287"},"modified":"2023-10-26T13:10:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T13:10:44","slug":"westwood-modular-cabin-factory-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/09\/westwood-modular-cabin-factory-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Westwood Modular Cabin Factory Tour Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have the land. Now we have been trying to find a home we can afford to put on it. It seems like there are a lot of choices, but once you start looking seriously, you realize they aren’t actually realistic.<\/p>\n

Most small houses you see are not actually modular homes. They are park model homes or mobile homes.<\/p>\n

Park models<\/strong> are not considered houses. They are campers. They don’t meet residential building code. Our land is not zoned for a park model cabin.<\/p>\n

Other small modular homes are actually mobile homes<\/strong>. An “on-frame modular home” is built on a metal frame. I found some that were really reasonably priced. Some of them are adorable. But they count as a single-wide trailer and we are not zoned for a trailer or mobile home.<\/p>\n

We looked at modular homes. There are some very reasonably priced options, considering how much space you get. But we aren’t looking for that much space. None of the large modular home companies will build a small, single module modular home in our area. The initial price does not include the cost of transporting two or three sections to our land. The foundation costs more. They are assembled using a crane, which doesn’t come cheap. It adds up and adds up.<\/p>\n

We found a few companies that make prefab cottages or cabins that are a single complete unit. We got pricing on a Deer Run. They make pre-fab log cabins and log cabin kits, but they can also make things that are less rustic. We’re not going to spend this much money without seeing them in real life first. They are five and a half hours away.<\/p>\n

In the mean time, I found Westwood Cabins. They for sure make modular homes. Small, but modular.<\/p>\n

This is a modular home that comes complete with engineered drawings and paperwork showing home inspections have been completed. This documentation will be accepted by your local inspector.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They are built in South Carolina. The factory is not even 2 hours away, so we decided to drive down and see how they build their cabins.<\/p>\n

We’d love to meet you and give you a factory tour of our production facility located in Due West, South Carolina. It’s where all the magic happens when we build your Westwood modular cabin!<\/p>\n

Westwood Homes Prefab Cabin Factory Tour <\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is what we saw.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Westwood Cabins Factory Tour
Small Modular Homes Production Facility<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the offices. The gentleman who showed us around was ready and waiting, even though we were early. (It was really easy to find and there was no traffic to slow us down.)<\/p>\n

\"\"
There are two warehouses like this.
This one has modular cabins under construction.
The other builds sheds.
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are two huge warehouses. This is the one where the cabins are built.<\/p>\n

A house is being built behind each of these doors.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Each bay is big enough to move the completed cabin out once it is finished
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The doors are high enough to move the cabin out when it’s finished.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cabin walls are framed, then insulated and assembled inside and out of the weather
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a wall being framed. Once the wall is finished, they insulate it before the cabin is assembled.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cabins are stick-built inside a metal building
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The houses are built just like you would build on your own land, but inside a building instead of out in the weather.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Housewrap adds another weather resistive barrier
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They use the same materials. The cabin shells we looked at were built more like a shed. These are not at all built like a shed.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Walls framed, electric run
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They are framing the interior walls. The power is run.<\/p>\n

These cabins are built to the same residential building code as a house you might build on your own land.<\/p>\n

The modular home plans are reviewed and approved by the state the house is going to, not the state where the house is being built.
\nAt each stage of construction, the house is inspected. They can’t cover up the framing and electric until an inspector has signed off.<\/p>\n

That’s one of the problems with the modular homes I see on Facebook Marketplace. They were built without being inspected. They often have issues that would have prevented the plans from being approved in the first place. Even if they build everything to code, once it’s all hidden behind walls, there is no way for an inspector to see it.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Spray foam insulation is installed on the walls, ceiling and under the floor
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The walls, ceiling and floor are insulated.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Spray foam insulation
Insulated, Low E windows
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can get single-hung or double-hung vinyl windows.<\/p>\n

What is the difference between single-hung and double-hung windows? If the bottom pane goes up, but the top pane doesn’t move, that’s a single-hung window. Double-hung windows can open either direction. The bottom window pane can slide up or the top window can slide down. In some cases you can even tilt the window panes and open the whole window. To lock a double-hung window you have to squeeze the top pane up and the bottom pane down enough to get the lock to lock.<\/p>\n

\"\"
200 AMP electric service is standard
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Power is run to meet the building code for the state where the cabin will be delivered, in our case, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Installing lighting
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The house comes with plenty of recessed LED lighting.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Installing horizontal lap siding
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This was the first thing that REALLY impressed me. The exterior siding.<\/p>\n

The siding is BEAUTIFULLY put together. Once it’s painted, you might never notice. But it is just beautifully finished.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Cabin under construction
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The interior walls and ceiling are wood. I love the nice pitch of the roof.\u00a0 I love so many things about these cabins!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Completed cabins waiting to be delivered
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next we walked over to look at some of the completed cabins that are waiting to be delivered.<\/p>\n

It was good to be able to see so many different homes. Because each person designs what they want, they really help you to see what is possible.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Double doors give good access to everything in the closet
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is one of the bedrooms. I love the shaker style doors. They are nice and solid. I like the double doors to the closet, too.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The smallest shower is 36″ x 36″
You can also get 42″ x 42″ or 60″ x 30″ (typical tub size)
You can get a tub, too.
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a bathroom in one of the smallest pre-fab cabins. It was hard to get a photo. The bathroom is small, but has room for a shower and a stacked washer and dryer.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Bath cabinet and sink
Standard plumbing fixtures come in oil-rubbed bronze or brushed nickel
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The bathroom and kitchen cabinets are not particle board. They are real wood and put together beautifully. I know, I keep saying that, but really, I am so impressed by the craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

If you’ve read this blog, you notice I’m not terribly critical. But, I’m usually not impressed. I am impressed.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Electric tankless water heater
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the tankless water heater. In this model they put it in the back of the bedroom closet.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mini split HVAC system
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the inside part of the mini split. They also can put in a version that has an air handler with ducts and vents.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mini split HVAC system
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is the outside part of the heat pump.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mini split HVAC system
Westwood Cabins Small Modular Homes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I took almost 200 photos, so there is more to come. See more photos and floor plans at www.westwoodcabins.com<\/a> and www.facebook.com\/westwoodcabins<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have the land. Now we have been trying to find a home we can afford to put on it. It seems like there are a lot of choices, but once you start looking seriously, you realize they aren’t actually realistic. Most small houses you …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[32,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modular","category-new-cottage"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/featured-westwood-tour.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12401,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/off-frame-modular-clayton-homes\/","url_meta":{"origin":12287,"position":0},"title":"Off-frame Modular Clayton Homes","author":"Carla","date":"August 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"We have land. Now we are looking for a home to put on it. What is it going to cost, not just for the house, but all of the rest of the costs that are not included in the house prices shown? We worry about having a house stick-built. We\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADUs"","block_context":{"text":"ADUs","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/adus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/featured-clayton.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/featured-clayton.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/featured-clayton.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/featured-clayton.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1386,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/shopping-modular-homes-blue-ridge-log-cabins\/","url_meta":{"origin":12287,"position":1},"title":"Shopping Modular Homes – Blue Ridge Log Cabins","author":"Carla","date":"June 28, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"If you are driving north on I26, just before you cross the North Carolina state line, you will see tiny log cabins on the left and big log cabins on the right. The tiny ones are Green River Cabins. The larger ones are Blue Ridge Log Cabins. We had investigated\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Plans"","block_context":{"text":"House Plans","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/house-plans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Shopping Modular Homes - Blue Ridge Log Cabins","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-blue_ridge_log_cabins.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-blue_ridge_log_cabins.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-blue_ridge_log_cabins.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-blue_ridge_log_cabins.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1026,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/garland-modular-house-in-historic-druid-hills-hendersonville\/","url_meta":{"origin":12287,"position":2},"title":"Garland Modular House in Historic Druid Hills, Hendersonville","author":"Carla","date":"June 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"If I had not watched them deliver this house with a crane, I would never guess it isn\u2019t one of the historic homes. This is a modular, the Garland model by Palm Harbor Homes by Nationwide. You can see more information about it on their website at: www.palmharbor.com\/our-homes\/floor-plans\/sr-floor-plans\/fp-52-ma-Garland\/ It has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Plans"","block_context":{"text":"House Plans","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/house-plans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Modular House, Garland, 1,333 square feet - Project Small House","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-garland.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-garland.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-garland.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-garland.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/featured_image-garland.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":359,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/research-modular-home-or-manufactured-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":12287,"position":3},"title":"Research: Modular Home or Manufactured Home?","author":"Carla","date":"January 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"What is the difference between a modular home and a manufactured home? Many places do not allow manufactured homes. So can you put in a modular home? What is the difference? Is a Modular Home a Trailer? Manufactured Homes are also called Mobile Homes and Trailers. Modular Homes are also\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Modular Homes"","block_context":{"text":"Modular Homes","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/modular\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo Credit: Pleasant Valley Modular home photos, Riverview Homes, Inc., WikiMedia Commons","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/featured_image-modular.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/featured_image-modular.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/featured_image-modular.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/featured_image-modular.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/featured_image-modular.jpg?fit=1200%2C632&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15320,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/three-new-modular-homes-near-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":12287,"position":4},"title":"Three New Modular Homes Near Us","author":"Carla","date":"December 12, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"They are putting in three new modular homes right next to us. 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