{"id":14549,"date":"2024-07-23T11:12:09","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T11:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=14549"},"modified":"2024-08-17T15:16:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-17T15:16:42","slug":"land-and-labor-buy-build-or-modular-which-costs-more-per-square-foot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/land-and-labor-buy-build-or-modular-which-costs-more-per-square-foot\/","title":{"rendered":"Land and Labor: Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs less per square foot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which is the better deal?<\/p>\n

A lot depends on where you live. Buying a home costs less in some areas than others. If you live where real estate is still affordable, buying a home will probably be your best choice.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Moving our cabin to our land<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A pre-fab home costs the same no matter where you are moving it to. Moving it can be expensive. It cost $1,433 to have our Westwood Modular Cabin moved here. The estimate was $4,200 from another cabin company not much further away. Moving a large load costs from $3,000 to $10,000 plus $10 to $15 or so per mile. If there are two or more sections, the cost can nearly double.<\/p>\n

Materials to build are going cost the same no matter where you build. But labor costs more in some areas than others. And both have gone up a lot. A house built when prices were lower may cost less than building a new house now.<\/p>\n

\"Preparing
The foundation is not included in the per square foot price of a prefab, modular or manufactured home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Labor<\/h2>\n

Any work that is done on-site to prepare for your home is not included in the price of the home. A deck, porch and steps to get into the house are probably not included either.<\/p>\n

Sometimes you can lower labor costs. Sometimes you can’t. The foundation for our house ended up being so many more courses of block that we thought it would be.\u00a0 Every foot higher the house is from the footers costs and costs and costs.<\/p>\n

Sometimes prefab, modular and mobile home companies will give you an inclusive<\/strong> price. This includes the cost of the home and the cost of the site work and labor to put the home together.<\/p>\n

If the company you are working with has labor available in your local area, it is easier to get a realistic inclusive price. If you are working with a third-party builder, buying your house from one company and hiring someone else to prepare the land and provide the labor, the company you are buying the house from cannot give you a complete price.<\/p>\n

\"Working
Way more expensive footers than we ever thought we would have to pay for<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Labor Estimates<\/h2>\n

This price for site prep is likely an estimate. If they run into something unforeseen, you may pay more. When we bought a Schumacher Home, our foundation cost tens of thousands more than anybody thought because we hit a spring.<\/p>\n

It is also possible for the estimate to be higher than it actually costs. Fowler Excavating<\/strong><\/a> stayed under their estimate for all of the work they did.<\/p>\n

Cheap Land May Cost More<\/h2>\n

Site prep cost can vary a lot. Choosing the right land can make a big difference in what a prefab, modular or manufactured home will end up costing.<\/p>\n

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Removing trees can be expensive<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t just look at the land price. Consider all the factors. A more expensive lot might actually cost less if you don\u2019t have to pay as much for site prep.<\/p>\n

Things that might make site prep cost more<\/strong><\/p>\n