Example modular modular home
In 2018 I built a modular home with my wife for ourselves and our two dogs on an acre lot with mature Oak trees. It was an adventure to say the least. We met some interesting characters and dealt with a bunch of regulatory obstacles. The following is the story of our journey. Hopefully it helps you with yours. If you have any questions visit our FAQ'S section or for a more personalized discussion book us for a call.
Modular home
Project in Fort Lauderdale
This Fort Lauderdale modular home installation took 6 months to complete from the date we received the city building permit.
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It was shipped to the site via wide load transport and craned onto a stem wall foundation with a oversized crane.
Design and planning
Work with your architect to prepare and submit stamped and sealed architectural documents and submittals for the county as well as the city. Be sure to ask for estimated costs for your project. Each city is different and can cost a lot. Fort Lauderdale's "impact fees" are approximately $8000 for a 1500 sq foot house. That is not including any permit or inspection fees. Get everything in writing. At this point we chose Modular construction for our home because of the speed to construct. It was also pretty hands off. We could of built this home using panelized construction but it would of taken longer but would cost less.
Site Preparation
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The building site needs to have services. Water, electricity, gaz and so on. Contact your local utility provider for details on availability and capacity. Some areas are not connected to the city sewer yet so a septic tank will need to be installed and maintained. These can cost upwards of $7000. Also some areas do not have potable water connections available so a well and county approved filtration system will need to be installed. The site will also have to meet certain density specifications. Soil preparation can get costly so make sure that you have good soil with a soil test. An elevation certificate should also be ordered from you land surveyor to establish the base flood elevation. most municipalities and insurance forbid construction less than 1 foot above base flood elevation.
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Foundation with footings
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A foundation will need to be designed specific to your site. All sites are different so an engineer will need to use your soil density report to design one for your home.
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There are many types of foundations. We chose to use a stem wall foundation because it was the most economical way to raise the home to meet city requirements for the base flood elevation.
Stem wall foundation
The stem wall work was cheaper than it would cost us to bring in fill (dirt that would be compacted) to raise the elevation of the finished floor to 1 foot above base flood elevation. We build 18" just to be safe.
Sill and Hurricane ties
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The wood sills where the modular home would sit were constructed from pressure treated lumber and bolted into the filled concrete blocks as per the engineers specifications. ​
2 ft Simpson ties were used to attach the modular home to the foundation every 18"s
Oversized Crane
A massive crane was used to move the modular home from the low boy flatbed oversized load onto the foundation. This was all completed in one day. We had met with the crane operator a couple weeks prior to handle logistics. I had to use my neighbors yard to position the crane in order to have an easy instal. Some shrubs and fencing needed to be removed and replaced for this to happen.
Finishing touches
Once the home was set in place, connected to the foundation and utilities we cladded the home with stucco to create a seamless look with the modular home and foundation.
This is the modular home we built
We lived in this home for over a year and loved every minute of it. I was very comfortable. The home we built is called "the Butterfly design" It wasn't the most efficient way to build with a modular construction so we have chosen to not produce them anymore and now offer the home in as a Kit home.
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With all that we learned we have developed self-contained modular units that are easy and more cost-effective to build that are better for our planet. We sell the plans for these homes here.
