Land and Labor: Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs less per square foot?

Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which is the better deal?

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.

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.

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.

Labor

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.

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.  Every foot higher the house is from the footers costs and costs and costs.

Sometimes prefab, modular and mobile home companies will give you an inclusive price. This includes the cost of the home and the cost of the site work and labor to put the home together.

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.

Labor Estimates

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.

It is also possible for the estimate to be higher than it actually costs. Fowler Excavating stayed under their estimate for all of the work they did.

Cheap Land May Cost More

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.

Don’t just look at the land price. Consider all the factors. A more expensive lot might actually cost less if you don’t have to pay as much for site prep.

Things that might make site prep cost more

• Removing trees
• A long driveway
• Building on a slope
• Digging a well
• Septic tank

If city water and sewer are available, you know exactly what it will cost. If you have to drill a well to get water, you can’t be sure how far down the water is. They might have to drill again in a different spot. The water might have to be treated or filtered before you can drink it. A septic system may cost more than you think, too.

Our land is nearly level and we had already removed a LOT of trees and brush ourselves. We have city water and sewer. But the driveway is really long and cost more than we ever thought it would. Removing the rest of the trees and briars and managing water flow also added up.

Free Land

If you have family land, don’t neglect getting a survey. You don’t want to build on land in someone else’s name. What if something happens? You could lose your home.  Don’t depend on inheriting the land later, Medicaid could put a lien on it. There are a lot of ways well-meaning people can lose control of land they have promised to you. They may not own all the land they think they own. It happens. Family land may not be exactly where people think it is.

Whether you are buying or building, this is a really big investment. Take the time to do the research and consider all of the options.

Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs more per square foot?
Price and Cost: Buy? Build? Or Modular? Which costs more per square foot?

Featured image is the land we bought and built both our Schumacher Home and the new Westwood Cabin on