Forget everything you have ever heard about modular homes. Today’s modular homes are a world away from their humble origins, manufactured in high-tech settings and able to accommodate almost any feature a first-time or seasoned homeowner could possibly request. A wide selection of floor plans is available, from a tiny cottage to a massive mansion. Early modular homes were often just ranches but the industry has evolved exponentially over the past few decades to fulfill an impressive array of home styles from traditional to contemporary.

The appeal of modular homes and their superiority to site-built homes is obvious and becoming more widely-known. As much as 20% of all new homes built in many New England states are modular, according to a website for Building Systems Magazine. “[There is] growing consumer awareness of the quality inherent in factory construction and its advantages over site building with its vulnerability to weather”.

Indeed, going modular, which is a building method, not a type of house, results in savings and security, along with nearly endless options regarding what the finished home will look like, from the siding and the slant of the roof to the color of the carpet and the handles on the cabinets. Modular homes keep growing in popularity because customers can not only stretch their housing dollar but also get the floor plan and special finishing touches they are looking for.

Modular homes are constructed in a large factory warehouse by skilled carpenters, electricians and plumbers and then securely shipped to your lot in two or more sections and assembled in a day or two on a permanent foundation. As much as 90% of the work is done at the factory, and the assembly line advances only once every few hours. This allows the building pace to remain focused and meticulous, and the ideal work environment allows for the maximum application of the experts’ skills and knowledge. Once the modules arrive at your site, they are assembled and the final touches are made to produce the fully-functional, completed home.

Modular homes meet and often exceed the same building codes and standards as site-built homes and offer more benefits due to the climate-controlled, stable environments in which they are built. There are no complications from weather, and the home is often completed weeks before a stick-built home would be. Because weather is not an issue, there are no lost construction days and no ruined materials because the house is not sitting out on the lot, exposed to the elements.

Modular homes have advanced the art and science of homebuilding. They combine modern technology and the necessity of quality shelter with a long history and an endless future. You could go the stick-built route, but why?

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Catherine R. Taylor is vice president of award-winning Connecticut Valley Homes. Connecticut Valley builds custom modular homes and commercial buildings in Connecticut and Rhode Island plus Block Island and Fishers Island.