Avalon Building Systems Blog

As we all know, hurricanes are the most expensive natural disasters in the US. Past disasters should give us pause about whether our homes are ready to stand up to these weather tests. With modular home construction you can be assured that your home is significantly more sturdy than your traditional “stick-built” neighbors. They are built to the same codes and regulations as site-built homes, but one of the big differences is modular home frames are bolted together as opposed to stick-built homes being nailed together. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), modular homes stand up as well or better than traditionally built homes.

People sometimes confuse mobile homes with modular homes. There is simply no meaningful relationship between the two. Once educated on the difference, they come to realize that modular homes are the preferred option for those living in areas that are prone to flooding, high winds and other elements of storms. Modular homes receive praise for their superior workmanship.

Very simply put, modular homes have weathered the storms best for decades. There is tangible evidence that modular homes are the best option when it comes to preventing damage from hurricanes. When hurricane Andrew accounted for more than billions in damages, the modular housing developments, in general, had minimal structural damage.

Safety is a major advantage of modular homes, but there are others as well. They offer plenty of design flexibility, and they can be built in about a third of the time needed to construct a site-built home. Other advantages include increased energy efficiency and lower air infiltration, which helps manage heat loss in the home.

In order to ensure the quality and workmanship, modular homes are inspected during every step of the manufacturing process in addition to the usual state and local inspections. As compared to a site-built home, there is only one inspection once the home is completed. It was concluded that the inherently rigid system of modular homes lead to much safer structures.

The sturdiness of modular homes helps them hold up against the rain, wind and hail that can come with super storms such as a hurricane. Often overlooked benefit of modular homes is their ability to stand up to flooding, which will occur no matter where in the country you live. Flooding is one of those things many people do not think about until it is too late. Living in a modular home will give you peace of mind, in that, should a flooding situation occur, your damage will be minimal compared to many site-built homes.

For more tips on modular homes, contact Avalon Building Systems.

When you decide to build your new modular home here in Boston, MA the fun just begins. The key word here is “custom” and you should have fun designing your next home with the exact personal touches that you’ve always dreamed of. Yes, while there are numerous things to consider, that is the very reason you will be excited. You are about to build your dream home exactly as you imagine it!

Whether you plan to stay in your new home for the rest of your life or even if it’s just for a couple of years, make sure every layout and details of your new home meets your needs and suits your lifestyle. While everyone has distinct taste of style and living requirements, there are typical elements which homebuyers search for which can make the home stay comfy and enjoyable to reside in at different life stages.

Whether it’s a large house for a family, a starter home for new couples, or a humble abode for solitary living, here are a few tips to help you find your ideal modular home:

Living Alone - A small floor area equipped with basic features but not necessarily cramped will suffice a person living alone. A design with at least 9 ft. ceiling and sufficient number of windows can provide extra lighting and make the area looking spacious. You might as well consider adding a deck as a receiving area for guests.

Living with A Partner - Look for a single-story floor plan that is right for you and your partner. A modular home that features three to four bedrooms sounds adequate. Otherwise, opt for two bedrooms or consider modular floor plans with unfinished attics that can be renovated in the future to create additional rooms. Through modular upgrades home additions are made easy and you'll be surprised with the infinite design options possible for your home.

Living with A Family - It has to be spacious to accommodate all the household members but it doesn't always entail a huge house. You just need to seek a floor plan that presents a smart use of space with flexible living options. Also, don't scrimp on the fittings and finishes for they need to be tough and durable considering the multiple users. Good thing with modular homes, we only utilize premium quality products for home fixtures so as much as possible, you don't have to tackle worn out home essentials for a considerable number of years. Moreover, a large kitchen with a pantry with a spacious dining area is perfect for dining together. A second bathroom also delivers convenience on busy mornings.

Empty Nesters - Usually empty nesters decide to downsize their home for a smaller living space that requires lesser housework and upkeep. Select a floor plan that displays convenient living for two but can accommodate occasional visitors. Carefully choose home fittings and products that are easy to clean and maintain to minimize workload at home.

At Avalon Building Systems, we know the typical needs of every household format. Thus, during layout planning, we carefully guide homebuyers in choosing the right home design that meets their preferences. For this reason, we cater custom-designs to fulfill exact and unique specifics they want for their home. Contact Avalon Building Systems to learn more.

Here at Avalon Building Systems, we are big fans of you young and first-time homebuyers. We are big fans because you people are, by and large, discriminating consumers. You tend to contact us having conducted extensive research into Boston home building options. You ask smart questions and challenge traditional stick-built home construction myths that simply don’t add up. This is music to our ears because the more you know about custom modular home construction vs traditional stick-built home constructions, the more likely you are to choose custom modular home construction.

Many young professionals want to buy a home once they have established their career. Now they have the choice to custom-build a modular home in Boston, MA. Because precisely cut and premium-grade materials are used in building each module, interested home buyers are guaranteed a home that is aesthetically pleasing, fully functional, and energy efficient.

Investing in a modular home is a practical investment to consider for home construction. For one, modular construction allows people to make building their dream home a reality with significantly less time and money. These benefits in particular are a big advantage to young adults who are preparing for their future. Every modular floor plan is transformed with the homeowner’s unique requirements in mind using streamlined processes for a faster completion time without jeopardizing quality.

To get started on your custom-built modular home, contact Avalon Building Systems anytime.

Just so you know, we build modular homes from New Jersey, to New York, and all the way up through Maine. Today, let’s talk about beating the tax man.

Now, we are not tax attorneys (nor do we play one on TV), but we’ve come across a few people who have sold rental property elsewhere in the country and are now looking to us here at Avalon Building Systems to reinvest the profit into rental property here in Boston, MA. What all these people are finding out is that, with modular home construction, they can build more rental homes for less money than traditional home building. They’ll get a better, stronger, more energy efficient structure, but more importantly, they’ll get more rent money.

The process by which to do this is called a “Section 1031 Like Kind Exchange”. Again, you must talk to a tax expert for the details, but simply put, you work the process through an intermediary who handles all the sale of your current and purchase of your future rental property. Because you never actually take receipt of the profit on the sale of your old property (because this profit is directly transferred by the intermediary during the purchase of your new property), federal tax law concludes you have not actually received a cash gain, YET that is. Sometime in the future when you (or your heirs) sell this new rental property, then the federal government will come calling you to pay tax on the gains.

So rather than write a check to Uncle Sam this year, you can reinvest your hard-earned home equity into a new modular home perfectly suited to rent. Small low-cost ranch style such as "The Deerfield" or the “Plymouth" Modular Home can immediately put you into positive cash flow on your new custom modular rental home.

We can help you every step of the way. Contact us here at Avalon Building Systems anytime!

Modular homes are constructed with the support of precision computer-assisted systems engineering precision. In short, this means that your future home fits better together vs traditional home construction. This makes your future home stronger from foundation to roof…a better overall product.

The core structure of modular home construction is accomplished within an indoor automated-controlled setting using computer precision assembly processes. Every module produced within the fabrication center is subject to continuous quality checks. This is fundamentally different from traditional home construction where a team of laborers of varying skill sets work unsupervised for swaths of time. Now don’t misunderstand us here. We’re not condemning traditional home builders and their staff, we’re simply saying the degree of quality control mechanisms in place within the modular home construction industry simply do not exist within the traditional home building industry.

However, systems-built homes do not mean that they are cookie cutter style homes. Modular homes can be custom designed. There are also 100’s of modular floor plans from which you can choose, or you can modify one of those existing plans. Whatever floor plan design you choose, Avalon Building Systems can build that home faster with modular construction.

Speed of construction is one reason that homebuyers turn to custom modular home construction. Modular home modules are built in a climate controlled factory. While construction is taking place, the site crew is building the foundation and tying in water and sewer. When the modules are delivered the modules are secured, the roof and siding is added, and the finish work is completed.

While interest in modular homes is peaking because of the faster construction process, home buyers soon find that modular homes meet and often exceed the standards of traditionally built homes. Modular construction uses more materials than traditionally built homes and those materials are never subjected to bad weather. As a result, modular homes last longer through time and weather.

Modular construction offers you the ability to build a high quality, custom designed home, faster. For more information on modular home construction, contact Avalon Building Systems.

Custom modular home construction is more popular than ever here in the greater Boston, MA area. What makes us different is our prioritization on getting you fully informed regarding your rights, responsibilities, and considerations as a home buyer. “Buyer Beware” is a term that is often associated with auto sales, but the statement is true for home buyers as well. The more you know, the better decisions you will make and the happier you will be in your new home. There are great home building companies throughout the greater Boston area, but few prioritize educating home buyers to the level that we do.

So, we invite you to research us thoroughly because the more that you do, the better we will look vs others who might only claim to having your best interests as the top priority. Visit us here at Avalon Building Systems and position yourself to make the best home building decisions possible!

Cape Cod Style homes are a popular choice due to their compact design. The design of these homes offers maximum living space, storage space, dormers, and pitched roofs on the second floor. However, oftentimes, with stick built Cape homes the second floor framing is usually less insulated due to its proximity to the roof which can often cause air leaks. A well-insulated Cape style floor plan is often a challenge.

Modular home construction in Boston, MA offers numerous options and a wide variety of customization for homeowners. This option enables homebuyers to choose the right material for insulation and ventilation as effective solutions to heating and cooling problems. The modular floor plan also allows for changes in insulation down the line. Modules are prefabricated using standardized and quality controlled processes in an offsite factory. These modules are assembled at the permanent site and are glued and screwed, making the entire home more efficient as well.

The sectional approach to modular construction provides effective solutions to modern issues that have arisen in home designs. Saving energy costs in areas with extreme weather patterns is one of the issues that modular construction has addressed. Cape style modular homes are energy-efficient whereas traditional methods are having difficulty implementing the same energy efficiency. Insulating a Cape Style home has never been this fast and easy. To find more about Cape style modular floor plans, contact Avalon Building Systems.

The question often arises: Do modular homes appraise for the same value as a traditionally built home? Simply put, yes, and often times higher!

In order to buy a home, it must be appraised so you can begin the process of getting a mortgage or loan. An appraisal is the estimated amount a home buyer can expect to pay for their new home. When buying any piece of property, including modular homes, you need a licensed professional appraiser. The question then becomes, if the home is not yet built, how is it actually appraised?

The appraiser will inspect the modular home plans to have an idea of how much your new home should cost. Generally, they use information on labor rates, building costs, and depreciation and appreciation locally where the property is being built. The appraiser will use sales comparisons, prices and values of compatible homes sold in the area, to determine the current value of the modular home.

Once a thorough analysis of the property has been completed, a report is created which is used to initiate the mortgage or loan process. Included in the report would be the property specifications, the replacement cost analysis and the above mentioned comparative sales analysis.

The replacement cost analysis is the total amount spent on the construction and materials of the modular home, and the lot value.

All this will determine the current total value of the property. The modular home appraisal will then be finalized so that the loan transaction can take place. The calculated total value of the modular home will help you determine future expenses such as utilities and real estate taxes.

Contact Avalon Building Systems for more elaborate information about modular home appraisal.

We field the typical questions regarding financing and insuring modular home construction that our fellow stick builders get. The questions, issues, and processes are exactly the same. Rest assured that we’ll ensure and guide you every step along the way.

Many banks (and we have great relationships with lenders across Boston) value working with modular home buyers. Why? The building process is so much shorter, and the system is so defined that there is little to no risk to the banks.

As far as assessing the value of modular homes; modular homes are assessed in the same way as traditionally built homes. Here is the good news: modular homes cost about 10-15% less to build, but they sell at the same price as a stick built home. Why? Custom modular homes are appraised with the same standards of a traditionally built home; therefore, both types of homes are assessed at the same amount.

Banks and insurance agencies both say there is no difference between stick-built homes and custom modular homes in terms of approval ratings, and cost.

Banks and insurers are well aware that modular home construction strength and building standards exceed that of traditional stick built homes. There may even come a time where insurance companies take into consideration the higher structural integrity of a modular home and insure them at a lower rate.

However, until then, you can rest assured, modular home construction financing will not be a problem; modular homes hold their value in the same way as traditionally built homes; and ensuring your modular home will be no different either. Now that those questions have been put to rest, contact Avalon Building Systems for more information.

Many homeowners postpone their home construction plans as the fall and winter kick in, due to weather concerns and delays. Weather absolutely comes into play with traditional construction. However, cold and wintry weather challenges are largely mitigated when choosing modular construction. With this choice in home construction, it is possible to make solid home building progress throughout the worst of winter.

With modular building systems there are no weather delays associated with the modular home’s fabrication process. This is because the modules are built indoors where the weather condition cannot affect the process or the building materials. Site work is done at the same time and can be done on choice weather delays without delaying construction. When the modules are completed, they are then delivered to the actual site. The remaining 10% of the home building process, the final assembly and finishing touches, are performed. So in just a matter of 5-6 weeks, your modular home is completed and ready for occupancy.

If you are planning to build a home this winter, choose to build a modular home. You can pursue this path to a new home during any time of year. Contact Avalon Building Systems right away to get started with your dream home.