Avalon Building Systems Blog

If your dream is to build a modular home on your land, you may be wondering what kind of mortgage you will need to achieve it. In this case a modular home loan is different from a typical mortgage. The most common mortgage for people building a new home on their land is a Construction to Mortgage loan, or Construction to Permanent loan. As the name implies, the loan starts out as a construction loan until the modular home has been placed on your land and it has been completed and inspected. At this point, the loan can be converted into a more traditional mortgage.

When looking for a lender for a modular home loan it is advisable to find an agent that has some experience in this type of mortgage. For one thing, there are still some lenders that are unclear on the difference between a modular home, manufactured home, or mobile home. Overall, many more agents have become aware of the difference and even point out to their peers that they have worked with modular homes and have found many to be superior to stick built homes. So even if you do run across a lender that is not familiar with modular home loans you should not be discouraged. There are plenty of qualified lenders that are very knowledgeable and would love to have your business.

One unique thing about modular home loans which makes it important to have a lender that has experience in this type of loan is that the payment schedule must include a payment to the manufacturer for the total amount of the home at the time it is delivered to the home site. This is only a portion of your total cost, but generally the manufacturer will not release the house to be set on the foundation until it is paid for in full. As long as the bank is aware of this and has provided for it in the payment schedule this should not pose any problems. There are many banks that have extensive experience dealing with modular home loans. Some seem to favor the builder more, some the home buyer. Ideally, the loan should allow payments to the builder in a timely manner so he has the money he needs to complete each step of the process, but still leave the builder with the proper incentive to finish the job on your timetable. If you have any questions about modular home loans or about modular homes in general, feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to help.

People downsize for a host of reasons.  The most common being the simple fact that our kids have moved on and we simply don’t need that much room to manage, clean, and pay taxes on.  Also, downsizing, particularly into an affordable custom modular home frees up investment dollars to improve the quality of your life.  Let us introduce to you three superb custom modular floor plans that serve as perfect downsizing options.  

First, consider our ranch style home. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 1263 total sq. ft. Our first ranch style home is called the Amherst. It is a very functional ranch plan with three sizeable bedrooms which all stem off a central living area and kitchen. The plan also features plenty of closet space and a functional layout.

For those of you who don’t want to give rooms of furniture away when you downsize, consider the Cape Cod style home, the Barnstable, with an unfinished 2nd Floor. It offers 1 bedroom, 1 bath and 650 sq. ft. The Barnstable is a cozy cottage which offers a living area and kitchen with a lot of natural light and charm. The proposed second floor offers one bedroom and a bathroom.

Finally, one home sure to please is our colonial style home, the Newbury. It offers 3 bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, and 1568 sq. ft. The Newbury is a lovely and efficient colonial home with a large living area. The plan also features three bedrooms and two and half bathrooms. There is also an option for a garage and bonus room above which flows perfectly with the home.

Feel free to inquire about any of these homes. If these are not your style home, then please take a look at our other inventory. Contact us today to find out how you can get into your dream style home today.

As you all know, Avalon Building Systems is in business to build the highest quality yet most cost effective home in New England.  We also want you to know that we know good land values when we see them, so we’ve created our new “Lots For Sale” web page.

During the normal course of our business, we come across literally thousands of undeveloped New England real estate lots.  On occasion, one or two will stand out to us as an exceptional value.  We’ve decided to build the new web page dedicated to “lots for sale” because there is great reward for us building your dream home while helping you find a lot considered to be a "diamond in the rough".  

If you haven’t yet chose your lot, take a look at the lovely properties featured on our new page and know that these lots can support even the largest Avalon Building System floor plan such as “The Montgomery” (3 Bedrooms / 2.5 Baths / 3350 square feet) and “The Nantucket” (5 Bedrooms / 3.5 Baths / 2700 square feet). 

Production Modular Homes are basic, efficient, dwelling units, ideal for housing in developing countries, emergencies, military, student housing, and camps.  It is very interesting to note the wide disparity between the various consumers of modular production home construction.  While first-time home buyers on extremely tight budgets rein, look out because here come the retirees. 

More and more retired and retirement eligible people are severely downsizing to accommodate a mobile lifestyle.  Many retired couples are shedding their old roots and setting up production home “Base camps”  as a temporary break from their live-aboard RV or boating lifestyles.  Others are selling their old home and establish two low-cost residences to support their new  “snow bird” lifestyle.  Hey who wouldn’t want to have the best of both worlds by living south in the winter and north in the summer.  Production homes make this an affordable and realistic option. 

Avalon Building Systems offer a host of small floor plans that can serve the same purpose.  Consider the quaint Cape Plan "The Barnstable", a 650 square foot get-away which offers a living area and kitchen with a lot of natural light and charm. The proposed second floor offers one bedroom and a bathroom. Also consider "The Amherst", our 1265 square foot Ranch. The Amherst is a very functional ranch plan with three sizable bedrooms which all stem off a central living area and kitchen. The plan also features plenty of closet space and a functional layout. 

Dream big by thinking small. Just imagine where retirement and downsizing into custom modular homes can take you. 

The popularity of commercial modular buildings is growing quickly, as both business owners and public officials have become aware of their advantages. Commercial structures vary from temporary single to multiple unit modules. They also have permanent, customized and original alternatives for specific needs of clients. Among the most popular uses are bank style and general office style. These styles are ideal for a small business or franchise.

Many modular commercial buildings are architecturally alluring and aesthetically gratifying. They are accurately engineered and completed sooner than traditionally built structures. These buildings can be designed as structures that stand-alone or which can be incorporated in addition to an existing building. The commercial buildings generally guarantee on-time completion. This is because the buildings are fabricated almost 90% in a factory controlled environment. Hence they are not exposed to the vagaries of weather.

The modular commercial buildings give lot of flexibility to their user in terms of design. Buildings, which are thousands of square feet and several stories high can be prefabricated and assembled. They have expansion capabilities since it is easy to add modules to expand the total construction area. The buildings can even be moved with negligible disruptions, if the need arises.

Modular commercial buildings are customized to the user's needs and can even be made to look like traditional buildings. The buildings can be given attractive interiors and exteriors. The building can be finished to look like regular buildings to luxurious office complexes. These commercial modular buildings turn out to be more economical than traditional on-site constructions as the buyer is able to avoid many overhead expenses since the building is prefabricated in the factory. This manufacturing process saves money without compromising on quality.

Commercial modular buildings have value and flexibility as major plus points. These buildings offer a swift and realistic approach to growing construction preferences. Contact us today if you have any questions about commercial modular construction.

How can you reduce the construction cost of your new house? There is an easy way to save up to 30% on the cost of construction...buy a custom modular home! Our factory built modular homes are manufactured like most others. It is first made in components or modules which are then put up together at your home site. Once assembled, your new home looks like any other home in your neighborhood. It has the same quality, strength, comfort and durability as any stick-built homes.

Since your home is built in a factory, it is much cheaper than a custom-built home on-site. Remember when factories drove out craftsmen who worked with their hands? The same is happening now on a much larger scale! So how does all this save you money? As you know, factories use huge machines that build thousands of items in a short span of time. Thus, they deliver more savings in terms of time and labor. Instead of having a handful of construction workers on-site building your home in various weather conditions, you have a reliable, professional crew in a factory building your home in pristine conditions.

The homes are obviously not built with bricks and mortar which take lots of time and labor. The material for the homes consists primarily of wood, steel, vinyl and weatherboard. Factory owners buy the material from their original manufacturers and suppliers at wholesale rates which are heavily discounted. It is not possible for a retail shopper to buy his housing material as cheaply as the factory buyers can.

Avalon's Factories cut and mold the components and modules as per pre-set designs which reduces large amounts of waste that occurs at the individual home builder's sites. And left over material is never wasted; we use all of our material and help protect the planet by constructing homes this way. The factories transfer these savings to their customers to attract buyers in a competitive market. The savings to a buyer of a factory built home can be as large as 30% which bring your home within much easier reach.

The home is then be transported to site on one or more trucks. The end result is a quality home, built in less time and for less money! Check out our quality floor plans which can be tailored to your needs. If you have an questions or concerns contact us today and we'll be happy to help.