7. A Checklist for Selecting the Right Modular Home Plan

Before looking through a book for the right modular home plan, first determine which features are most important to you.

Questions to Help You Make the Best Modular Home Plan Selection

• What do like about the floor plan of your current home? What would you change?
• What types of floor plans have you liked in other homes, including model homes and homes of family and friends?
• What type of home will fit best in your new neighborhood?
• What type of home will work best with the topography of your lot?
• What design will allow you to take advantage of the sun?
• What is your ideal budget? What is the most you can spend, leaving 2 or 3 percent aside as a contingency fund?
• Do you need all of the space finished right away, or will an expandable plan work best, such as an unfinished cape?
• Do you prefer one-story or two-story living?
• How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you need?
• Do you prefer an informal family room separate from a more formal living room?
• Do you prefer an informal eating area (“nook”) separate from a more formal dining room?
• Do you need a study or home office?
• Do you want the laundry on the first floor, second floor, or in the basement?
• Would you like an exercise room?
• What other rooms would you like to have?
• Are you counting on a walk-in closet or pantry?
• How big of a kitchen would you like?
• How big would you like the rooms in your house to be?

The best way to determine if each room is big enough is to measure the rooms in your own home as well as in model homes and record this for future reference.

When you find a plan that appeals to you, imagine living in the house. Visualize walking through it, entering first through the front door, and then through the other exterior doors. Think about traffic flow and the location of various rooms. Imagine greeting guests and hanging up their coats. See yourself coming in from the car with a bag of groceries, or your children returning from their play in the backyard. Visualize placing your groceries on a countertop or table before putting them away. Make sure you have ample cabinets and closets in the convenient places; as best you can, count the cabinets and closets, noting their size. Imagine serving a meal at the table, and what you will see when eating. Consider whether the children’s or guest’s bedrooms are too close to or too far from the master bedroom. Would you have to walk through one main room to reach another room? Are the halls too long? Think about the views through all windows.

For more information about checking modular home general contractor references, see Designing a Modular Home in The Modular Home by Andy Gianino, President of The Home Store.