People are building homes of all shapes and sizes from steel fabricated units that carry goods on trains, trucks, and ships. These units are generally available in 10ft, 20ft, and 40ft sizes. The smallest can provide around 100 square feet of floor space for a home.
Interest in modular homes is part of a wider global interest in saving money with prefabricated homes. Many potential homeowners are looking for lower construction and maintenance costs, which is exactly what a intermodal home provides. These are also a great way to contribute to recycling and eco-living.
And while there are a huge number of variables that influence costings, such as geography, size, design, finishing’s, etc, generally it is found that homes do offer some cost savings for most owners. This article will look at how a person can save money by living in a home:
The Importance Of Housing Budget
We all have a housing budget and as with all budget line items, if it is possible to spend less while still adequately meeting your needs, funds will be freed up for other purposes. In most households, housing expenses make up the largest percentage of their expenditures so the impact of your housing expenditure is highly significant.
Small changes will create a large impact, so focusing on housing expenses can really help your overall financial picture. Generally, choosing a home will lower your housing budget as it costs less to construct and maintain.
Construction Costs Of A Home
There are some construction costs that are naturally cut by choosing to live in a modular home due to the existing properties of portable units. These construction costs include:
- Roofing – a flat metal roof is sufficient protection against the elements.
- Exterior walls – corrugated metal exterior is durable enough to endure the elements and no additional exterior walls are needed.
- Foundation – requires far less foundation work than a conventional home.
- Flooring – an inexpensive coating of epoxy is enough to seal the existing plywood floor.
Energy Efficiency
Insulating a modular home can be an expensive part of the home construction costs but in the long term it can save a lot of money in comparison to conventional homes. These kind of homes are top-rated in energy efficiency thanks to bonded ceramic coatings and closed cell spray insulation.
These homes require far less energy to live-in and they can easily accommodate energy-efficient underfloor heating via air or ground source heat pumps, solar powered roof panels, and rainwater recycling systems.
Sizing
What you can afford and what you need are two very different things. Portable living spaces are a great way to take things back to basics – and in doing so you will make significant savings. Having a smaller home means that you perhaps have less space to spread out and impress your neighbours with, but it also means that there is less space that you have to clean, heat, cool, and furnish.
Finishing’s & Furniture
Another way to reduce the living costs of your home is by the furnishing and finishings you choose. Finding a balance between good-quality and low maintenance costs is key as some materials may look nice, but are fragile or wear easily. These homes can be built across the entire spectrum of luxuriousness.
Remember that you start off with a roof, floor, and walls, and you are completely in control of what you add and spend after that. Your furnishings and finishings will have an influence on the maintenance cost of your home so be wise in your choices. Almost every item you choose will have multiple options at various price points. So ask yourself how you want it to look and perform, how long you want it to last, and what type of maintenance it will require.
Resale Value
A well-maintained intermodal home can retain its resale value much like a traditional home. These homes are fairly easy to resell since they can be loaded onto a truck and shipped almost anywhere. So they are a good investment and a safe one too as they are very acceptable to insurers due to their structural integrity, security systems, and anti-leak roof structure.
We hope that this article has shown how affordable these homes can be and how they are a great budget-friendly living option!
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