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Modular Home Design Limitations
Overall modular home do not have many design limitations. If the factory can't build a certain element of the home, you always have the opportunity to build it on site creating a hybrid home. The primary design limitation found when building a modular home include: clear spans; cantilevers; ceiling heights and extremely complicated roof systems.
Clear Spans
When designing a modular home with large open areas the manufacturer will install microlam beam so that areas can have large open areas transversing the marriage wall. Microlam is required to support the weight of the open and is usually taller than standard 2x10 marriage wall perimeters.
Modules with a roof system using fourteen inch lam beam can have clear spans as long as twenty or more feet. The lam beam will jut into the attic floor so this will need to be considered if you are planning to use the attic for living space.
Modules without a roof system, the first floor of a two story home can not have a clear span due to the ceiling system impeding the second floor framing system. There are modular home factories who have system packages providing twenty feet or more of clear spans. On average a first floor of a modular home is limited to a clear span of around twenty feet.
Ceiling Heights
The standard height for modular homes is eight feet tall. Many people are opting to have taller ceilings in their homes to increase the size of the home's feel with taller ceilings. The standard optional ceiling heights offered by most manufactures end at nine feet tall due to shipping restrictions.
Open foyers with with twenty foot high ceilings can easily be achieved by omitting the ceiling and floor system in a two story modular home.
Cantilevers
Modular homes can be cantilevered on only one side and due to the floor system of the modules. Cantilevers can be found on raised ranch homes on the front to give these homes dimension. Often modernist home floor plan and designs have cantilevers around the entire home. This can not be accomplished using modular construction systems.
Complicated Roof Systems
The most affordable roof for a modular home is a simple gable roof. A gable roof has two sloped planes and a ridge. When a home is designed with hips and reverse gables to increase a home's curb appeal, the price of the home will be increased making complicated roof lines a foolish decision for the factory to install. If your modular home design has a complicated roof design, it is often best to have the roof system built on site using prefabricated trusses.
Financial Limitations
Modular home factories use the slogan, "if you can dream we can build it." This statement is very true. The slogan should be, "if you can dream, and you have enough money we can build it." Often it is wise to have certain elements of your modular home built on site using a different building system.