WHAT IS A READY BUILT?
History of the Ready Built
The Ready Built home industry started in Lubbock shortly after World War II. During this time, there was a high demand for housing in the rural areas of western Texas. Since Lubbock is the “Hub of the Plains”, building materials and skilled contractors were readily available. Building the homes in Lubbock and then moving them to the location turned out to be a very effective way of helping rural areas thrive.
What is a Ready Built?
Ready built homes are a normal stick framed built home that appraises and finances just like any regular home, we just have the ability to pick the home up and move it in one piece! This is possible due to the relatively flat terrain and lack of trees in west Texas. Ready Built homes are built on a wood floor system with a complete concrete pier and beam foundation under the home that is sealed solid around the exterior.
What is a Pier & Beam Foundation?
You know how you see homes on the ocean that are sitting in the air on sticks? That is an exaggerated example of a pier and beam foundation. A pier and beam foundation is a solid perimeter footing with solid concrete piers or beams in the center of the footing. This type of footing essentially allows the home to sit up off the ground to allow for a crawl space under the home. Any normal stick framed built home is built on either a pier and beam foundation or a concrete slab. Ready built homes utilize the pier and beam foundation since they are built upon a wood floor in one location and moved to their final location.
Pros of a Ready Built Home
- Benefits of a pier and beam foundation include having a wood floor (which is low impact on your feet and joints), and being able to get under the home to fix any plumbing and/or leveling issues the home may incur over time.
- Since ready built homes are moved in, if you ever want to move the home to another location or sell the home to be moved off of your land in the future, you can!
- Since ready built homes are moved down the road, we will need to stay within our moving requirements, such as a maximum length and width of the home and a shorter roof pitch. Some find these restrictions as negatives, but trust us, when you have to replace your roof, do any maintenance on the home, and/or pay your utility bills, you will appreciate the conservative build style of a ready built home.
- Ready built homes can be taken to rural areas for a more cost effective price that would otherwise cost more to build onsite due to the lack of resources and materials in those areas.
Ready Built vs Mobile/Manufactured & Modular Homes
A ready built home is considered a “real home”. Ready built homes are NOT mobile/manufactured homes or modular homes. There are many key differences between the different types of construction for each of these style homes.
- Ready built homes appreciate in value over time; just like normal stick framed homes. Mobile/manufactured homes depreciate in value over time.
- Ready built homes are built completed and delivered in one piece; using dual lane transportation. Whereas, mobile/manufactured homes are split down the middle, to be transported down highways (single lane transportation) and reassembled on location.
- Ready built homes use all stick frame construction techniques; the exact same as onsite residential building. We adhere to the IRBC codes and use all licensed mechanical, electrical & plumbing contractors. Manufactured homes have their own code and are built on an assembly line with lower cost and quality materials and labor.
- Any floor plan for a ready built home can be customized to fit your wants and needs, as long as we stay within our moving requirements. Manufactured homes offer fewer options when it comes to custom design.
Ready Built vs Onsite Builds:
Onsite built homes are built just the same as a ready built home but can be built on a concrete slab foundation OR a pier and beam foundation. We can usually build onsite within about 35 miles of Lubbock but will consider these on a per-job basis.
Pros:
- Building onsite allows more flexibility on the floor plan, including steeper roof pitch, dormers and multiple floors tall.
- There are not any stairs into the home.
Quality & Materials:
We take pride in the quality homes we build, which means we use quality materials. We want your home to last for generations to come, and want your upkeep and maintenance to be kept to a minimum. With that being said, if you are comparing pricing with other builders, PLEASE compare the type of materials being used. If necessary, we are able to build with different materials to fit within your budget. Please let us know if this is something you would like to consider!