Panel Homes

Panel homes, like modular homes, come in a wide variety of styles, sizes, and plans and are built in factory conditions similar to modular homes. The biggest difference is that panel homes are shipped in panels typically 8 feet high and up to 40 feet long. Doors, windows, and wiring can be factory installed into the wall panels. The panels are shipped to the home site and connected on site. The house can be erected and enclosed in a day or two. The interior finish work is then completed, and the home is ready to move into within a week or so. The advantages of panelized homes are similar to modular homes. Quality control is usually high because the homes are built in a con-trolled environment, and they meet or exceed federal and state build-ing codes.
You can also order the kit and finish the interior yourself. If you or Uncle Joe is a finish carpenter, you can save some bucks and time by going this route. Otherwise, you can have factory site crews com-plete the interior as part of the package.
Panel homes come in many varieties from a bare bones structure for the do-it-yourselfer to a complete package with everything included to finish the home.
The main advantages of panel homes are:

• The structure can be up and weather tight in a day or two.
• You can get a package that allows you to do as much work as you want to take on.
• In areas where contractors or good subcontractors are hard to find, panel homes can give you a quality home for less money and a lot less construction time than a stick-built one.

Panel homes are built to federal and state building codes, so they qualify for FHA/VA and conventional 30-year financing.