Ah so you decided without actually looking into anything that it was a stupid idea.
You were worse than a jerk, but this is not the forum for going into detail.
Did you ever ask her why she’s considering modular? Just because it’s fast and cheap? Or is there another reason?
In our neighborhood there was a lot that was empty for a long time - not sure if it was just because no one ever wanted to build there or because the neighbor owned the land and decided to sell it - but one day a couple trucks came and dropped off modular house pieces on the lot. Weird, I thought - all the other houses were built in place, probably in the 70s. Well, those two pieces were sited and then builders came and built a garage, a back room and a brick facade around the modular pieces. I don’t know how sturdy the place would be but it’s a nice looking place. The owners take meticulous care of the house and the lot. You can’t tell there are modular pieces as part of the whole.
Yep. As I said, Its not a consideration from what I know in general about it. Go into detail if you must.
Or maybe she has an idea of what to do with all the money you’d save. Hookers for you boy toys for her, and blow for you both. Or maybe starting a business?
Or maybe a giant swimming pool filled with lime Jello. Seriously, WTF?
Maybe she’d build a casino, with hookers, and blow! You know what, forget the casino!
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Are modular homes even rated for tornado safety?
When I was planning on moving down to NC I looked into various housing options, including buying a modular home. The ones I looked at were very nice and were mostly in the $150-$200,000 range, which makes me wonder where your wife saw them for only $60,000. The places I looked at did include the cost of the lot and associated expenses, but that still seems like a rather wide discrepancy.
Regarding the sturdiness of modular homes, the local friend who was helping me look is paranoid about stormy weather and she was concerned about how safe they would be. We made a point of talking to people who weren’t trying to sell me anything and were assured that they were just as safe as a house that was built in place. I’m not sure how they would compare to a brick house, though.
About four really big pine trees fell on that house and the roof was ripped off as we watched. I’m not going to build anything less than a strong as house than that was, because really, we would have been killed if not for the fact that it was a sturdy house.
I don’t want hookers, she doesn’t want boy toys (I mean, hell, she got me). We don’t do drugs. I can get a VA loan for a business. We’d save a shitload of money, and thats a good thing, but at what cost? I want to be able to sleep at night or be away on business knowing my family is safe.
I have no desire to build a less sturdy house that I’m not happy with. Not to mention I don’t even think they’d allow it in our subdivision. Pretty sure my neighbors wouldn’t like it. I’m not happy about moving into this apartment until the house is rebuilt. I hate it. But I’m not going to go the fast route and settle for less just to get out of here. This entire situation was an act of God, or Nature, and not our faults. But when your neighborhood is declared a disaster area building a weaker house isn’t something I’d consider.
We can have our home back…we can even change the things we want to change in it. But I won’t short change on its rebuilding.
Everything you’ve said here – the original OP, and your subsequent explanations/defenses – do make you sound like a jerk. It’s perfectly reasonable to have objections to the idea, but your posts are full of “I decided” and “I bought” and “I have to deal with.” Not “we.” If I had a husband who had that attitude, and shut me down like that, he wouldn’t be my husband for very long. It would be pretty obvious he had no respect for me and didn’t consider us a couple/partners, but a man with an appendage.
If that’s not the case with you, then fine, but that’s exactly what it sounds like.
Complete aside but if I understand tornado damage right the roof basically pops off as it really isn’t built to resist upward pressure. Are new homes in tornado prone areas mandated to have clamps or something to hold the roof on? Similar to earthquake proofing buildings in quake prone areas.
Yeah, well thats what it sounds like.
I respectfully disagree. I don’t see this as jerkish behavior. If someone has an idea that is unsafe, impractical, or unsound, you should be able to say so without fear of recrimination. Modular homes are substandard and inferior to well made brick homes, not even going into tornado readiness.
I think people are trying to read something nefarious into this because they like to disagree.
I hope you’re using some of your insurance money to build a tornado shelter to go with your new home.
For one thing why can’t you look at what she’s talking about and then tell her your opinion? Your argument that she was being the same way when she rejected the stick shift car is not really valid because she has driven a stick shift before and knows she doesn’t want one again. You , on the other hand, don’t seem to know much about modular homes but are rejecting the idea with seemingly no research.
For another, you keep mentioning the flimsiness of modular homes as an argument when most modular homes are built to the same standards as stick built homes and possibly are more sturdy since their components are built to withstand being moved around with a crane, driven with trucks to the site and moved with a crane again. Modular homes often are built by more experienced workers, not just some guys the builder found somewhere because his regular workers are in jail for drunk driving. There are many different types of modular homes, some are built in whole house shaped pieces and some are prebuilt as wall segments. A large part of a house surviving winds and tornadoes can have to do with whether or not the roof is fastened securely to the house and how well the house is bolted to the foundation, both things can be done with modular or site built. I wonder if you can get a steel framed modular home? Something to look into?
Are you confusing modular homes with manufactured homes? One is a mobile home which usually costs in the $60,000 range when modular is essentially a stick built home made off site. The savings on a modular home is usually closer to the 10-20% range. I don’t think you can get brick with a modular home but otherwise, if you pick a reputable company you can get an equally or superiorly safe home.
The price difference she’s talking about makes me think you are using modular home to mean a mobile home.
You are being a jerk for dismissing her idea without looking at what she’s talking about. It’s her house too, she has a say in it. You can still say no, but you should give it some thought.
You know you can get steel frame prefab homes right?
And who died and put you in charge of replacing you and your wife’s home?
Yes, it was found in the extensive tornado damage in Florida a while back that the builders had not fastened the roofs to the walls sufficiently, if at all, and had also not bolted the walls to the foundation.
No one died, but to be blunt I am in charge. Who else would you suggest? they can start making the mortgage payments. Seriously, whats that supposed to mean? I took the loan out, we both agreed on the house, and I pay for it. So who else would you suggest to get it rebuilt? Y’know, since my name is on everything and all.
Pretty much every response you make confirms that you are a jerk. You are certainly entitled to be one. But I’m really astonished that you don’t know it. Most jerks take a little pride in it.
If we are being blunt, then you are far beyond being a jerk. You’re being an absolute dick to your wife and obviously consider her inferior. I don’t know how you can miss this fact, but it is your wife’s house as well and she merits equal import on the construction of it.
Besides the fact that you are being a jerk, you are also being a stupid jerk. You can get safety without a brick house. If you are that concerned about trees falling on your house during a tornado and killing you and your family, you can do such things as cut down trees by your house and build a tornado shelter. Your wife has a point. Prefab buildings are a great option for homes, especially in an area that is going to be rebuilding a lot of new houses. Buying a prefab and building a shelter can give you even greater security and save tens of thousands of dollars.
The only thing worse about a stubborn person in an argument is when they are stubbornly wrong.
Yes, I found that houses built when this one was didn’t have the same regulations in building that we have nowadays. (house was built in 1960). Still, it was amazing to a lot of the contractors that saw it that it didn’t completely fall over with the damage done.
Zulema, I understand what you’re saying, but I know she went to a local place near Bragg and they look tacky to me. Plus as I said, I’m so not interested in a modular home I can’t even pretend to like the idea. I really can’t. Going to see them would only be me standing there pretending I’m going to do it, 'cuz I’m not.