Straight answers from a 4th-generation South Shore builder — cost, quality, permits, foundations, taxes, and resale. No sales pitch. Just the math and the code book.
Factory-built, state-code, permanent foundation — and why it's not a manufactured home. The terminology that changes everything.
Same Massachusetts code as stick-built, double-inspected, and framed to survive a highway trip. The honest quality answer.
Appraised on the same comps as site-built. Where the depreciation myth comes from — and why banks don't believe it either.
Who pulls the permits (not you), how 780 CMR works for modular, and why zoning and septic are the real variables.
Full basement, crawl space, slab, or pilings — what South Shore lots actually call for, and how the foundation runs in parallel with the factory build.
Yes — colonials, capes, and garrisons are standard. How multi-module stacking and crane day actually work.
Keep the lot you love, replace the structure — and compress "where do we live during the build" from 14 months to 8–12 weeks.
Assessed exactly like site-built — and why a $600K modular build can mean a lighter tax bill than the $1.2M stick-built alternative.