A Modular home without Electrical and Plumbing is basically a fancy shed. Here’s how you can tell if your modular has electrical and plumbing included.
A modular home, by definition, will come prewired with all the necessary electrical and plumbing components needed to operate your house. House kits are typically just a shell of a house, and will need to be configured on site along with the necessary wiring, plumbing and insulation work.
Even though most Modular homes come pre-wired and plumbed–that doesn’t mean they will drop off the house on a foundation and you’ll have lights and toilets on with no further action.
There are a few more steps a modular home buyer will need to take to get everything set up.
Getting the Utilities Turned on in a Modular Home
Even though your modular house likely comes pre-wired and plumbed–you will still need to hire an electrician to tie the house into the utilities and plumbers to help tie into the water and sewer lines (or install a well and septic system). It sounds simple–but there’s actually still a lot involved. Let’s start with electrical..
Getting Electric Service to Your Modular Home
The Utility company will need to come out to the property to install the power meter. This is what connects your house to the larger power grid within your neighborhood. If there are already power lines in your neighborhood–this won’t be too costly. If you’re in the middle of nowhere–and the power has not been brought out to your location yet–this can get really expensive.
If the power company has to go a long distance to connect your house–they can charge you up to $25-50 per foot to make the connection.
Yikes. That can add up quickly. Make sure you’re prepared for this before during your planning stages of your modular home.
HVAC Wiring for a Modular Home
Your house will need a separate circuit breaker for the heating and cooling system within your breaker box. This will be completed by your electrician.
Ductwork in pre-assembled housing modules can be a challenge–which means some modular homes are going to come with electric baseboard heating as the standard.
I won’t bore you with the details on this heating method–but essentially this method allows you to heat rooms individually without a central control or ductwork.
If your modular home has this heating method, the installation will be a breeze (ideally a warm one).
Basement Wiring
Since your modular home will be on a crawl safe or a basement foundation–the wiring will be exposed to the elements in what regulators consider a “wet space.”
Your electrician will need to install Ground Fault Interrupts (GFIs) and make sure everything is up to code per your local county regulations.
Garage and Exterior
If you plan on having any exterior wiring for things like lights, outdoor outlets etc.–be sure to have the modular company do this in the factory to save you on costs later on.
The garage is treated similarly to the basement and the outdoors–so special consideration will need to be made by the electrician for GFIs.
Inspections
As with every new home–inspections will need to be made to ensure the electrical system is up to code to ensure safety. Your electrician will be able to arrange for the inspections and permitting necessary.
Modular House Plumbing
Modular homes are shipped with the intention of the plumbing going directly under the flooring–which is why Modular homes can’t be put directly onto slab foundations.
Plumbing running under the floors make it easier for plumbers to access.
The pipes will need to be insulated properly since it will below the flooring–but the benefit is that if a pipe bursts one day–it won’t damage the walls.
Modular homes are also unique in that the water control valves are kept with the washer and dryer in the utility room.
Drain lines should come pre-installed with the home–and the plumbing crew will connect the lines to your waste removal system (this will either be your septic system or public sewer lines).
The Cost of Completing the Plumbing and Electrical to Your Modular
It’s really tough to estimate costs when it comes to building. Everything is local and things change rapidly.
Use the numbers below as a general rule of thumb to give you a ballpark.
Water and Sewer
If your building lot is set up in an area where city water and sewer is present–you will need to contact the local water authority to determine the costs to hook into the system.
They can vary considerably depending on the location–so be sure to check prior to starting your build.
If you plan on hooking in to a septic and well system, you can expect to pay $4-6K to get the system hooked up, plus the cost of the well (additional 4-5K).
The septic system itself will cost around $7K and will include the leech field.
HVAC
This will cost around $7-8K to get set up.
Electrical Service Hookup
Getting your service lines hooked into the meter will run you $4-5K. There may be additional fees if your lot is not near any existing utilities lines.
The Difference Between Home Kits and Modular When it Comes to Electrical and Plumbing
There are many retailers like Lowes and Home Depot that sell house kits. These kits are broken down into little sections (think legos) and sent to the home site.
You’ll notice these kits are really cheap–you can find them for less than $30K.
These homes are likely to not include a lot of the roughed-in plumbing and electrical that a modular home will have–which is why it’s so much less.
When buying a home kit, you’ll need to take care of adding all of the ductwork and plumbing lines yourself–which will add to the total cost of the build.
This can be a smart move if you can do some of the work yourself–or have experience in construction and what to give it a go.
Hell, I have zero experience and I one day dream of building one of these houses from scratch–electrical, plumbing and all.
Conclusion
Your Modular home’s plumbing and electrical is by no means complete when it lands on your lot–but it’s got a lot of the important components to both of those systems in place directly from the factory.
When buying a modular home, make sure you work with the builder to plan and budget accordingly.
Keep in mind that home kits (the very low cost ones you see online) likely do not include any plumbing or electrical components at all.
Whatever direction you decide to take–good luck with your build and Godspeed!