Before building your modular home, you will need to make the decision to have either a conditioned or non conditioned foundation space for your new home. Conditioned Foundations Spaces - A conditioned foundation space means the foundation for your modular home is conditioned by your heating and air conditioning equipment. For a foundation to be affectively conditioned the foundation walls and floor need to be insulated and air sealed. Non Conditioned Foundation Spaces - A non conditioned foundation space means the foundation space for your modular home is not heated nor cooled by the prefab homes heating or air conditioning Systems. Non-Conditioned foundations require the homes floor between the foundation and the first floor be air sealed and insulated. The Pros and Cons of Modular Home Conditioned and Non Conditioned Foundation Spaces Conditioned Foundation Spaces Advantages of Conditioned Foundation Spaces - Heating Equipment Efficiency - Heating and cooling equipment located in conditioned space operates more efficiently. Hot water heating systems in a modular homes conditioned foundation space also work more efficiently.
- Future Finishing Costs - The cost to finish the foundation space into living space is easier and therefore less costly to complete. The foundation space is essentially ready to have wall finishes applied, any wires and plumbing run and the floor is ready for carpeting, tiles. laminate flooring and etc.
- Comfort - A conditioned foundation space will provide immediate comfort in the basement of your new modular home. The temperature in the foundation in the winter will be the same temperature above the foundation ceiling.
- Enhanced Moisture Control - The installation of rigid insulation underneath the modular homes foundation slab also helps in minimizing moisture penetration into the foundation space.
- Interior Door - The door to the foundation will not need to be an exterior door. Since foundation space and living space above are both conditioned, an interior door is only required between the two spaces.
Disadvantages to Conditioned Foundation Spaces - Initial Cost - The cost to condition your prefab home's foundation space will cost more than a non conditioned foundation space. This is due to the additional insulation that is required. Your modular homes foundation walls and floor will be insulated where as with an non conditioned foundation space, the floor between the foundation and the living space above is only insulated.
- Note: Once the foundation floor of your new modular home is poured it will never be cost affective to install insulation under the floor. In addition, if you decide to finish the foundation space in the future, to finish the basement off to best building practices you will need to remove the insulation that was installed in the ceiling of the foundation due to potential moisture issues.
Non Conditioned Foundation Spaces Advantages to Non Conditioned Foundation Spaces - Cost - A non conditioned foundation only requires the floor between the conditioned space above and foundation space below is insulated. Where as the conditioned foundation space requires more expensive rigid insulation to be installed under the slab and the walls to be insulated.
Disadvantages to None Conditioned Foundation Spaces - Future Cost - The future cost to finish your foundation space in the future will be higher. You will need to insulate the exterior walls and remove the existing insulation that was once installed between the foundation space and the conditioned space above.
- Exterior Door - An exterior door between the foundation space and the conditioned space above will be required. In essence, the door to the foundation of the prefab home is considered to be to the outside of the home. In addition, the exterior doors installed on inside walls often are ugly and non-congruent with the other interior doors in the home.
- Impossibility of Floor Insulation - After the slab of for your modular home's foundation has been poured, it will be next to impossible to properly insulate the floor without removing the entire foundation slab, installing rigid insulation board and pouring a new floor.
- Difficulty in Finishing Foundation Space - Often contractors who build modular homes with non conditioned foundation spaces use either concrete block walls or poured foundation systems. Both concrete block and poured foundation walls are more difficult to finish off in the future, Framing and moisture barriers will be required to finish the prefab homes foundation space.
- Inefficiency of Heating and Hot Water Heating Equipment - Heating and hot water heating equipment located in non conditioned space will be less efficient due to the mechanical equipment essentially be located outside. The additional cost to operate this equipment will cost the modular home buyer over the years of operation.
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