Modular buildings and modular homes are prefabricated buildings or houses that consist of repeated sections called modules. "Modular" is a construction method that involves constructing sections away from the building site, then delivering them to the intended site. Installation of the prefabricated sections is completed on site. Prefabricated sections are sometimes placed using a crane. The modules can be placed side-by-side, end-to-end, or stacked, allowing a variety of configurations and styles.
Modular buildings, also called prefabricated homes or precision built homes, are built to equal or higher standards as on-site stick-built homes. The building method is referred to as permanent modular construction.
Material for stick built and modular homes are the same. Modular homes are not doublewides or mobile homes. First, modular homes do not have axles or a metal frame, meaning that they are typically transported on flat-bed trucks. Modular buildings must conform to all relevant local building codes, while doublewides and mobile homes have metal under framing. Doublewides and mobile homes made in the United States are required to conform to federal codes governed by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A prefabricated building, informally a prefab, is a building that is manufactured and constructed using prefabrication. It consists of factory-made components or units that are transported and assembled on-site to form the complete building.