While there's no underestimating the beauty of Portland's many conventionally built houses, there are many things to be said for less traditional home building in and around the City of Roses. Portland modular homes are an economical option for those who want the customization that comes from designing a house from the ground up; Portland log homes are an excellent choice for those looking for a rustic getaway or eco-friendly dwelling. Both options have their high and low points, but if you are thinking of building new in or around Portland, modular homes and log homes are certainly worth further examination.

Portland Modular Homes vs. Manufactured Homes
Though manufactured and modular homes are often confused with one another, about the only thing these two homes share is that they are both built off-site and can be seen traveling down the interstate with oversized load signs attached to them. Manufactured homes, more commonly known as mobile homes, are meant to be movable, enabling the owner to pick up and transplant their home at any time. Mobile homes also have limited capacities, amenities, and durability.

Modular homes, on the other hand, are permanent dwellings that can rival or even surpass the quality of conventional home construction. Factory controlled settings allow for building materials to be protected, labor to be streamlined and more efficient, and for construction times to be significantly reduced. Weather delays are less of an issue when building a modular home. Portland is a city where environmental concerns are at the top of many homeowners' lists; because of this, it should also be noted that the production of modular homes is typically far more energy efficient and far less wasteful than the average site-built house. The biggest advantage of modular homes, however, is the overall low cost of construction; typical savings range anywhere from 10 to 35 percent of conventional home building costs.

Portland Log Homes: Custom and Milled Log Home Construction
Choosing a log home in Portland often begins with a simple preference for the rustic look of old-fashioned log cabins. Modern log homes meld this traditional look without sacrificing a single amenity. Plus, quality log homes will frequently outlast and outperform conventional homes over the long haul. High-end, custom Portland log home builders are more than just a fancy show of individual artisans. They offer superior building methods (such as allowing logs to ample time to air-dry) and greater design flexibility (anything you can imagine can be done with custom log homes). The cost can be hard to swallow, but to truly realize your dream home; it can be the only way to go.

Milled log homes use manufactured logs that are quickly cut to specs and ready for construction. These logs allow for DIY log home building kits, substantially reducing building costs. Their limited design flexibility is due to the need for vertical butt joints and limited log length.

Drawbacks of Portland Log Homes and Portland Modular Homes
As you might imagine, there are a few drawbacks to each of these non-traditional homes. As for log homes, Portland residents will probably have a difficult time finding a good setting to put one inside of the city, so a house in walking distance to your favorite doughnut shop is probably out of the question. Additionally, while Portland log homes are sometimes a very environmentally friendly choice, unless they are constructed in a spot where logs are readily accessible, the transportation of huge lengths of raw logs gets very energy intensive and cumbersome, increasing the hassle as well as the carbon footprint of the project as a whole.

When it comes to modular homes, Portland is a bit more forgiving of a place. The biggest drawback with building a modular home in Portland is design limitation. Some of the features you might want may be extremely difficult to build modularly, and this can be a huge drawback if what you really want is something very left-of-center. If you are willing to pay top dollar to have an architect design a one-of-a-kind house for you, you're probably going to be better off with a site-built home. The savings you'll reap building such structures modularly will decrease as the design becomes less conventional, and the likelihood of changing the design in order to transport pieces of the house will increase.

Finding a Modular and Log Home Builders in Portland, OR
No matter where you are in the process, whether you're still years away from being able to finance a new home or whether you've got the plot and the blueprints all ready to go, it's never a bad time to contact a log home or modular home builder in Portland. There is, however, a wrong way to contact a home builder. By using ServiceMagic to request a local Portland home builder, we'll match you only to contractors who have passed our rigorous 10-step screening process. You'll also have access to our online database of customer ratings and reviews. To get you off on the right foot, you should let us help you find only those home building companies whose reputation and track record demonstrate reliability and professionalism.