About Stratford Homes
Lasting Value Based on Honest Craftsmanship Since 1973, Stratford Homes has built more than 10,000 custom modular homes, each one carefully crafted for its customers using the latest knowledge, methods, and materials to deliver quality and savings through construction efficiency. We strive to make your experience buying a Stratford Home exceed your expectations. From start to finish, you will enjoy the convenience and freedom of choice that lets you imagine and shape the home you want. The result is a beautiful, unique home of your own built to provide a lifetime of lasting comfort and value. National name-brand products Modern Auto-CAD engineering and design flexibility Constructed in a controlled environment reducing the effects caused by weather conditions Quality, structural-graded lumber and materials Homes that meet or exceed building code requirements and are third-party inspected Energy-efficient construction features Independent builder network to guide you through the building process CONSIDERING AN ADDITION TO YOUR HOME? MODULAR: The smart choice for expanding your living space Constructing an addition to an existing home usually means a long and difficult process from project start to finish. Conventional “site built” additions can take numerous months to finish disrupting your style of living for weeks upon end. Additions can be as simple as a four seasons room with large expansive windows, vaulted ceiling and fireplace. Your dream however may include adding a large master bedroom suite with a private bath retreat inclusive of a tiled shower, soaking tub, double vanity and walk-in closets. Whatever living area you are looking to expand, it can normally be completed using the modular concept. Expanding the living space of your existing home should be well planned out. That’s where an independent Stratford Homes Builder can help. What you will learn while meeting with them may come as a surprise. Most homes regardless of their original type of construction, whether panelized, modular or “old school” conventional construction, it can normally be expanded using modular construction if the right plan is implemented. Stratford Homes and its independent Builder network have worked with numerous existing home-owners helping them make their living area expansion affordable and hassle-free. Implementing the right plan begins with your ideas, wants and needs. Once you have an idea in mind you should make a few notes to keep those ideas fresh. With this list in hand you can contact your local Stratford Homes Builder who will help you design that perfect plan. They will assist you in preparing a blueprint drawing and compile a list of material specifications for your unique construction project. Because they are local, they will usually have all the necessary information needed to plan your addition so it meets all the existing state and local building codes. Your chosen Builder will also have a working relationship with local subcontractors to take care of excavation, foundation, electrical, HVAC, plumbing and finish flooring materials. Normally during your first meeting with the Builder, you will discuss generalized construction costs to help determine a budget for your project. The Builder will make notes from your verbal conversation and document dimensions and design ideas. They may even start with a hand sketch of the floor plan layout and rough exterior elevations. Once they have gathered your ideas, they will forward this information to the Engineering Department at Stratford Homes where it will be drawn using the latest design program. From the Auto CAD program (computer aided design), the Builder can then help you better visualize what your addition will look like. In the beginning this drawing may only be a very rudimentary mark-up of the overall plan. During the next step, the Builder will complete a thorough investigation of the actual area that is to be expanded upon. It is very important at this stage to be sure that your overall plan is valid and that there are no major problems that might eliminate your home from the possibility of a modular expansion. The onsite inspection allows the Builder the opportunity to see the work area first hand giving insight for later use in the overall design and budgeting purposes. Their recommendations might be as simple as what type of lighting to use, color selections, overall layout, window sizing and placement. If the addition contains plumbing there may be hidden consideration for routing of drain and vent pipes which may not be overtly evident. It is very important that consideration is given for proper clearance and access for construction equipment to the site. In many expansion projects the roof line is one of the most difficult issues to address. It is purely an art form to design and construct an addition in a manner so it cannot be detected as an addition. Roof lines are usually the giveaway. Your chosen Builder will incorporate special techniques that allow for adjoining roof lines to flow into one another or joined in such a manner to make it all look seamless to the casual viewer. Constructing an addition using a system built modular design will ultimately save you time and money in the overall construction process. While your addition is being constructed in a climate controlled manufacturing facility, the concurrent site work is being completed. Once the module(s) are complete, they are transported to your home site and set onto the foundation. Within a very short time the Builder will complete the necessary carpentry work to seamlessly join the addition to the existing structure. The modular concept is known to reduce the overall disruption of your day-to-day living, help keep neighbors happy, and minimize the inevitable damage to your lawn and surrounding landscaping. So if it’s time for a new home addition, be sure to consider all the advantages, and make it a modular upgrade. For more information about modular addition designs, please contact your local independent Stratford Homes Builder. |