Local pricing, permitting and delivery for the New Orleans market. Researched estimates, not a quote form.
New Orleans is served out of our New Orleans logistics lane. Working figure for modular buildings in the New Orleans market is $328 per square foot for a Signature build before site work, with freight running around $5,984 per module over roughly 880 loaded miles. A metro population near 1,271 thousand means subcontractor availability for the site scope is generally workable, which matters more to your schedule than most buyers expect.
What the jurisdiction requires. New Orleans falls under Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code; coastal parishes require elevated construction and high wind design. Post-Katrina elevation requirements make pier and stem-wall foundations the norm in coastal parishes. Before we quote, we confirm the zoning district, setbacks, whether the parcel sits in a flood zone, and whether the local authority has a defined pathway for factory-built structures. In Louisiana, that answer is usually available in a single phone call, and it changes the design if you get it late.
In New Orleans the practical constraint is usually placement rather than permitting. We look at where the truck can stop, how far the crane has to reach from there, and whether utilities can be trenched a short distance or a long one. Those three answers move the site number more than any finish upgrade.
Demand in New Orleans has been steady enough that production slots are worth reserving early. Our windows reflect the current factory queue, not a marketing number, and they move with material lead times and seasonal demand. A slot confirmed now holds; a slot considered for six weeks usually does not.
Signature finish level, adjusted for Louisiana regional cost. Foundation, utilities, permits, freight and crane quoted separately.
| 400 sq ftstructure before site work | $131,200delivered total varies with site scope |
| 600 sq ftstructure before site work | $196,800delivered total varies with site scope |
| 800 sq ftstructure before site work | $262,400delivered total varies with site scope |
| 1,000 sq ftstructure before site work | $328,000delivered total varies with site scope |
| 1,200 sq ftstructure before site work | $393,600delivered total varies with site scope |
| 1,500 sq ftstructure before site work | $492,000delivered total varies with site scope |
A module has to be structurally sound enough to be lifted by crane, hauled at highway speed, and set without racking. That requirement forces heavier framing, more fasteners and engineered connections than code minimum for a comparable site-built structure. The transport requirement quietly produces a stronger building — which is exactly why factory-built performs well under high wind loads.
The reason site-built budgets drift is that the price is discovered as the work proceeds. Factory pricing is set when the design is locked, because the production cost of a known module is known. The variable that remains is site work — foundation, utilities, access — which is why we quote that separately and in the open instead of burying it.
Every unit off a line is built to the same specification with the same crews and the same materials. That repeatability is impossible to achieve across independent site-built projects with rotating subs. If you inspect one finished unit, you have meaningfully inspected the one you are buying.
A module built indoors never sits in the rain waiting on a framing crew. Lumber does not swell, drywall does not wick moisture, and the schedule does not slip because a storm parked over the site for nine days. That single difference — controlled environment versus open air — is most of why factory-built assemblies test tighter on a blower door than comparable site-built work.
We start with what the site will actually allow: zoning, setbacks, utility availability, flood zone, access width for a truck and crane, and whether the jurisdiction has a defined modular pathway. This is where projects get saved or killed, and it costs nothing to find out.
Layout, finish level and options are locked, and the price for the building is set at that point. Site work is priced separately and transparently, because that is the number that varies with your specific lot and the one most suppliers hide until you are committed.
Plans go to the state modular program or local authority while the site work begins. Running these concurrently rather than sequentially is where most of the schedule advantage lives.
Your unit enters the line. Framing, envelope, mechanical rough-in, insulation, drywall, finish, fixtures and cabinetry happen at successive stations with inspection at each. You get progress documentation rather than guesses.
Foundation is poured or set, utilities are trenched and stubbed, access is prepared for the delivery truck and crane. This runs while your unit is in production.
Modules are transported and craned onto the foundation. For a single-module building this is typically a matter of hours, not days — the set itself is the fastest part of the entire project.
Marriage lines are joined, mechanicals and utilities are connected, exterior finishes are completed at the seams, final inspection is called, and you get your certificate of occupancy along with documentation.
Once set on a permanent foundation and deeded as real property, a modular home sells through the same MLS process as any other house. Most buyers cannot identify a finished modular home from the exterior, and most listings do not distinguish. The resale objection is a holdover from confusing modular with manufactured housing.
These are different legal categories with different codes. A manufactured home is built to the federal HUD code, arrives on a permanent steel chassis, and is titled like a vehicle. A modular building is built to the same state and local building code as site-built construction, is set on a permanent foundation, and is deeded as real property. Modular appraises, finances and insures as a house. That distinction affects your loan, your taxes and your resale.
Because a modular building is code-built real property on a permanent foundation, appraisers treat it as they would any comparable site-built structure. The appraisal turns on location, size, finish level and condition — the same factors as any other home. Where owners run into trouble is confusing the two categories above and then being surprised by a chattel loan.
Tell us the scope and the ZIP. You get a real delivered-and-installed number, not a "contact us for pricing" runaround.
We run a group of focused sites so you land on the one that matches what you actually need instead of a catch-all catalog.