2 Answers

None. If your talking "modular" it's manufactured to be transported to a building site. If it's a trailer it can be moved at any time. Most trailer courts require that the wheels remain on the unit for quick removal in the event of a fire. Modular homes are in my opinion the best buy for the money today. They are built to a higher standard than "stick-built". And materials are also superior.

Manufactured homes are delivered on detachable wheels and are usually built on a steel frame. They are often not built to code, but this is improving lately. Once delivered they are placed on an existing foundation which is often made of piers set into tyhe ground rather than on a full concrete base. They are usually ordered out of a catalog or off the internet and are often available with minimal modifications available through the manufacturer. When first on the market about 50 years ago they were called mobile homes but that nomenclature has fallen into nonuse mainly due to changes in manufactured homes over the years.

Modular homes aare quite different from manufactured. They are delivered on flatbed /trailers and are lifted off with cranes in sections. Although modular home manufactures may have suggested floor plans and a minimal number of options, they are often built from scratch pursuant to the buyer's requests. They are usually built to applicable building codes and are often quite similar to a quality stick-built home constructed by a local construction company. The modulars can be  designed in virtually any configuration a prospective homeowner wants and are not constrained to what may be available in the manufactured home market as they are not limited by the mode of transport. Add a room? Or 4? Or a built-on garage? Possible or probable with a modular but not with a manufactured. Modular homes can easily be constructed from regular archetectural plans where it is impossible, or at least improbable, in a manufactured home. A modular uses nearly all common building materials common to the home construction industry. And of course a modular is more expensive than a manufactured due mainly to a higher quality and lack of constraints. However, the modular is often less costly than the more conventionable stick-built.

There are considerably more differences between manufactured and modular, but the above covers the major ones and gives a good understanding between the two types.

Whip Holt