From April 2005 New Homes magazine, written by
Sheila Helmberger
They're sprinkled throughout our neighborhoods;
they sit on scenic country lots, and they're built on the banks of some of
our areas most popular lakes. Chances are you've been in them and haven't
even known it. Today’s modular and manufactured homes are becoming more
popular than ever for a lot of reasons. They’re economical to build, often
at a fraction of the cost of site built homes; they're eye catching, thanks
to an endless list of design possibilities; and they’re built soundly,
adhering to the same building codes followed by other home construction in
Minnesota. That includes 2 x 10 floors, half inch drywall on all the walls
and 5/8” drywall on the ceilings. From one-level ranch homes to
one-and-a-half and two story homes, the customer can design and build a home
to fit any lifestyle. They have a hand in choosing the everything from the
shingles and siding to almost everything on the interior.
Gerald Yliniemi, President of Brainerd Homes, says that with his modular
homes there is no limit to the possibilities. His company’s growth is a
testament to the popularity of the homes and these days they’re keeping
busy. He has taken his company from a one man operation, a little over
twenty years ago, to a staff of many. Today he employs office staff, a team
of sales people, a small fleet of trucks, and a service department. He also
works with a number of area sub-contractors.
There are close to a dozen
models on-site year around for customers to tour and he invites anyone
thinking about building a home to do so. People are usually pleasantly
surprised. Whirlpool tubs, wet bars, fireplaces, and three-season porches
are all popular features with today’s customers. Walk-in closets and vaulted
ceilings are also design options.
Brainerd Homes features designs from Wisconsin Homes and Schult. Floor
plans range anywhere from 1148 square feet to 5500 square feet. The siding
on the outside of the home can be basic vinyl, or as unique as cedar or half
log.
If you don’t have a site already in mind, the company may have lots of
its own available for sale; they also work with developers and can steer you
toward a neighborhood you may find to your liking. Yliniemi says financing
for your project is pretty flexible. A customer can purchase only the home
and do the rest of the work themselves, or the cost of the lot can be built
into the loan along with other work including lot clearing, water and sewer,
decks and/or a garage. That makes for one-stop financing for an entire
package. Modular homes can be financed with the same traditional 15-year and
30-year mortgages as site-built homes.
The home take about 60 to 90 days to complete. That gives homeowners a
chance to get their site ready and do any foundation work they‘d like,
including putting in a basement. Once the home arrives, in two or more
sections, set up and finish work takes from two days up to several days
depending on the size. Days, not months!
The homes are energy efficient thanks to Innovations in doors and
windows. Factory construction itself makes sense. The home never sits out in
the elements partially finished. There's little need to hold up a project
because of the weather. That makes construction timely and deadlines easy to
meet. Cost stays low because manufacturers purchase their building materials
in large quantities. They get volume pricing from their suppliers and pass
the savings on to the customer.
Yliniemi says his filing cabinets are filled with the names of satisfied
customers.
Shirley and Wayne Englin are just two of them. In fact, they’ve purchased
two homes from Brainerd Homes. First they bought a smaller home to put on a
lake lot in Aitkin back in 2001. Shirley says they were so pleased with the
experience that when they decided to retire to this area recently, they went
back to the company to design their retirement home in Baxter. They live off
Cottage Grove Drive and Clearwater Road these days and Shirley says she
loves her new home. Even she admits she can be a fussy customer. “Oh, I’m
picky.“ she admits. She chose all of her own colors for the interior with
some help from the female staff, even bringing in a swatch of material from
her couch so she could order the carpet color to match. “The colors are just
me,” she says. “This feels like my home.” The Englins feel the company
‘bent over backwards’ to make sure they were satisfied from start to finish,
and they are. “We didn’t know plumbers and electricians from this area,” she
said. ”We knew them from where we came from. They set us up with great
people.” Favorite parts of her new home include the wood trim where the
walls and ceilings meet, "even in the closets", she marvels. She loves their
30 x 15 foot family room that even came with surround sound. She says she
opted out of a couple of interior doors for the home and decided instead to
go with archways. She also changed some of the cupboard doors preferring
solid doors over glass, and decided to pass on some of the built-in small
appliances. “They did exactly what I wanted. Boy! We are 100% satisfied.”
Factories offer on-site tours for anyone who is curious to see the
process. They often have additional models for customers to tour as well.
Brainerd Homes is located just west of Junction 18 and 25, for more
information call 829-3046.
