Blog | Excelsior Homes West, Inc.

Excelsior Homes Sponsors Local Kids

May 16, 2018 by Excelsior Homes

2017 Park Rec Sponsored Soccer Team

Supporting families and children is important to Excelsior Homes. Being a family owned organization keeps the importance of supporting families and children a focus in the lives of the owners. One way they do this is by being sponsors of local community kid’s activities.

Children’s Activity Sponsorships

Having children of their own means that Beau, Jessica and Jason have been involved in many different youth activities. Their children are involved and help them build connections to different opportunities. It also allows them to see the value in being part of team and building confidence.

2017 Park Rec Sponsored Basketball Team

Excelsior Homes sponsors youth activities:

Parks & Rec Teams – Sponsor various youth sport teams, such as soccer, t-ball, and basketball.
Hutchinson Youth Basketball Association – Gold sponsor supports youth skill development on and off the basketball court.
Hutchinson Tigers Bass Fishing Club – Supporting a new youth club.

Supporting local children guides the kids to learn and build their skills. Our local community is important and thriving – we want to keep it moving in the right direction.

Learn more about the Excelsior Homes family.

Creating a Home After a House Fire

May 1, 2018 by Excelsior Homes

On June 11, 2017, John and Amy Kaiser’s 130 year old home was struck by lightning. A fire started in the upper level of the house. Repairing their home after the house fire wasn’t the solution the Kaiser family selected. Instead they reached out to Excelsior Homes, and were able to move into a new home on December 1, 2017.

John & Amy enjoying their new home.

Selecting A New Home

John and Amy considered building a new home over the years, but the time hadn’t been right previously. After the lightning strike and house fire they had to decide and move forward with either major repairs to an old home or build something new. They chose to go with something new.

Since they’d considered new home options in the past, they had already visited Excelsior Homes and walked through model homes earlier in the year. At that time they had decided to wait until John had less work commitments. The lightning strike and house fire changed their plans. They needed a place to live and their old home wasn’t an option any more.

John & Amy’s new home

Other Considerations

The Kaisers considered multiple options before moving forward on their home choice. Besides the option of repairing their home they also looked at other modular home dealers and manufacturers. Constructing a stick-built home was another option. Excelsior Homes kept coming back as their best choice. Ultimately, John and Amy wanted to be living back on their property as soon as possible, and Excelsior Homes provided the most effective and efficient solution.

Deciding on a modular home from Excelsior Homes meant that the timeline was efficient. They were able to create the foundation while the home was constructed, which was a large part of their decision. The Excelsior Homes team guided the project to create the Kaiser home on a compressed timeline, John and Amy appreciated this approach,

“We liked the “one-stop” shop of Excelsior Homes being the general contractor. Beau, Jessica, and Jason were very helpful and easy to work with. We started with a model home design and made modifications to our liking.”

The Challenge of Building a Home on a Timeline

Since the Kaiser home project was unexpected. Their project started when summer had already arrived. They were concerned about getting the home selected, designed, built and completed before winter arrived. There were times when the weather didn’t cooperate, but the Excelsior Homes crew was able to complete the house by the end of November. John and Amy moved into their new home on December 1, 2017.

John & Amy’s new home with spectacular views.

John and Amy are currently enjoying their new home and when asked what their favorite feature of the home is, they wanted to list multiple things.

“The open floor plan, with many windows, to have spectacular views of our property. The WARM house as compared to our old home.”

The Excelsior Homes team enjoyed working with John and Amy. We’re happy to see them enjoying their new home and their beautiful property.

Are you looking for a new home solution?

Visit Excelsior Homes model homes to see all the features for yourself.

Providing Your Lake Home and Cabin Solutions

April 13, 2018 by Excelsior Homes

It seems like winter doesn’t want to end here in Minnesota, but we’re looking ahead to the warmer days of summer when we get to enjoy time at the lake. Are you thinking about building or upgrading your lake home or cabin? Modular and manufactured homes make great lake home and cabin solutions.

Choosing Modular or Manufactured Lake Living

The variety of options, affordable pricing options and timely build/setup make modular and manufactured homes a desirable lake property housing solution. If you are looking for a cabin that can be put in place yet this year, with time left to enjoy on the lake this summer, a modular or manufactured home may be the home you’ve been looking for.

Many of the modular and manufactured homes have portions that you can customize to make it match your style and needs.

Are you envisioning a cape cod, loft, rambler or two story home or cabin? There are options. Would you like a porch and fireplace? We can make it happen.

Things to Think About When Choosing a Cabin

How big is your lot? This impacts the size of home you can select.
What style home are interested in building?
Is this a year-round or seasonal property?
Do you want a basement?
What is your budget for the home?

Think about these things before you start looking at options and your lake home search will go smoothly. Enjoy your lake life this year! While many of the homes we offer can be placed on lake property there are some designed with lake life in mind.

View our selection of lake homes and cabins!

New Model Homes Arrived

April 4, 2018 by Excelsior Homes

Three new model homes recently arrived at Excelsior Homes! We always keep a variety of homes available at our location to allow our Customers to tour the homes, which lets you see the style, quality and functionality of the homes. We’re always excited to add new model homes to our inventory, so that the latest and greatest are available for in-person viewing.

Three New Model Homes

Since the three new model homes arrived we’ve been busy getting them setup and decorated so they are ready for tours. Here are the new homes!

Schult Freedom 89

The Schult Freedom 89 is a unique, moderately sized modular home with a spacious living area. Many of the homes we offer have components to the design and function that you get to choose.

In this model home we chose a full height closed dormer, Gallery Frigidaire appliance package, Sierra Fieldstone fireplace, LED lighting, added spotlites, high neck kitchen faucet, walk-in ceramic shower with attached wand showerhead. We also added square footage to half of the home, which you can see on the floor plan.

Schult Freedom 405

The Schult Freedom 405 is a popular, spacious and afforable floor plan. It features an open floor plan with split bedrooms and two bathrooms.

In this model home we selected the following options and upgrades: deluxe lighting package, theme kitchen, Cornice board above the patio door, Roman Shades and drapes, upgraded floor insulation, an appliance package, kitchen island and soft close doors.

Schult Patriot Washington

The Schult Patriot Washington is a popular home. This home has less flexibility in design than some of the other homes that we offer, but is professionally designed with modern features that many find appealing.

There are two floor plan options. The version that we don’t have on display adds an end entry and utility room. The Patriot Washington cannot be modified – the plan(s), interior and exterior are pre-determined. It is a professionally designed manufactured home at an aggressive price point!

Tour the Model Homes

Are you interested in making a manufactured or modular home your next house? Check out all the model homes we have at our location. Stop at Excelsior Homes and tour our models. We’d love to have you visit.

Visit us during regular business hours or schedule your appointment today!

Excelsior Homes 2018 Open House

March 30, 2018 by Excelsior Homes

The Excelsior Homes West, Inc. 2018 open house is coming up the second week of April. Have you wanted to check out what we have to offer? Join us April 9-14th to tour our model homes, learn about special savings and have some refreshments.

Open House Dates and Hours

Monday, April 9 – Thursday April, 12, 2018: 8am – 5:30pm
Friday, April 13 – Saturday, April 14, 2018: 8am – 5pm

What You’ll Find at the 2018 Open House

Tour our model homes – NEW 2018 models on display
Schult Modular and Manufactured Homes
Custom Modular Homes by Stratford Homes and Dynamic Homes
Talk with a General Contractor
Food and beverages served
Register to win prizes
Savings on model homes
Savings on custom orders

Bring your photos and ideas! We’ll help you find your home and can customize to fit your needs.

Excelsior Homes is a family owned and operated business that started in 1973. This year marks our 45th anniversary! Thank to all of our past and present customers that made this possible.

Stop in April 9-14th! We’ll see you here!

Excelsior Homes West, Inc.
1355 Highway 7 West
Hutchinson, MN 55350

The Difference Between Modular and Manufactured Homes

February 28, 2018 by Excelsior Homes

Are you confused by the difference between modular and manufactured homes? You aren’t alone. Many people get confused by the terms. When we talk about the homes offered by Excelsior Homes the terms “Modular” and “Manufactured” get referenced regularly because they are industry standard terms. Would you like clarification on what the different is between the two types of homes? We can help!

Building Code

The technical difference between modular and manufactured homes comes down to the building code that they follow.

Modular = Modular homes are built to local and state building codes and standards, known as the International Building Code (IBC). IBC is the same building standard to which all site-built structures follow.
Manufactured = Manufactured Homes are built to a federally mandated building code, known as HUD code. This building code is also known as the Manufactured Home Construction & Safety Standards.

Home Descriptions or Terms

Perhaps the building codes don’t help you understand the difference. Additional terminology and descriptions of the homes often helps people comprehend the difference.

Modular = Also known as prefabricated, prefab, or factory stick built homes.
Manufactured = Also know as singlewide, doublewide, triplewide, sectionals or mobile homes.

Foundation Differences

The difference foundation options are also a differentiation point.

Modular – Built specifically for a basement or crawl space on personal property.
Manufactured – Installed on frost piers, engineered slabs, or basements. Can be installed on personal property or rented/leased property such as mobile home parks or communities.

The items above aren’t the only differences, but they are often the topics that are easiest understood. If you’d like a side by side comparison you’ll see that in our modular vs manufactured guide. People often find this guide helpful as they determine which type of home fits their housing needs.

At Excelsior Homes we offer both modular and manufactured homes. Many of the floor plans offered can be built as a modular or manufactured home, so if you are interested in a particular model let us know. We may be able to adjust it to your modular or manufactured needs. We love helping people find a perfect home for their needs.

Visit the Modular vs Manufactured Guide for more information.

2018 Popular Home and Design Trends

February 14, 2018 by Excelsior Homes

With each new year comes new trends. Design trends are popular and ever-changing. If you watch HGTV on a regular basis you may have heard about some of their 2018 projected trends. Or maybe your thinking about selling your home and buying something new, so you want to stay updated on the hottest designs. Let’s talk about 2018 design trends!

Design Trends

While every designer speculates what the most popular trends will be for the year, there are a few styles or options that we keep seeing that may have some staying power.

Here are a few things you’ll probably see this year:

Rich Color Palettes – Vibrant colors will appear as accents, furniture and wall colors, and in every room of the home. Watch for deep reds, bold yellows and saturated greens.
Purple – Speaking of color, did you know the Pantone Color of the Year is Ultra Violet? Watch for accent products made in purple, along with wall colors supporting this trend.
Colorful Kitchens – Instead of all white kitchens or strictly wood tones you’ll start seeing a mix of color tones, inserting different colors and adding variety to the mix.
Metallic Accents – From fixtures to wall accents watch for bronze, copper and other metallic accents throughout homes and design.
Smooth Curves & Relaxed Lines – We’ll start seeing more curves and rounded edges making their way into designs and furniture as the more ridgid lines fade away.
Bold Patterns – We started seeing more of this in 2017, but bold patterns including floral will continue to grow in popularity.

While we can’t guarantee that you’ll see these trends, they are a few things you can watch for in the coming months.

Applying Design Trends to Your Home

One thing you can be sure of is that Schult Homes and Stratford Homes are constantly adding new features and design options to the homes that we offer. We shared some of the latest options offered by Schult Homes in a recent blog post. When you’re looking at new modular and manufactured homes through Excelsior Homes know that we strive to offer the latest and greatest options.

You’ll also notice that all of our model homes are decorated keeping today’s design trends in mind. We want to help you envision the opportunities that exist in each house and give you ideas that you can apply in your home.

Many of the trends mentioned above can be added to your design with accents as simple as throw pillows and wall art. Others are fixtures that you’ll want to specify when selecting your home. There are many different options available when deciding on cabinetry, light fixtures, bathroom fixtures and more. If you’re looking for a specific style and don’t see the option, please ask. We’ll help you find a solution that works for you!