Modular Homes in Idaho: Builders, Prices, and State Rules (2026)

Idaho buyers can get a factory built home for roughly $55 to $130 per square foot installed, depending on whether they choose a manufactured home or a true modular one. Most of what sells in Idaho is manufactured housing built to the federal HUD code, not modular housing built to the International Residential Code. That single distinction decides how you finance the home, what foundation it sits on, and how well it holds value. This guide names the main builders, gives real Idaho price ranges, and walks through the codes and loans that matter before you sign anything.

Every page that ranks for this search belongs to a dealer or a factory trying to sell you their own inventory. This one does not. Prefab Market does not take placement fees from any builder named below.

What modular homes cost in Idaho

A manufactured home in Idaho runs about $55 to $75 per square foot installed. A true IRC modular home costs more, closer to $80 to $130 per square foot, because it is built to the same standard as a site built house and has to sit on a permanent foundation.

Home type	Cost per square foot, installed	Worked example
Manufactured (HUD code)	$55 to $75	A 1,200 sq ft home from about $81,000 to $140,000 once site work is added
Modular (IRC code)	$80 to $130	A 1,500 sq ft home from about $120,000 to $195,000

For context, recent Idaho construction cost estimates put a new manufactured home around $185,000, a new modular home around $255,000, and a comparable site built home around $397,000. A 1,800 square foot manufactured home starts near $117,000 with land and basic site improvements. In the Boise area, expect about $120 per square foot for a standard finish and up to $200 for high end work, both above the statewide manufactured range because Treasure Valley land is the most expensive in the state. See our national modular home price ranges and the full cost per square foot breakdown for how Idaho compares to the rest of the country.

The per square foot figure is only the home. Site work is where Idaho budgets drift, especially on rural parcels:

• Land clearing and grading: $4,000 to $11,000
• Foundation: $6,000 to $30,000 or more for a full permanent foundation
• Permits and fees: $500 to $5,000
• Utility connections: $2,500 to $25,000, with the high end for rural lots that need new water, power, or septic
• Delivery and set: scales with distance from the factory

A home leaving the KIT factory in Caldwell costs less to deliver and set on a lot near Boise than the same home trucked to a remote parcel in northern Idaho. Distance is a line item, not a rounding error.

Modular and manufactured homes are not the same thing

Idaho dealers use the words loosely. The state and your lender do not. A modular home is built in sections at a factory to the International Residential Code, the same code as a stick built house, then assembled on a permanent foundation. Once it is set, Idaho treats it as real property for financing, taxes, and zoning. It appreciates like any other house on owned land.

A manufactured home is built on a steel chassis to the federal HUD code, carries a HUD Data Plate, and can legally sit on piers in many Idaho counties. If it stays on a chassis and is titled as personal property, you finance it with a chattel loan. If it goes on a permanent foundation and is titled as real property, it qualifies for the same mortgages a modular home does. The word mobile home only applies to units built before 1976 under the old rules. Do not let anyone use it for a new home.

The practical gap is money. A chattel loan on a manufactured home typically runs 2 to 4 percentage points above a conventional mortgage and amortizes over a shorter term. A CrossMod home, sometimes sold as MH Advantage, is a manufactured home upgraded with a pitched roof, higher ceilings, and a porch or garage so it can reach conventional financing, which is worth knowing for Canyon County and Ada County buyers who want manufactured pricing with better loan terms. Most Idaho dealers sell manufactured homes. True IRC modular builders in the state are rarer, and Mountain Modular in Boise and Stratford Building Corporation in Rathdrum are the two to know. Read the full difference between modular and manufactured homes before you commit, and see how Idaho fits the wider picture of modular homes across the United States.

Modular and manufactured home builders in Idaho

Idaho has a handful of factories and a longer list of retail dealers, most of them selling homes from the same few manufacturers. The table below covers the builders and dealers that show up across the state, with the product type each one actually makes or sells.

Builder	Type	Where they serve	Indicative price	Notes
KIT Custom Homebuilders	Manufacturer, modular and manufactured	Western US, built in Caldwell	Through retailers	Idaho’s largest factory built home maker, running since 1945. Supplies several dealers below.
Great Homes of Idaho	Retail dealer	North Idaho and eastern Washington, from Post Falls	On request	Sells KIT homes only, 90 plus floor plans, includes a lifetime warranty.
River Bend Homes	Retail dealer	Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, from Lewiston	On request	KIT sales center carrying singles and doubles from about 1,387 to 2,223 sq ft.
Mountain Modular	Manufacturer, IRC modular only	Idaho, from two Boise facilities	On request	Steel framed and conventionally financeable. One of the few true IRC modular makers in the state.
Cavco Nampa	Manufacturer and dealer	Idaho and regional, from Nampa	On request	Formerly Fleetwood Homes Nampa, part of national maker Cavco, 60 plus years building.
Clayton Homes of Boise	Retail dealer	Boise metro, on Chinden Blvd	2026 promo: up to $5,000 off multi section homes	Part of Clayton, the largest US manufactured home builder. 32 floor plans available.
Mountain West Modulars	Retail dealer	Eastern Idaho, from Idaho Falls	On request	Carries BonnaVilla, Champion, Cavco, Northstar, and others. Spanish language support.
United Family Homes	Retail dealer	Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, from Nampa	On request	Family owned, 30 plus years, sells KIT manufactured and IRC modular homes.
Stratford Building Corporation	Manufacturer, IRC modular	Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Oregon, from Rathdrum	ADUs from about $94,000 to $130,000 before options	Established 1994, 1,350 plus completed projects, 52,000 sq ft factory.

One name to ignore. DCStructures ranks well for Idaho modular searches but builds timber frame barn kits, not modular homes. Their barn home kits start between $120,000 and $180,000 for the structural kit alone, before any site work or construction. That is not an installed modular home price, and it is not a fair comparison to anything in the table above.

Most dealers quote on request rather than list prices, so the fastest way to compare is to send the same brief, square footage, bedroom count, finish level, and your county, to two or three of them at once. Then check whether each quote is for a manufactured or a modular home, because that changes the loan you can use.

Idaho building codes and where you can put a home

The Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, formerly the Division of Building Safety, regulates factory built homes in Idaho. Modular homes are built to the International Residential Code, inspected under DOPL jurisdiction at the factory, and must carry the DOPL insignia of approval before they can be installed. Work at the home site falls to the local city or county. Once a modular home is on a permanent foundation, it is treated as a site built house for every official purpose.

Manufactured homes answer to the federal HUD code, 24 CFR Part 3280, and carry a HUD Data Plate. In areas without an approved local building program, DOPL issues the installation permit, and either a licensed installer or the homeowner can apply for it under Idaho Code section 44-2202. Foundation and installation requirements are governed by the Idaho Manufactured Home Installation Standard under Title 44, Chapter 22 of Idaho Code. Every installation has to be inspected and approved before anyone moves in. For the full federal picture, see our explainer on the HUD code, and read permits and zoning for modular homes and the guide to foundation types before you choose a lot.

Idaho design loads include a 90 mph wind standard, with snow and seismic loads applied per the adopted code. Southeastern Idaho, around Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and the Bear Lake area, sits in a higher seismic risk band, roughly Seismic Design Category C to D. Both modular and manufactured homes can be built to those seismic standards, so buyers in that part of the state should confirm the design category with their builder rather than assume it.

Zoning is local. Idaho has no statewide rule forcing cities to accept manufactured homes, so rules vary county by county. Rural counties tend to be permissive and allow both home types in residential and agricultural zones. The Boise metro is tighter. That gap narrowed in 2026, when the legislature passed SB 1352, SB 1354, and HB 800, which require many Idaho cities to allow manufactured homes, small lot subdivisions, ADUs, and duplexes where single family homes are already permitted.

How to finance a modular or manufactured home in Idaho

A modular home on a permanent foundation is financed like any other house. It qualifies for conventional Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, FHA, VA, and USDA. A manufactured home reaches the same options only when it is on a permanent foundation and titled as real property. Off the foundation and titled as personal property, it falls to a chattel loan with a higher rate and a shorter term. Start with the overview of financing options for modular homes, then match it to your situation.

The headline programs for Idaho:

• FHA. As little as 3.5 percent down with a 580 credit score, financing home and land together. Manufactured homes must be on a permanent foundation, built after 1976, and HUD certified.
• VA. No down payment for eligible Idaho veterans and service members. The home must be permanently affixed. See VA loans for manufactured homes.
• USDA Section 502. No down payment in eligible rural areas, which cover most of Idaho outside the Boise, Nampa, and Idaho Falls metros. The Guaranteed loan is for moderate income buyers through approved lenders such as Idaho Central Credit Union. The Direct loan carries a deeper subsidy for low and very low income families through the USDA Idaho office (rd.usda.gov/id). Both manufactured and modular homes qualify when they meet program rules. See the detail on a USDA loan for a modular home.
• Chattel loans. For manufactured homes on leased land or personal property titles. Expect roughly 2 to 4 points above a mortgage rate and a 15 to 20 year term.

USDA is the differentiator for rural Idaho. There are about 9,782 USDA backed residential loans outstanding in the state, with an average balance near $127,964, which tracks the price point of a manufactured or modest modular home rather than a Boise custom build. On top of the federal programs, the Idaho Housing and Finance Association offers FHA, USDA, VA, and conventional loans, plus down payment assistance, now structured as a repayable second mortgage rather than a forgivable grant. IHFA uses a $170,000 household income ceiling across all Idaho counties for 2026 and runs the Finally Home buyer education course.

Where in Idaho to buy

Dealers cluster in three regions, and the right one depends on where your land is. Boise metro has the most options and the highest land costs. Northern and eastern Idaho trade selection for cheaper parcels and easier zoning.

Boise metro, Ada and Canyon counties. The densest market in the state. Clayton Homes of Boise sits on Chinden Boulevard and Mountain Modular runs two Boise facilities. Across the line in Canyon County, Cavco builds in Nampa, United Family Homes sells in Nampa, and the KIT factory is in Caldwell. Canyon County land is cheaper and zoning is a touch looser than inside Boise city limits.

North Idaho. Great Homes of Idaho is in Post Falls, River Bend Homes is in Lewiston, and Stratford Building Corporation builds modular homes in Rathdrum. Kootenai County keeps growing with in migration from Washington, and rural parcels still cost less than the Treasure Valley.

Eastern Idaho. Mountain West Modulars in Idaho Falls serves Pocatello, Victor, and Driggs, and reaches into Wyoming and Utah. Land around Idaho Falls undercuts Boise, though Teton County towns like Driggs and Victor run high on recreation demand. This is also the seismic corridor, so confirm the design category.

Twin Falls and rural Idaho. Central Idaho buyers are usually served by dealers out of Boise or Pocatello. The further the parcel sits from a factory, the more delivery, utility connections, and setup add to the bill. The upside is permissive zoning and broad USDA eligibility, which together make rural Idaho the strongest case for a manufactured home in the whole state.

Common questions from Idaho buyers

How long does it take to build a modular home in Idaho? Factory construction usually takes 7 to 9 weeks. Site work overlaps it, and finishing plus inspections add about 6 weeks after the set. Most buyers move in 3 to 5 months after signing, with permit processing the usual cause of any delay.

Can I put a modular home on any piece of land in Idaho? Not anywhere, but the state is broadly permissive. Rural counties allow both home types in most residential zones, and 2026 legislation now forces many cities to permit manufactured homes where single family homes are allowed. Confirm zoning with the county before buying land.

Do modular homes hold their value in Idaho? An IRC modular home appreciates like a site built house on owned land. Manufactured homes on owned land rose about 212 percent nationwide between 2000 and 2024. A manufactured home on leased land does not capture that gain.

What is the average cost per square foot for a manufactured home in Idaho? About $55 to $75 installed, which puts a 1,800 square foot home near $117,000 with land and basic site work. Modular homes cost closer to $80 to $130.

Compare floor plans and specs across the Prefab Market directory to set your expectations, then take a shortlist of square footage, bedroom count, and finish level to two or three of the Idaho builders above. Ask each whether the quote is for a manufactured or a modular home, and which loan it qualifies for. That one question saves more money than any negotiation.