Modular Home Prices for Merced County, CA Buyers

11/2/2026

If you are pricing a new home for land in Atwater, Livingston or anywhere else in Merced County, it helps to start with real numbers. Baxter Homes, Inc. in Salida posts prices on its website for the Skyline homes it sells, so you can compare floor plans side by side before you ever call. This post walks through those listed prices, what they work out to per square foot, and the other costs a Merced County buyer should plan for.

The prices Baxter Homes lists today

Baxter Homes sells Skyline homes built in Woodland, California. These are the three homes featured on the Baxter Homes website right now, with the price and estimated monthly payment the site shows for each:

• Elmore Bay (A): $130K (about $902/mo shown), 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,026 sq ft, 23'4" x 44'. See the Elmore Bay (A)
• Drakes Bay: $188K (about $1.3K/mo shown), 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,600 sq ft, 26'8" x 60'. See the Drakes Bay
• Orchid 64: $227K (about $1.6K/mo shown), 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1,680 sq ft, 26'4" x 64'. See the Orchid 64

Prices and payment estimates can change, and a monthly payment depends on your down payment, credit and loan terms, so treat these as a starting point and confirm current numbers with the Baxter Homes office.

Price per square foot: how the three compare

Dividing each listed price by the home's square footage gives a rough way to compare plans of different sizes:

The Elmore Bay (A) works out to roughly $127 per square foot. It has the lowest total price of the three, which makes it a natural fit for a smaller lot, a first home or a downsizing move.

The Drakes Bay comes in around $118 per square foot, the lowest of the three on that measure. You get about 574 more square feet than the Elmore Bay for $58K more, still with three bedrooms and two baths.

The Orchid 64 is about $135 per square foot. It costs more per foot than the Drakes Bay, but it is the only one of the three with four bedrooms, and it adds 80 square feet.

These figures are based on the rounded prices shown on the site, so they are approximate. They also only cover the home itself as listed. The price-per-foot number is most useful for comparing one floor plan with another, not for comparing a factory-built home with a finished site-built house down the road, because the costs below are not part of the listed number.

What else to budget for in Merced County

The home is one piece of the total. For land in unincorporated Merced County, the county's Building and Safety Division publishes a building permit guide that lays out what placing a mobile or manufactured home involves (ask the county how its steps apply to the specific home you choose). According to that guide:

Plans for a mobile home placement are limited to the foundation, the hold-down system, a site plan and a basic floor plan. The plot plan has to show where the home sits, its utility connections or septic system, and the required setbacks from your lot lines. If you are on a public water or sewer system, you will need a "Can and Will Serve" letter from the local district after plan approval. For a permanent foundation, a foundation inspection is required before concrete is poured. The guide also lists a $77.00 re-inspection fee if a job is not ready when the inspector arrives.

Every one of those steps carries a cost, from the foundation and utility hookups to septic work on rural parcels. If your property is inside Atwater or Livingston city limits rather than unincorporated county land, check with that city about its own permit process, since the county guide covers unincorporated areas.

California also has its own state program for factory-built housing. The state's Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) describes factory-built housing as "a factory-constructed version of a site-built residential building" and regulates how it is manufactured for sale in California. You can read more on HCD's factory-built housing page, and the full county guide is on the Merced County website.

Why one company handling the whole job matters for your budget

Baxter Homes describes itself as both a full-service modular home retailer and a general contractor, a "one-stop shop offering everything from pulling your permits to the delivery and install." The company holds a C-47 manufactured home contractor's license and a general building contractor's license, and it says it has over 30 years of experience as a small family-owned business.

For a Merced County buyer, that means you can ask one office for a price on the home and a separate, written number for the permit, foundation, delivery and installation work your lot needs. That is the honest way to compare: home price plus your land's site costs, not the home price alone. If you want a closer look at how a Baxter Homes price is put together, read our earlier post, What's in a Baxter Homes Price.

Questions to bring when you compare

When you sit down with any quote, ask which items are in the price and which are separate: delivery, installation, foundation, utility connections, permits and fees, and any upgrades you picked. Ask for the estimate in writing, and ask how long the quoted price holds. Those answers will tell you more than the sticker price ever can.

See the homes in person

Baxter Homes is at 4654 Salida Blvd, Salida, CA 95368, a drive up Highway 99 from Atwater and Livingston. You can browse all floor plans, start designing your home online, or send the team a message. Prefer to talk it through? Call (209) 303-1105 and ask for current pricing on the Elmore Bay, Drakes Bay or Orchid 64.