When Ravin Homes starts putting homes in Peachtree City's Cedarcroft subdivision, they'll seem to come out of nowhere.

That's because they'll be coming out of a factory, said Ravin president Michael Rosetti.

Besieged by concerned homeowners, Rosetti said last week he will drop his plans to build a demonstration modular home in Fayetteville's Stonebriar subdivision, but he still plans to put about 220 factory-built homes in Cedarcroft.

"The unknown is scary," Rosetti said after discussing his plans for a home in Stonebriar during a Fayetteville Planning Commission meeting last week. He had asked for a change in zoning to allow the modular home, because city ordinances don't allow modular homes in the subdivision's current zoning category.

But federal law may be in conflict with that city law, according to city officials, so Rosetti's rezoning petition may not have been necessary.

Meanwhile, residents were so adamant in their opposition to the plan that Rosetti told The Citizen following the meeting he won't go through with it.

Working with Nanticoke Homes out of Nanticoke, Md., Rosetti had hoped to show the Stonebriar home to local builders. "Once they see what can be done in a manufactured home of that caliber, they'll be on board with the concept," he said. Nanticoke plans to build a factory in Georgia, not too far from Fayette County, said Rosetti.

The general public perception of a manufactured home, he said, is a mobile home, or a double-wide. But in the Northeast, top quality manufactured homes are the rule rather than the exception, he said.

"They've been building these up in Maryland for 32 years," he said. "Thirty to 40 percent of the market up there is modular. It's become a pretty viable option because of new technology."

The Stonebriar home would have been in the $185,000 price range, he said, adding that once it's built, people can't tell the difference between a modular home and one that's built on-site.

Such homes are built in complete modules inside a factory, then the modules are assembled on the home's foundation. The modules are tied together with exterior finishing touches.

Advantages to the process are that a builder's plans are less susceptible to weather, and the builder's biggest headache lack of quality subcontractors is eliminated, said Rosetti. "The biggest bugaboo in building is to get good performance from your subcontractors," he said.

"This way, you cut out 65 - 70 percent of your subcontractors," he said, adding that it's not a bad deal for subcontractors either. "The guy that used to be a subcontractor goes to work in a factory. He knows when he goes to work everyday that he's got a job to do," Rosetti said.

Quality control is improved by having the workers in a factor setting where their work can be inspected, he added.

Overall, the cost of building is reduced, "and you end up with a much better product," said Rosetti. "Once people see what can be done with a sophisticated modular home, the concept will become more acceptable down here," he added.