ORLANDO, Fla. -- Show houses are certainly great sources for inspiration, but unless you hit the lottery, who can afford them? Luckily, the 2008 International Builders' Show in Orlando last week included tours of several more reasonably sized (and priced) modular homes in the convention center's parking lot.

You might expect manufactured homes to be boxy and boring, but these eye-catching offerings from Palm Harbor and Nationwide Custom Homes were anything but. All feature the latest trends in home construction: built-in coffee bars and wine cabinets, warming trays and high-speed ovens, ice makers, vessel sinks and -- this is a big one -- fireplaces and flat-screen televisions mounted above the bathtubs.

Geared to first-time buyers, the cute-as-a-button, lime-green "Glenn Cairn" model (1,984 square feet) is reminiscent of the classic "shotgun" house, a long, narrow residence that was popular in New Orleans in the early 1800s. Only this house stands two stories and is graced with double walk-out porches. Surprisingly roomy for a home that's just one room wide, it offers three bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths, including a luxurious master with twin vanities and a walk-in shower.

The cottagey "Bimini" model (3,644 square feet) is nearly twice as large, sporting two laundry areas and a party bar in the upstairs game room. Billed as a "green home," it features solid surface countertops made of recycled materials, radiant-heated floors and an on-demand water heater. There's also plenty for the style-conscious, including a stainless-steel Houzer apron sink, Wafer Stone bathroom counters, a media room with full kitchen, and a steam shower outfitted with aromatherapy, mood lighting and resonator speakers. Price: about $320,000, plus freight.

The 2 1/2-story high-tech "Palazzo" (4,750 square feet) was the fanciest, with a coffered ceiling in the living room, a master bath with a curved glass walk-in shower and a second-floor media room punctuated with glass-block windows. Other amenities include an elevator, a wet bar off the staircase and a den with exposed brick walls and built-in bookcases. It's priced at $222,400, or $425,000 with all the show upgrades.

Sleeker still is Ritz-Craft's Craftsman-style "Palmetto" model. This 2,600-square-foot home boasts a "hearth" kitchen with quartz countertops and a separate butler's pantry, an open living room with built-in bookcases and a stone fireplace and upgrades such as coffered ceilings, wide-profile moldings and 10-foot ceilings. There's also a master bedroom suite that takes up an entire wing of the house and includes his-and-her walk-in closets. And all for about $350,000.

Visitors also got to see what's on the horizon in residential construction in the 2008 NextGen home (nextgenhome.com). This is the sixth incarnation of the automated demonstration house of the future.