I helped a friend finish his manufactured house. Was very cool to see half a house lifted in the air and then placed down on the foundation. As the house was completed you could not tell that it was not stick built. Those houses are built to withstand traveling on a trailer. Once the two halls were put together and we could go in. Not one crack or pulled nail.

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I have limited knowledge about the matter but as I understand it, mobile homes are built to mobile home construction standards and manufactured houses are built to residential construction standards. I have heard it argued that manufactured housing might be better than stick-built housing because of better quality control.

I don't know f that it true but I think that at the end of the day, the competence of either the residential builder or the manufactured housing builder may be the deciding factor.

Personally, I would prefer a structure sitting on footings than jacks.

 

I’ve never dealt with a modular home. I have seen some newer double wide homes that had 2x6 walls, and the floor plans were laid out in such a way that not an inch was wasted. I used to work for a contractor that built million dollar custom homes 20+ years ago. They only had a one year warranty, same as a spec home. This is in Tennessee. New home warranty may be different according to what part of the country you’re in. I wouldn’t hesitate to live in a modular home. What I would advise against is a house built on a concrete slab. Sooner or later they’ll be a water leak or some other issue, and the only fix is to cut out concrete in your home.

 

Friend of mine and his wife bought a new manufactured home last year. SW FL address. Damage during Hurricane Ian: one small piece of vinyl siding. It’s built on piers, which I wouldn’t be crazy about, but it survived nearly 150 mph winds. Older homes in their neighborhood were leveled. It’s all about build quality and building codes.

 

Ya can't tell the difference between the 2 IME. Get the prebuilt one but put in a basement/mancave first. You'll be the talk of the town.

 

That would be nice.

 

Most prefab homes I see here are placed on a basement or concrete slab. Not sure why one in your country couldn't be. I would prefer a manufactured built home, the stick built homes I see are built quick with lot of inexperienced folks. Esp in a tight housing market. More you can put up more money you make.

 

Plumbers don't tear up slabs anymore, around here. They run pex through the attics and walls to replace it..

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In AZ I wouldn't hesitate on buying a quality manufactured home. No tornados or hurricanes to be concerned about, mostly just the summer heat for an adverse condition. I think I'd want 2x5 walls for maximum insulation factor and a very good roof that withstands heat really well. Lots of attic insulation as well. I live in north AL and we have 2 tornado seasons a year and have had remnants of hurricanes come all the way up here and bring sustained winds of 60mph+ so one has to consider that here where I live.

 

I’ve worked on several and almost everything you do is a PIA compared to stick built. Especially if you have any plumbing or electrical issues. Most I have worked on were one story on jacks, one was set on foundation/ basement. The worst ones were two story, 4 piece units. I worked on two and refuse to work on any more of them. The one with basement had a cast foundation. They poured footer and 3 days later poured the walls. A week later house came in two pieces and they had it done in one day. Replacing windows & doors also PIA compared to stick built. I suppose you get what you pay for but I would never want one in Ohio where I live. They might be ok in milder climates.

 

The main thing that would concern me would be resale value.

These manufactured homes might be selling well in the current seller's market.......but that won't last forever.

At some point in the future when you want to sell and there are plenty of homes on the market...........many people will be passing on manufactured homes.

I certainly wouldn't buy one..........I wouldn't buy a new stick built either.

I'd look for a well-constructed house 30 to 40 years old.

 

How many square feet is living quarters?

 

1600.

 

If you find one that's in your budget get it As you saw you snooze you lose. I'm concerned about resale as well, but whole the shebang is going down the tubes any way. Shelter you need, profit you want. PAX

 

Shelter you need, profit you want. PAX

Indeed. One of my main aims is to always live indoors.

 

wlecome

disclosures...

only lived in stick built homes...so far.

but i would like to build/assemble my own shipping container home.

for what its worth, i think you really need to look at your endgame.

how long you want/plan to live there?

Do you see its as an "investment" ? you can do your due diligence and see what "used" manufactured homes go for in the area. Mind you, i havent lived/bought one, but ever since i heard of them, they were money "looser". Not many people that i know made a "profit". but Profit can mean different things too. Break even after x many years? or X many thousands of dollars profit.

If you want a (temp place to live) while you look/find a stick built home, thats a possibility.

good luck

 

If you want a (temp place to live) while you look/find a stick built home, thats a possibility.

good luck

Yes, I've thought about that too. There are some inexpensive older mobile homes a little ways out of town.

 

Right after me and my wife got married we bought a used double wide mobile home. Paid $5500 for it fully furnished. Lived there a year, and sold it for $11,500. Neighborhood was rough, but we needed a place and ended up doubling our investment. The title looked exactly like a car title.

 

I've been out of business (insurance) for a decade, but is used to be that mobilehomes were built to HUD standards, but the newer ones (at that time) were sometimes built to IRC standards. IRC is the same standard used of "on site stick built houses". Now there are also "modular" homes built to IRC standards in a factory then shipped and assembled on you site with choice of foundations from piers to slab to foundations.

You might find this link helpful: HUD Modular Home VS. IRC, What Is The Difference?

 

My folks have lived in a manufactured home for over 30yrs. They dug out and laid a block foundation so it would be permanment. Only place it was really lacking in is insulation. About 2 years ago they had someone put up new vinyl siding and had it wrapped at the same time. The wrap made a night and day difference in their home. No more drafts, no more 100% running HVAC in the hottest/coldest months.

My advice would be: get the manufactured home exactly how you want it, then have someone immediately wrap it and enjoy your home. I would also opt for a full foundation. I wouldnt want my home on jacks either.

 

My folks have lived in a manufactured home for over 30yrs. They dug out and laid a block foundation so it would be permanment. Only place it was really lacking in is insulation. About 2 years ago they had someone put up new vinyl siding and had it wrapped at the same time. The wrap made a night and day difference in their home. No more drafts, no more 100% running HVAC in the hottest/coldest months.

My advice would be: get the manufactured home exactly how you want it, then have someone immediately wrap it and enjoy your home. I would also opt for a full foundation. I wouldnt want my home on jacks either.

Tell me more about "wrap" and cost please. PM me if you wish.

Thanks, Ross

 

Guy next to my aunt on her lake did a prefab home. Put it in a foundation with full basement and went an extra block high, nice high ceilings in basement. Can’t tell the difference. 4 long cubes bolted together with a roof, porch facing lake. nice house.

 

I live in a manufactured home on a block foundation. If I were going to do it over again I would build on site. Overall, the house has been ok, but there are definitely some corners cut vs having a home built.

 

Vee3.....one thing to consider is your age. If you are like me, I'm not looking for a profit from a house I may die in.
Unless you are wanting kids to have something later....I say buy what you want and can afford. Be comfortable and enjoy the time you have left. I've said it before......never seen a Brinks truck behind a hearse.

 

I've thought about that. I'm already paying to put my son through law school. If I leave him a shed with a bed on a piece of land, I figure that's good enough for him.

 

House wrap is a vapor barrier, not a thermal barrier. Sealing around the windows and doors before installing the siding is supposed to be done with special tapes both for watertightness and to stop air intrusion. House wraps are breathable, they pass some amount of air molecules but liquid water should be blocked from passing through to the wall breathing material whatever it is. The thin foam panels than can be installed over plywood, strandboard, cellotex or other wood type wall sheathings udually don't have a really high R value but some is better than none. Should help more on older homes than newer ones that usually have more insulation.

I worked in residential construction and repair for over thirty years and my first choice by far would be stick built on site. I was never impressed with the quality of the materials nor the assemblage of prefab, manufactured housing or mobile homes.

 

House wrap is a vapor barrier, not a thermal barrier. Sealing around the windows and doors before installing the siding is supposed to be done with special tapes both for watertightness and to stop air intrusion. House wraps are breathable, they pass some amount of air molecules but liquid water should be blocked from passing through to the wall breathing material whatever it is. The thin foam panels than can be installed over plywood, strandboard, cellotex or other wood type wall sheathings udually don't have a really high R value but some is better than none. Should help more on older homes than newer ones that usually have more insulation.

I worked in residential construction and repair for over thirty years and my first choice by far would be stick built on site. I was never impressed with the quality of the materials nor the assemblage of prefab, manufactured housing or mobile homes.

I believe he is talking about Tyvek or another similar wrap. Before that they used tar paper( roofing felt). I’ve seen houses built with osb on the corners, and foam board everywhere else. To me that’s really cutting corners. Whole house should have wood sheathing imo.

 

A basement will save on heating and cooling costs. Neighbor and I have same house design, but his is on a slab. We compare costs and mine is consistently 15 to 25% less..

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In Arizona basements are rare and expensive. The ground is basically cement, they call it Caliche, and is very expensive to dig out. As to future Value, Location, Location , Location. A lake view is more valuable than no lake view. As to build quality, knock on a potential neighbors door and ask them what they think.

 

Imo, it all depends upon the quality of the build (duh, yeah, I know that sounds simplistic).
Ive seen sooo much sloppy construction work in my 70yrs......I have done my own carpentry/remodels and had to repair a bunch of poorly done stuff as I rebuilt/remodeled in a couple of old places. On one in particular the use of the word 'poorly' is a compliment.
We toured a factory house facility a few hours from us about 20yrs ago. I was impressed. They had a plethora of options, it was truly a custom build but in a factory controlled conditions environment. All to code, approved build.
A distinction was made to me there regarding 'factory built housing'. Those made with a steel frame beneath are the cheaper ones/glorified 'trailers' even if done as a side by side. Those made with a real joist deck made to drop on a slab or foundation are real houses.
I could live in either one, at this point the 'house' will easily outlive me.......a

 

Imo, it all depends upon the quality of the build (duh, yeah, I know that sounds simplistic).

But it needs to be noted. The biggest difference between a well built modular home and stick built will be that the modular home will be square and the construction materials are less likely to evaporate from the build site.

I live in an area with lots of houses that are poorly built and really poorly designed. (I grew up in a home designed by a well regarded architect builder in the 1910s and 1920s, and how space is used and parts of the house are proportioned make a large difference in how the space is experienced by its occupants). My house, built in the 1960s, is ugly with a lot of wasted space. A stick built home can also be awful.

 

Also in Arizona any manufactured homes built before 1976 can't be moved and get a new certificate of occupancy.

 

The stick built house that developer builds and then put up for sale can be a gamble. Not so when you get your own contractor. This is where house is built to your specs by contract. Not one of these guys that pull up with a truck full of Labor who can’t speak English. The Government inspectors in some places are very lax with their contractor buddies. Other places it’s like dealing with the mob.
You become a Contractor Buddy or your life will be made miserable. Best to have Govt out of loop.
If you don’t know what you are looking at/ for it would behoove you to hire professional licensed housing inspector. When he signs off he is responsible and liable.
We are also leaving out precuts, which come between modular and stick built.