I'll admit to having a vested interest in promoting modular construction, being in the design/engineering end of the industry for the last 16 years, but at least in NY state, your claims about manufactured housing are not accurate.

Section 1210.16 d) #(2) of the NYCRR requires that manufacturers warrent "that such manufactured home was constructed in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local statutes, laws, codes, rules, and regulations,"

It's unfair to promote the idea that there are no regulations for manufactured housing, at least in my state.

don't let the door hit you in the @ss on your way out......

the name of the forum is "manufactured homes", perhaps you are in the wrong forum.

It would help if your comments were truly informed and educated, at least at a very basic level, before being made. Possibly you could start your own website forum just for the 'elite' who own modular homes----oops, but then maybe someone with an onsite 'stick built' home will will protest your definition of 'modular' homes:)

There are regulations in my state as well.

My, my, I wasnÂt trying to offend anyoneÂ..I was just suggesting that someone should create a forum for modular homes. I would love to hear from and share experiences with other modular home owners. Mobile homes are an excellent value for the money but please do not compare them with traditional built or modular built homes. There are HUD codes (which do not meet any state SITE built or modular built building codes) and FHA codes. Mountain curmudgeon, I think you misunderstood me, I was saying HUD building codes are not as strict as local building codeÂtry building a site built house or modular using HUD standards and I dare you to find a building inspector that would pass it. Come on modular owners back me up

Evidently you haven't put in much time on a Habitat For Humanity Housing project , Have you? Would that qualify as stick built substandard housing?

I think I understood you. You said: "Manufactured housing is HUD trailers that DO NOT meet any state or FHA building codes,period."

These homes are built to standards as directed by the United States Congress, which has directed that they "...meet the highest standards of protection, taking into account existing State and local laws relating to manufactured home safety and construction." As I stated above, NY and other states have rigid standards for manufactured homes installed within the state. The federal guidelines meet these guidelines, or codes if you prefer.

Are these homes treated differently from stick-built homes? Yes. Modular homes are similarly treated differently from stick-built homes. Both systems are subject to strict inspection processes carried out in the factory by third-party inspectors who perform the services that would normally would be done by local building inspectors. Are the code requirements and process different? Yes. Why are there differences? Because the final product is different. Are they substandard? No.

Building code requirements vary within the same jurisdiction depending on the construction type and use of the structure. Just as there are limitations in manufactured home constructions that are possible in modular construction, there have been commercial applications that I have not been able to achieve using typical modular home construction because of stricter code requirements for the commercial application. Does that make modular construction substandard or of lower quality than the commercial counterpart? No. They simply are required to conform to a different set of standards because they are, in fact, different construction.

To vary your scenario, if one were to build a set of modules in his or her yard and then set them on a foundation, would a building inspector approve the construction? He certainly shouldn't as the series of inspections that follow each step of the construction process would not have been met, and the individual builder would not have been a pre-approved manufacturer following a set of sealed systems approvals and with the required quality control procedures.

Of course, all this has nothing to do with your wish to have an exclusive modular home forum where you would not have to feel resentful of your forced association with the manufactured housing folk, which, in my opinion, is all this boils down to. It is the "us vs. them" theme I mentioned in another thread.

If this forum will benefit from both modular and manufactured comments, it will be in that you need to SHOP SHOP SHOP! These homes are no different than the land you're putting in on. Just as location is important to the land, build and component quality is important to your home. If I've learned anything the past 3 months, it's that there are folks that will sell you trash for the same price other folks will sell you gems for. Be careful and attentive, and for crying out loud, do NOT make an impulse buy or stop at only one supplier.

As a mortgage industry person, I know that when you go to sell or refinance, you are MUCH better off in a modular than a manufactured. For many reasons. Modulars are generally indistinguishable from a site-built home, because they are made from the same materials. A manufactured home is a trailer, even if it's on a foundation and deeded as real estate. I'm not knocking MH's at all, they are often a great value and I've been in some NICE ones. But-they don't resell as well, you can't cash-out as much equity in a refinance, and they are different. A modular generally isn't any different (and is often better quality construction) than a site-built home.

i looked into site built, mobile and modular and ended up with a second hand 30 year old manufactured home. i looked into glidehouse. it's a really cool modular, but not cheap and so many decisions to make and so many variables. the nice thing is, you can do it the way you want it within your budget. i decided it was too much for me and bought this place mainly for the land...it was someone elses house...dated, not designed the way i would like, and needing repairs. if you don't have a lot of money and most of us don't, you do what you can. if you can afford it or just want to dream, look up glidehouse website.

"...The depreciate - sorry about that but they do..."
*****************
Then why do mobile homes on foundations INCREASE in value?
You can take a mobile, modular or site built home, put it on piers on a rented site in a park and they ALL will devalue. The prices you speak of are for mobiles in parks or on rented slabs, not permanently set on on a foundation on the owner's property. These DO APPRECIATE. BIG difference.

We bought our manufactured home three years ago on land for 36k ... We have done more than a few things to improve it. New roof, siding, windows, doors, furnace, CA, appliances, carpeting, lighting, vinyl, and finally added a basement this summer.

New value? 109k. Not bad for three years, eh?

We bought a modular home from Design Homes in WI. It was set in January of this year. It cost $85,000. Now that doesn't include the land, septic, and well which we put in. It was just appraised in Sept. of this very same year for $175,000.

It sits on 58 acres but the appraisal only accounts for a one acre lot. So with our lot and well and septic, you could add about $10,000. In less than a year, our property (well only one acre of it) increased by about $80,000. We are out here in the middle of nowhere. Now, please tell me that if we had put a $85,000 double wide on this land if we could say the same??????

"...Now, please tell me that if we had put a $85,000 double wide on this land if we could say the same??????..."
**************

Somebody around here did just that. A six year old double wide on 2 acres sold for over $200,000. And there was a bidding war on it.

But let's look at that 85 grand, OK? If you were to pay that much for a double wide you would be getting a lot more in the home. And it would definitely be bigger. An EQUALLY sized modular and double wide would be priced very differently. And the DW would surely cost less. And therefore, resale would be lower.

But manufactured housing has come a loooong way in just a few years. Our local dealer has double wides that are log homes as well as cape cods complete with upstairs bedrooms. Long gone are the days of two sections bolted together with a 3/12 roof pitch and T-111 or vinyl siding.

I like my modular very much. The value has more than doubled in four years. But I refuse to look down my nose at a segment of housing that fits the needs of many people. Respect it for what it is. Affordable housing for those starting out, those that don't have large incomes, or retiring. They fill a very important niche in American housing.

I think it's unfair to group modulars and mobiles together; they are totally different (being really careful not to take sides here!) I looked at modulars for our land; the prices overlap w/ site-built homes of the same quality. So why go modular? I have 2 reasons- better build quality (I think) and speed of construction, which can be a big factor for some. We can't build our new house until we sell our old one, which leaves us homeless until the new one is done. A modular would save us months in that case. A mobile would be even quicker. Right now, I'm leaning toward building my own house, since our finances are not looking all that rosy (career issues, and the collapsing real estate market here in FL). And we will consider a mobile if we don't have the money or time to build something else. It would be nice to have a forum devoted to modulars; a lot of people are trying to cut through the dealer hype and get real-world info.

Again, it's hardly "unfair" to group modulars and mobiles together. The name of the forum is the Manufactured Homes Forum and that is exactly what both are.

Even though my living has derived from the modular home industry for over 16 years, I have no problem with associating with the good folks whose primary interest is in the mobile home side of the industry. If your interest is in yurts, welcome also.

You can lobby for an exclusive modular home forum here but I think what really is needed is more informative postings about all types of manufactured housing and less of the "us vs. them" silliness. Yes, we all know there is a difference but where's the harm in sharing this forum? I see none of the "dealer hype" you refer to in this forum.

Wayne

I didn't say there was any dealer hype on this forum. I do know that some dealers are blurring the line between the two types of construction. I can't imagine anyone making a bigger purchase than a home; it would be nice to know what I am buying. I've visited a few model homes, of different types of construction, and all of them claim their's is best, and the others are inferior in some way. That's what's great about forums- you can talk to people who have had real-world experience in buying something, rather than taking a salesman's word for it. As for both being Manufactured Homes- that's true, but I don't go to a BMW forum for advice on my Ford truck...

Hello To all

We all make a choice either modular or mobile homes. Some feel the modular homes are better made. I am buying a mobile/double wide home with upgrades next year. I already have two 10 by 50 mobile homes that are over 50 years old. There still standing. I am going with double wide home I think I will be going more for the money I chose to spend. they certainly have improved over the years. But I believe you can get a mobile/double wide poorly made as a modular. But once it gets to your location its up to the dealer who made the deal how good the work is going into it. As I can't order direct for my new Pine Grove Manufactured home. I have to re lie on the dealer to set up my home properly. And to service any problems that appear after purchase. One thing I haven't heard was the prices of both homes. I found buying the same home. Comparing apples to apples each dealer have there price they charge you for the same home. So my advice is to pinpoint what kind of home and options you want and get a written price and shop around. Believe me there are a lot of options one would think were included in the price but are not. One dealer told me it would cost another $3,000 to finish the set up. The ends come with out the siding when shipping and have to be put on as well as hang and level all doors and a few other things. Be aware of hidden cost. Don't forget Sales Taxes. And if your ground is wet and the truck can't make it in there..they hire extra equipment at your cost. I enjoy learning as much as possible. So talk away its very interesting.

The problem with grouping the Two together is that in some areas people are deciding on a Manufacturered v modular home. In other areas it really is that people are deciding between a stick built and modular. So having a forum devoted just to modular will satisfy both needs. For people who are not looking for a manufactured home (for whatever reason) it is frustrating looking through all the posts that do not apply in order to get the wisdom on modular homes

I probably should say mobile rather than manufactured since I realize both manufactured

"...I probably should say mobile rather than manufactured since I realize both manufactured..."

This is a misnomer. Both are NOT "manufactured" housing. Modulars are not in this catagory. They are in essence stick built homes made in a controled environment. They must be made to higher standards than "mobile" homes.

And once they are set on a foundation, they are considered the exact same as a site built home. And once they are set, you cannot tell the difference between a modular and a site built hime.

so do mobile homes use drywall? Most of the ones I've seen are vinyl.

bluesbarby~
Really old post here...But yes mobiles now use drywall.

Seriously uninformed OP. We just bought a double wide - 5/1 roof slope, drywall flat ceilings and drywall walls throughout. The same front and screen doors as in a stick built home. This home is seriously much better constructed than any post-1970 stick-built home. We could have bought a house in our chosen location for half what we paid for our manufactured home. We wanted the quality and time line of a manufactured home. We may someday move it to a lot on a foundation, but we may not. Living here in the park gives us near neighbors, and we are getting older.

cathyyg,

Which manufactured home did you purchase? Were you able to choose different options in the design and finish?

Nwesterner,

We had limited options, from which we had to choose. We upgraded almost everything. Our vinyl flooring in the entry and kitchen is regularly mistaken for hardwood. I won't recommend the builder, as our dealer has told us the company was sold, and quality has declined so steeply they will no longer sell this brand. In fact, it looks like they are no longer even making manufactured homes, but are specializing only in park models.(Hart homes, by Forest River, plan 154)
We chose upgraded floor joists (2x8), upgraded insulation, upgraded kitchen cabinets, upgraded appliances, upgraded carpet. We took the standard Formica counter tops, because I have had granite before, and it is not as fabulous as you would think. I had the refrigerator moved a foot to eliminate a useless 1 foot section of counter between the refrigerator and kitchen wall. I got an extra foot of useful counter next to the sink that way. We eliminated the sunroom sliding patio doors as there would be no patio there and they would only be a source for heat loss and gain. We put in a regular window there instead. We moved both non master bedroom windows from the long wall onto the short wall, as that was going to look out onto the street.

We had the entire home lengthened 4 feet from the original plan. 32 inches in the smaller bedrooms, 16 inches in the living dining area, which made room for our china cabinet and piano.

We chose the siding, shutters, and shingles from the standard colors offered by the siding and shingle manufacturers they used. Major big names in both, Owens Corning and Certainteed.

The least friendly option was the ghastly window treatments. Those went into the Goodwill bag the day we moved in.