Need advice on manufactured homes

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

The fiance and I are looking at manufactured homes. After looking for a year we still can't find an already built house we like on a piece of property we like. Has anyone had experience buying and living in a manufactured home? What brand did you like and why? What brand didn't you like and why? Any things you especially love about your home? Any things you were really disappointed in? Would you buy one again?

-- debra in ks (solid-dkn@msn.com), February 12, 2001

Answers

I'm no expert but I lived in one for several years but darned if I can remember the brand name of it. I do remember one thing. It had six inch walls and most brands, back then at least, had four inch walls. The six inch walls are supposed to be much stronger, simply because they are framed with 2X6 boards instead of 2X4 boards. That makes sense. Also, the thicker walls held more insulation. That's important, especially if you're up north somewhere where it gets real cold. The biggest complaint I had was that it depreciated instead of appreciated like a regular house would. I never had any real problems with mine. If you get one, be sure it has good skirting and is tied down real well by a professional. If it gets real cold where you are you can put bales of hay around the bottom behind the skirting. Makes a lot of difference.

-- Joe (jcole@apha.com), February 12, 2001.

Go to the Alternative Housing category in the archives and read the thread on Need Advice on Living in a Trailer (Mobile Home). It was fairly well discussed there.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 12, 2001.

My advice buy a double wide. have tires & wheels removed, cut off tongue. (trailers not yours, lol) underpin and anchor it well. In about all states that makes it a "home" permanent structure. It will appreciate instead of depreciate. DO NOT under any circumstances let the salesman con you into taking anything less than what you want. We let one talk us into compromising on the shower. I have hated that shower since day 1. Look at all the models available. After getting our "virgin" mobile home I found a repo identical to ours with basically the same warranty's for $6500 less.

Living in a manufactured home is pretty much like living in any other home. I have noticed our power bill was lower than when we lived in a stick built in KY.

By all means get extended warrantys on the Roof, siding and if they'll go for it the floor. I got the roof ( not just the shingles) and when we had storm damage warranty (Insurance) picked up the tab.

My biggest complaint is that unless you have one built for you the manufacturer will cut corners and put way to many outlets on the same circuit. If possible check this out on any home your looking at.

Best name...I like HORTON's.

A final thought we lived in ours while waiting for the power and septic to be installed. Can't do that when building one.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), February 12, 2001.


The newer prefab homes are as sturdy as any other home built these days by homebuilding professionals on the average. My sisters house is hard to tell was prefab, and it was cozy and comfortable on my last visit. Attractive, and done up to suit her specific wishes for no addional price, since they were going to wait for the factory to build it. I've heard good things about the factory in Lebo, KS. I pass them on the interstate a lot.

One other idea, if you can't find a house you like on land you like, why not move a house you buy at auction that must be moved, or a house you discover apparently vacent (call the county to find owner) and buy from them, or offer to take it off thier hands? It sounds daunting, but I've seen it work out well for a good friend. Especially usefull if you like houses from the early twentieth century. (Try to find something on your side of a major underpass)

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@Excite.com), February 12, 2001.


We put up a used double wide three years ago. 26' x 56', three bedrooms, two full baths, solarium etc. It took a while but finding a used one saved us about $30,000. Its on a basement with a full walk- out on the north side. 6" walls(thats more for the insulation than the strength). The framing for exterior walls and floor are very similar to conventional stick built homes. They cut corners on the floor(particle board with no subfloor) and the "marriage" wall is rinky dink. The roof trusses are a joke, made out of 1 1/2" x 1 1/4", also very rinky dink, but over all we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

-- john leake (natlivent@pcpros.net), February 12, 2001.


We found a floor plan we liked once but it was a Skyline. I worked at the plant in Halstead KS for about 3 weeks and did they ever cut corners. the vent holes on the top of the roof were not drilled all the time, Ive seen hole a good foot around for a pipe about 2 inch in dia. the flashing that went around the pipe didnt always get nailed to anything. I dont know about the rest of the trailer but i know the roofs leave a little to be desired.

-- MikeinKS (mhonk@oz-online.net), February 12, 2001.

We lived in a very old single wide for around 3 years. I loved it because we were able to buy it out right. After we didn't need it anymore we sold it for more than we paid for it because of improvements we had made. I find that most pre-fab homes, even the new ones, are short on closet space. My suggestion is if you have the time look for a good used one to live in while you build or while you save to build. I would also suggest a double wide and as large as your pocket book will allow. That is if you plan on living in it for awhile. Here in California a new pre-fab cost as much as a stick built and doesn't include a garage. So a garage is something that you should think about too. We have done without a garage and we really missed it.

-- cindy palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), February 12, 2001.

Something to keep in mind: if you have lots of allergies you could have big problems in a manufactured home. New building syndrome- carpet, panelling paint, all seem to be stronger, it's the formalelyde mostly.

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), February 13, 2001.

We live in a modular home, I don't remember what kind but it's a 79, I guess it's a little different than a manufactured?? It looks like a regular ranch home but I've never liked the floors. I guess that would be the one thing I'd warn people about after living in this home. We built a 24x24 addition on to our home & it is much sturdier & feels more solid. But it isn't over a basement like the modular part is, we even put new sub flooring in which helped but things still shake when my son runs through the house. So check out the floors, and make sure if you put it over a basement it has lots of support!!!

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), February 13, 2001.

Debra, We lived in a 2 year old Fuqua and it was wonderful. Real tight, cheap to heat, spacious, etc. I'd buy a new one (or a Palm Harbor) any day. We are now in a 28 year old Lamplighter until we build, and it's a real piece of junk. We're freezing. You can hear people talking inside when you are outside. Everything about it sucks.

A builder told us that any house that can travel down a freeway at 65 mph has to be well built.

-- Julie (julieamc@excite.com), February 13, 2001.



We bought a double-wide in rural TN. It's set up on concrete blocks that are on poured concrete pads. It really makes the place feel solid, no shakes unless the washer is unbalanced. But then, no kids either.

-- Martin Boraas (boraas@miliserv.net), February 13, 2001.

It depends where you live to some extent. I have seen new manufactured homes in tennessee and arkansas that belong in the cheap toy category. In the midwest and the west, at least where I have lived they apparently have much stricter codes and the better quality homes are hard to tell from a stickbuilt. I have lived in several so far , both single and double wides. The best one,well that was all those used ones that I could afford to pay cash for. I hear that fuqua is an excellent home but rather pricey.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), February 13, 2001.

We have a triple wide Fuqua......its spacious and open.....2200 sq ft.....all drywalled....four bedrooms including a master suite with bath, plus two other bathrooms.....cathedral ceilings........fireplace.......very well constructed.......but it wasnt cheap.

Lived in the old homestead house for the first two years (very tiny and basic) with the intention of building a log home, but then reality set in, and became too impatient and miserable so decided we wanted a comfortable house NOW! There is a vast amount of difference in quality among manufactured home builders. Something for everybody I guess. Even cheapo ones can do for someone needing something temporary, especially in a mild climate.

As comfortable and workable as our house is, considering I never in a million years woulda believed I would be living in a manufactured house (I am a spoiled brat), there are things that are different about all of them. Little annoying things like the hardware is crap and isn't standard. The doorknobs start to stick, and when you have to rescue your kid who for the fourth time cant get out of the bathroom, its time to upgrade them. So you go to the hardware store, bring home your new knob, remove the old one, and discover the new one doesnt fit! So you have to drill a little bit bigger hole in your skinny foam-filled door without makin it look like the patch job that it is.

We originally wanted to put in wood floors, so tried to order one with no carpet (I hate carpet!) but the law doesnt allow it! (HUD). So we have still carpet. But I digress..........

As far as the pollution problems which Cindy mentioned, there are ways to eliminate or at least reduce the danger. She's right that the typical older mobile home is a pollution nightmare. Formaldehyde especially.......we dealt with this by buying in spring so we had all summer to keep windows open, and ordered all walls drywalled rather than that awful plastic walling stuff that used to be standard, and still is on cheap units. There are products you can buy to seal your carpeting from offgassing so much also....

Otherwise, we are comfy, but I still want a "real" house; one I can heat with wood, and solar,and has a basement (we use the old house for that).....whine.........

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.


Two sites you may want to investigate: www.aidhomes.com, and www.metalbuilding.com. The first, aidhomes.com, sells prefabricated dome homes made of reinforced concrete panels with EPS (expanded poylystyrene) insulation that is attatched to the concrete panel. For about $15,000 you could have a 1,424 sqaure foot dome shell with an R value of 36, (9" of EPS) complete with vapor barrier. Assembly of the shell appears to not require any special skills. All you have to do is hold the panels in place while you fill the beveled joints between the two panels with concrete,..after, of course, overlapping the reinforcing wire that is contained in the concrete panels. Some scaffolding may be necessary. The other site, metalbuilding.com, is a clearing house of metal building information. A typical ad had a 30' X 40' building for $5,300. I am not sure of the customizing options on this type of building, but it seems reasonable that windows could be easily incorporated. It may not be the most aesthetically pleasing type of building, but 1,200 sqaure feet of enclosed space for $5,300 is hard to beat...and you get to design your own floor plan, unlike trailer homes.

-- John Fritz (aeon30@hotmail.com), February 14, 2001.

If you are giong to purchase an older mobile home, preused that is, I would advise that you rewire it with standard wiring that meets codes for standard stick built houses. I have a friend with a salvage yard that scraps out mobile homes. It is frightening to see the poor wiring jobs that are incorporated into many of these older homes. Many times he has seen where the wiring has been the cause of the fire that resulted in his acquiring the home for his scrap yard endeavors. I would advise running the wire in conduit along the inside of the walls. Easily painted to match the wall and much safer than old, possibly substandard, possibly rodent damaged wiring you could very well inherit with the purchase of a used mobile home.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@MnCom.Net), February 15, 2001.


Our experience. Although we never bought one, we did visit **many** lots & different manufactures. The best ones had 2x6 construction with appropriate levels of insulation throughout.

The manufac. that had the best construction also had the best options. That is, if you liked a particular floorplan/layout, you could move wall, windows, doors (you name it), as long as it didn't affect the structural design. And all of them were happy to sheetrock the interior walls if that's what we wanted. Yes, we would have paid for what we wanted but once 'planted' on-site, I would challenge you to tell me if it was pre-built or stick-built on site.

Your mileage will vary. Good luck & take your time.

j

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), February 15, 2001.


Debra;

Depending on the state you're in the values vary. Here in Missouri It's a BIG market for pre manufactured homes and in this state it doesn't matter if you get a $80,000.00 double wide from the best manufactuer and put it on a full basement, it will never appreciate. But in California just outside of LA my Wife's Uncle sold a 25 year old (very small 2 bedroom)single wide in a mobile home park for $15,000.00 So location has a lot to do with resale. And to repeat the above advice make sure that the flooring and roofing are what you want. An option on most homes is a shingled roof over the bare metal ones.

Research, research, and then more research......

Good Luck and God Bless

Jim Tanner

-- Jim Tanner (tanner_jim@hotmail.com), February 16, 2001.


i agree w/ kenneth on the manufactured homes. when hubby and i were still together we were looking into manufactured homes. we actually found an HONEST salesman who really helped us out w/ a lot of things. he told us about how making it a permenant structure to increase value, etc. i also found out that if you build another structure(garage, etc.) build it at least one ft. detached from your home and it will reduce the fire hazard and cost you less in insurance. manufactured homes are built to a better standard because they need to meet standards in all 50 states. i would look at the homes at palm harbor and than go buy the one you like somewhere else. PH tends to be more expensive. manufactured homes are so much better now than 20 yrs/ ago. i remember growing up in a manufactured home that shook when the washer went into the spin cycle! good luck on the house hunt.

-- amber (ambrosia75_@hotmail.com), February 17, 2001.

One thing you should consider is that prefabs are built with a lot of synthetic materials. For the chemically sensitive, they can outgas a lot of toxins. You might not be sensitive, but a baby or child might not be able to tolerate the chemicals and be sick a lot. I have one friend who bought a beautiful new doublewide and had to sell it in a matter of two months due to the materials it was built with. Too bad, because it was pretty and comfortable, just toxic.

-- seraphima (djones@kodiak.alaska.edu), February 19, 2001.

I want to thank everyone for your advice. We will definately get a brand new double wide modular on a basement. We also want 6" walls, copper pipes, drywall and a flue for the woodstove. Those are the things we know for sure. I'll check into having more natural materials and less synthetic ones per the advice about fumes and such. There will never be any children so I don't have to worry about it hurting them, but it can't be good for anyone of any age! We are definately doing our homework as we don't expect to actually buy a unit until at least spring 2002. That leaves lots of time for research. Thanks again!

-- debra in ks (solid-dkn@msn.com), February 19, 2001.

Ole Jeep and I are replacing a furnace in an older model single wide mobile home. When we removed the old "Intertherm" gas furnace today a body could look ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND! The duct 4"X 14" was butchered with most of the air blowing straight to the underneath side. Particle board floors that have been wet! Tomorrow we'll scab on plywood or OSB chipboard [waterproof glue on both] and atttempt to repair the duct to make it air tight. We can do it but it'll take awhile. This particular home is 4" walls with a WHOPPIN 1" of insulation! Inside studding is 5/8" X 2 1/2" cheapo pine! Thin paneling and cheap ceiling-thats sagging all around. It has those big ole BEAMS that run across the living room ceiling tho. Wow-sure is impressive to see those fake stryofoam gaudy pieces of trash cluttering up the ceiling! I've worked on mobile homes for years replacing furnaces etc. That's why when Lil Dumplin and I decided to replace our old double wide-we couldnt afford to build a stick built, we bought an Amish double wide modular. Got it built the way I wanted but would change a few things since-if I was doing it all over again. All in all a very well built home, very energy efficient and the total cost was something llike $42,000. Set on concrete blocks and runs on gas. Name is "Dutch" and was built in elkhart indiana. Matt.24:44

-- ole hoot gibson. (hoot@pcinetwork.com), February 19, 2001.

I grew up in a house, now that I am married, finding a house is too expesive where I live in New Mexico. We decided to look at mobile homes in a decent price range. We found new ones that we liked but they seemed cheap for what we can afford, with what we wanted with upgrades(insulation, carpet, etc.), the price went up dramatically. So we started to look at used mobile homes, there were some that were not great and others that were really nice. We found a 1985 (It looks more like a late "90s model) 16X80 that was in excellent condition. The owner wasn't in a hurry to sell it (we found out it was for sale from a friend), she wastn't even advertising or anything. She loved her home, but said she needed to sell it 'cause she was getting old. We looked at it, we liked the floor plan. She said she paid alot of money for it brand new. She was asking $20,000 for it. I thought that was alot of money for an '85 mobile home. It was on a lot, she said on the lot it was appraised at $25,000. The mobile home had everything we were looking for. It had zone 3 insulation, nice wallpaper, nice faucets, it did not look like the mobile homes we had been looking at. It was taken care of and maintained. We decided to go through with it, our bank appraised it at $28,000, so we jumped on the deal. We got everything we wanted plus a nice home look inside. We've lived in it for 3 years and it is as good and nice as the home I grew up in. This home is as good and as sturdy as any home built. What I am trying to tell you is to look for some high quality used homes that would normally cost $50-$70K brand new. They have everything. We love our home. Our friends love it and people have asked if we would ever sell it. We had an offer for $30,000, for a 1985. It is an excellent home.

-- urban e. hill (hill_urban_e@lanl.gov), April 05, 2001.

I grew up in a house, now that I am married, finding a house is too expesive where I live in New Mexico. We decided to look at mobile homes in a decent price range. We found new ones that we liked but they seemed cheap for what we can afford, with what we wanted with upgrades(insulation, carpet, etc.), the price went up dramatically. So we started to look at used mobile homes, there were some that were not great and others that were really nice. We found a 1985 (It looks more like a late "90s model) 16X80 that was in excellent condition. The owner wasn't in a hurry to sell it (we found out it was for sale from a friend), she wastn't even advertising or anything. She loved her home, but said she needed to sell it 'cause she was getting old. We looked at it, we liked the floor plan. She said she paid alot of money for it brand new. She was asking $20,000 for it. I thought that was alot of money for an '85 mobile home. It was on a lot, she said on the lot it was appraised at $25,000. The mobile home had everything we were looking for. It had zone 3 insulation, nice wallpaper, nice faucets, it did not look like the mobile homes we had been looking at. It was taken care of and maintained. We decided to go through with it, our bank appraised it at $28,000, so we jumped on the deal. We got everything we wanted plus a nice home look inside. We've lived in it for 3 years and it is as good and nice as the home I grew up in. This home is as good and as sturdy as any home built. What I am trying to tell you is to look for some high quality used homes that would normally cost $50-$70K brand new. They have everything. We love our home. Our friends love it and people have asked if we would ever sell it. We had an offer for $30,000, for a 1985. It is an excellent home and well built, no cut corners and very energy efficient.

-- urban e. hill (hill_urban_e@lanl.gov), April 05, 2001.

Do not buy Cavco-very cheaply built. We ordered brand new after looking at one of the models. The model was very nice and we bought extras. One extra was the backsplash on the kitchen sink and bathroom sinks. On the model it had this nice looking tile for the backsplash. We ordered the backsplash and come to find out they gave us this formica backsplash instead of the nice tile. Bottom line: Make sure you get every option that you want and you make the salesman write it down exactly-every little point or who knows what you will end up with. If you find a model you like buy it right out of the lot then you can see the finished product and there would be less suprises !!! I believe they build the models better. For example, our kitchen sink was loose and cabinets not that strong- I am sure the model was way better. Any work orders that you send your dealer should be in writting and certified mail. Good Luck- If you have the money-buy a regular house.

-- Heather George (Hankeroony@aol.com), April 05, 2001.

I have a lot of questions-we want to make our 88 cavco more betta-Add dry wall to the south walls-do double pane windows-install hard wood and/or saltillo tile-add on a room-rewire-has anybody done this type of refurbishing and what to expect-do you know of any links to suppliers-such as for the windows that are all different sizes? Any suggestions appreciated

-- K Favor (kfavor@qwest.net), May 16, 2001.

K Favor,

I personally don't recommend putting a bunch of money into remodelling any trailer--I don't think you'll recoup it when you resell--but I know that Milgard Windows will build thermopanes to any size you want. And they don't charge an arm and a leg; they just charge you the price of the next larger standard size.

As a retired (m/l) contractor, I can tell you that stick built is generally a lot better product than mobiles are. But even with stick built, you need to buy from an honest builder.

My ex caretaker used to "finish off" new mobiles for a moblie home park, when they had just been set up. The stories he'd tell about the weird building practices, cheap EVERYTHING, etc. It made me sick to think some poor person would buy these things, not knowing enough about them to know any better.

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@ecoweb.net), May 16, 2001.


Debra... If you guys are still looking, try to find a PALM HARBOR dealer & check them out. Only buy one w/ the EnergySaver package! These babies cost more than most brands, but we have been in ours (28'X 52') for 5 yr now. Wouldn't want to go back to the stick-built. We heat w/ wood stove & run a couple of small window A/C units + a portable dehumidifier during these muggy Georgia summers. Only need propane for cooking + hot water. Plumbing is easily accessible from below. We have ours set up for greywater gardening. With apologies to all the tire-stackers out there, we jokingly refer to our dblwide as our MotherShip home! Best of Luck. Tom

-- L N 'Tom' Thompson (cathom@worldnet.att.net), June 04, 2001.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ