Manufactured home?

[Ozz]

After looking at so many $250,000-$275,000 site-built type homes, on small lots with a home’s association monthly fee, we turned our attention to the factory built manufactured homes. The floor plans are varied, and buyer customization of them, seems endless.
I located a manufactured home for as low as $40,000 on the Internet, but I suspect this one would be minimal, at best.
I think we all have seen some of them on cement blocks, in the middle of a field in our travels, with ‘spare’ cars strewn around. Reminds one of Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a Redneck” series of jokes. Not much of an experience to draw one to them.
Sue and I built our home, wired it, plumbed it, dug in the dirt of it, and know the process fairly well, so I was skeptical at the onset of our investigation.
We toured four or five different floor plans, of two companies that make them.
The models ranged from $60,000 to $110,000. Let me tell you, they were spacious and inviting.
I then wanted to know exactly how they were put together, corners cut, shoddy materials, poor structural integrity?
I had many reservations. We located a factory, just outside Austin, Texas, in Buda. Sue and I drove up, walked into the office, and I asked for a tour.
We had to wait for around 45 minutes, but the building sales manager, John Graboski greeted us with a big smile, and we started the tour. Eye glasses were a requirement for safety. John led us around the side of the factory floor, out the back to the frame shop. John explained to us that the frames are all engineered and welded up from stock steel, for the home that will be built on it. Different frames for different homes.
I scanned the vast lot, saw insulation, raw materials, various other outbuildings.
We walked back into the factory to see bare floors with vinyl in places, chalk lines for future walls, wire sticking up in places and plastic piping protruding 4 feet in the air. The Palm Harbor factory uses *Pex plastic piping, a good choice, I think the best choice, the RV industry uses Pex as well.
The walls of the homes are glued, screwed and nailed. There are metal braces, everywhere, and the nail spacing is impressive, actually looks like too many nails, but John explained that they construct the homes so a 2,000 mile ride at 75 miles an hour will not harm it, that beating would take it’s toll on any structure, if not properly secured..
I think we in the RV owner’s club, can attest to the beating driving down the road in our homes takes.
This factory, that builds ‘entry level’ homes, churns out 4 homes a day from the large chain conveyor system into the side yard. If the company builds an ‘entry level’ home this good, I can’t wait to see the second of the two area factories just outside Austin, that builds a more expensive home line.
John indicated it takes just 6.5 days from first nail injected, to a finished new smelling, ready- to-transport home.
This manufacturer has a staff of uniform wearing assemblers, carpenters, and warranty service staff that will assemble and finish the on site home for the lucky new owners.
A 5 year standard (10 year optional) $50.00 one time deductible fee, ‘Bumper to bumper’ warranty comes with the home.

* http://tiny.cc/Pexpipe

Palm Harbor home we like ;
http://tiny.cc/Homewelike

Factory Tour
http://tiny.cc/Factorytour959

[Icehouse]

Jim, I am a fan of Rocio Romero homes. She is an architect outside of St. Louis. She has a great website you can look at. I would love one of her homes, however I can't justify (even with the proper architecture for snow load) to put a flat roof in Alaska. But, she does customize. Hmmmm?

I also want a yurt. Have you looked at the wooden yurts? Oregon Yurtworks is my new favorite website (after the MOC of course)

The web address for Romero is: www.rocioromero.com

Edited: I just went and looked at the links you provided. Nice place. Very spacious and bright. When you getting it?

Enjoy!
Tammy

[boylanag]

We have looked at the modular/manufactured homes, too, and liked what we saw. When we are ready to leave our condo, that probably will be where we will go. We want to remain longtimers and not full timers. All of our children and grandchildren are near us and we can take being away from them during the winter but not much longer. As you saw, they are spacious and look pretty nice. There are some 55+ manufactured communities near our home and that is where we are looking. Thanks for the info on the plant tour. When we walk into one and it seems well built, this may help us realize that it probably is. Thanks again, Jim. - Jim

[stiles watson]

Ozz, I have seen some beautiful manufactured homes and I have seen them well positioned and beautifully landscaped and maintained. I think you and I have come to a point in life where we can do what we think appropriate for our needs and not be concerned about popular opinion. Otherwise, I would not be doing an idiotic thing like full timing in an RV rather than living in a 4 br, well built, two story home.

Having had a house built myself, I would chose to go with a manufactured home at my age. At least in my case, I need to get the most from my limited resources. If that is what will fill your needs, CHARGE!!!!!!

[Parrothead]

Jim, my parents purchased a manufactured home and lived in it for 28 years. It was in a beautiful park but could have been on land. I sold it for almost what they paid for it and it was still in excellent condition. Of course, they took good care of it as my Daddy was a lot like you, fixing, modifing, etc. This is probably what we will do when we decide it is time to hang up the spurs.
Happy trails.....................

[NewFlyLady]

Well, we own a manufactured home on the Madison River in Montana. The major reason we decided on the house was we saw what other people were going through having cabins built in remote areas. Some of them are still at it after 3 years and 4 different contractors. Ours took 6 weeks from order to install on a concrete foundation. We still had a number of problems that took a year to resolve but we have been spending summers there for 4 years now. I love the place and it is bigger than our fulltime time home. This is where we will be retiring and I can't wait. As with many other people, we add something new each year like decking, etc. That gets it closer to looking like a normal house. My parents also lived in a manufactured home for almost 15 years and people did not even know it was manufactured. Just a caution, banks look at manufactured homes differently than stick built for mortgages so be ready to prove that it is permenant. The amount of the loan to market value can be different. Just understand how a bank will look at it before you invest. We own ours free and clear but were going to take a loan to build a garage. To say the least we decided to just pay cash to have the garage built.

[Waynem]

We were out looking at Prefabricated Log Cabins and was surprised at the quality and grandeur of them. Many different floor plans to choose from. Then we decided that what we have is paid for, even if it is in hurricane country. We are going to stay here unless it falls to the winds, then we'll decide where to live and what to live in.

Take a look on-line of some Texas Log Cabins for a different perspective.

[scductman]

Ozz I bought This one in 1995 it is a horton blt in ga. a very good brand I have been well pleased with it I also do my own maint. I ordered mine heatpump ready and installed a new carrier 4 ton pump myself. palm harbor is a fine home. btw my montana listed for more in 05 than my house did in 1995 scary aint it LOL!!.get one brick underpinned and landscaped wala home. bobby

[Exnavydiver]

We watched a news special about a manufactured home being built for the New Orleans rebuild. comes in three pieces. every bit of wood, drywall and roof are glued and screwed to each other. I think they are called safety homes or something like that. They say they can stand up to 160 mph winds without losing the roof and even if trash goes through a wall it will hold together.. Cool construction techniques. Just found it, it was the Discovery channel and it was on last week. It was on Build It Bigger and came out last Sept. Cannot find the next showing of it but will keep looking for it. It was 160 mph and they go together onsite in about a day and a half. Trouble is I can't remember the manufacturer. If I can find it I will post it here.. Dave

[Charlie]

Jim-
We also seriously considered a manufactured home. We took a factory tour with Oak Creek homes in Fort Worth. I was impressed with the construction and quality of work, better than other manufactured homes and a little more expensive. The decision was made not to purchase. The home was not the factor but the state where we were to relocate, so we're staying in Texas.

Check this link:

http://www.nationwidetour.com/homefi...s=2&sections=2

They sell factory direct, a considerable savings over buying from a dealer.

[Okie Guy]

I like the floor plan OZ. I used to worry about living in a modular home until some of my coworkers were talking about their house payments in the breakroom one day. I will take the $800 per month to full time over their $1900 per month house payment anytime. If all else fails I can move back to the shack on the family homestead.lol

[lwcdg]

Ozz while some are very nice others leave a lot to be desired. If your not in a hurry, the coming months will tell it all (economy)! Anyone that has the cash or availibility to cash is going to come out way ahead. So saying this I would take my time and find an area that you like. Decide what you like about it. List all of the wants and all the negs. Then as this economy decides where it's going make your pitch at the homes you want, or are willing to settle with. Right now some areas are selling for 80 cents on the dollar. Now where will it be in June, July, Aug etc. ???

My sons' college roommates' father has 17 homes under construction. 15 finished, (WOW) 1 was just backed out of by his personal friend of 30 years (bad relationship now). House was a total premier custom 1.3 mil. Father was saying to me tonight that he may have to take a loss and sell it for whatever the bid comes in at. 800,000? less? 1 mil? no one knows where it all will go. This June will make a year that he has started holding on to the first homes. I pray for him.

Chuck

[eeoski]

Manufactured homes can be great. As NewFlyLady said, the banks have a bit of a different view of them from a financing/home equity loan perspective. That being said, we lived in one quite comfortably for 10 years and this was before the rash of hurricanes in Florida (I think it was Andrew that was the initial catalyst) that caused significant changes in the building process which made for better quality in the construction process.

Putting it on a permanent foundation is a major key (in my opinion) to making the unit more "sturdy" feeling as you walk around/through it...it also eliminates the need for periodic releveling that may be needed if it is placed on "piers."

Normally, there is not a lot of resale value/appreciation associated with manufactured homes unless they are located in a "development" of some sort but if you are looking for value for money rather than an investment that will provide a significant profit after a number of years then this is the way to go.

Also the ability to get one in quickly can be a big factor. Due to unexpected circumstances (too long to get into here) we needed to get into something fast. From date of choosing the unit we wanted to date we moved in was two weeks...that included electric, phone, septic, and well (though, those items were due to Doug's power of persuation with all the county folks (for permits) and people he interfaced with for these services to be installed on the property.

Bottom line, if a manufactured home "works" for you go for it!

Robin

[D and M On The Road]

We hope to retire within 5 years and would love to be able to travel with the Montana extended periods of time. So we are looking at all the options out there and the only thing we know for sure is that we want to sell our current home and want a "home base" to come back to where we can park the RV next to it.

A condo would be nice but we've never seen a condo community that lets you park your RV next to your condo. The same goes for mobile home parks, but most have an RV storage lot you can use (for a price). Another option is to get a small chunk of land and put the mobile home on that.

Currently, we are fixing up our home and keeping an eye on the market. We are hoping to have a plan in place and ready to make our move "when the Moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars".

Ozz...thanks for the info on mobile home construction. We'll be watching for lesson #2 from you on mobile homes.

[Snownyet]

I suppose it all depends on what you currently have, what your needs are and your location. About 5 years ago we looked into selling our 1960's ranch home and buying what you describe rather than spending large money on a remodel. When I was done doing the math, once we bought the land, the home, well,septic,driveway, garage landscaping etc we were well over $200k for a house they hauled in on a trailer, I just couldnt buy into it. We refinanced our home, put on an addition, and went hog wild throughout the house with the best materials we could find. We ended up with a mortgage under $90k, the nicest house in the neighborhood(its a nice rural neigborhood) and way more value than we would have had going the manufactured route. I suggest you try to find some folks who have owned a manufactured home for a number of years for feedback. Like was already posted, appreciation can be minimal and in fact some actually depreciate.

[Ozz]

Snowyet, we are relocating to Texas, so that is our situation, our present home is fine.
We, like many others are downsizing.

[Dustytuu]

Ozz, have you looked at prefab homes? They are very nice. I have a friend in upstate NY. They had a prefab built on a lake. Beautiful home. Had a deck built and big windows that look out on the lake. Fireplace and every thing you would want. They also downsized. You would never believe it is prefab home. Has a basement too.
Didn't cost as much as a regular built home and may be built better because all the pieces are built inside a building and shipped and put together.

[D and M On The Road]

We are in a subdivision where the homes are so close to each other that you can spit on your neighbor's house.

No room to expand the house or park our Montana here either. One thing we agree upon is that we really don't want to stay living here and we'll be selling it when everything aligns up.

Our small university town (39,000 students!) is very expensive to buy or rent a home in. The 1400 sq.ft, 37 year-old homes like ours are selling in the mid-to-high $400,000s even now and rent for $2000/month. College students in this town have to cram 8 to 9 kids into 3 bedroom homes to be able to afford renting. And of course each kid has a car so that creates lots of problems with neighbors. Not a win/win situation for anyone other than the slum lords that own the rental homes.

We really don't mind the idea of a mobile home/prefab home/manufactured home but we are keeping our options open. All we have to do is agree on what areas we'd like to move to and then start looking at the different living options.

Our son will graduate from a Fire Fighting Academy next month and it remains to be seen where he will get a job at. Our daughter will start applying to Nursing Schools in the fall and so she'll be on her way. That leaves 'ole Dad & Mom to fend for themselves.

This is one of the reasons why the MOC is so great. We all share our experiences and knowledge with one another.

We'll keep watching the folks on here that are in the same boat as us, but maybe a couple of years ahead of us. Makes for interesting reading and we can learn alot from them.

[toolmanroy]

You won't find manufactured homes depreciating here unless it is in a park, but I have not even seen that. The ones on private land appreciate as the land appreciates considerably. We live in a historical town in southern Oregon. We already have 2 homes on the property, the one we live in and a manufactured home that is set on a permanent foundation. When we get our tax bill every year since we purchased it, the value has increased even without the land value, which is attached to our home. We plan to completely remodel the manufactured home and probably live in it ourselves at some point traveling a lot but still having a place to call home.

We have seen some creative ways to get around the high costs of homes here. Many have purchased property with a rundown mobile home or stick house and have torn them down and replaced them with a new manufactured home. I can assure you the value of the property and manufactured home will never go down. The manufactured homes of today are built to higher standards than those of 20 years ago.

Everyone has to do what works well for them and their budget. A lot of us cannot afford to buy a $500,000 home and have enough left to do any traveling. If you are leaving home for an extended period of time maybe a manufactured home in a park works best if you want the security of that situation. I would not discourage anyone from making that choice.

[ggranch]

Well, Ozz, it looks like you have made an important decision. Congrats. Will you continue to RV or are you "on the beach"? Mobile homes/manufactured homes are a very attractive alternative. They are the only form of housing that is federally regulated as to construction materials and techniques. Have been since the '70s. Your concern when chosing is to make a "Zone" correct decision. I'm sure you have done your research or will have before you purchase. Keep us posted as these things are floating around in the back of many inquiring minds. Good luck. Bob