Is A Manufactured Home Right For You?
If you’ve been out searching for a home for a while now, you’ve likely heard of the term manufactured home. But what exactly is a manufactured home?
To many home builders and potential buyers, a manufactured home is an affordable solution to the more traditional and expensive real estate. Even with the cost being lower than a traditionally built home, a modern manufactured home can easily feature many of the same desirable amenities that can be found in more expensive housing.
What is a manufactured home?
A manufactured home is created in a factory, piece by piece, according to a set of building codes known as HUD. These homes are built on a permanent chassis, equipped with wheels and then hauled off to the home site. It can be shipped either in pieces or all together as a whole and ultimately installed on either a temporary or fixed foundation.
Modern manufactured homes have three general floor plans:
· Single Wide: This is a home built in one long section.
· Double Wide: A home with two sections joined together to make a larger home. This is the most popular floor plan for most first time home owners.
· Triple Wide: This style home contains three sections that have been joined together for the most spacious of homes. This also is the least common type model.
Manufactured Homes Vs. Other Prefabricated Homes
There can be a lot of confusion when it comes to understanding the differences between the various types of pre-fabricated housing.
While some terms are used interchangeably, they really all do describe a different type of home; and while these distinctions may appear subtle, it’s important to understand the differences if you’re planning on purchasing a manufactured home or similar type of prefab home.
Mobile homes and trailer homes
The terms “mobile homes” and “manufactured homes” can often be used interchangeably in the home purchase process. The term “mobile home” has actually been obsolete since the mid-70s once the HUD coding laws went into effect. The same goes for the word trailer. Well these terms are still sometimes used colloquially, they no longer accurately represent what a manufactured home actually is.
Just remember, the word “mobile home” actually is a reference to any manufactured home created before 1976. Modern manufactured homes offer more solid structures with better amenities compared to the predecessors, making this distinction a very important one.
Modular homes
While modular homes are also built-in factories, there are several differences. Unlike a manufactured home, a modular home is:
· Delivered in multiple selections and built onsite and almost always residing on a fixed foundation.
· These are typically governed by local state building codes as opposed to HUD coding standards.
· They are subject to the same strict zoning laws that govern a traditionally built home.
· Known for floor plans that are completely customizable
