Considering MFG home- questions

[zinger1457]

Out here is Arizona manufactured homes are very common in rural areas. Buying a manufactured home here seems a lot like buying a car, you go to the sales lot, select your model, then they drop it off at your lot. That's where most of the problems start. The Tucson paper did a series of reports on manufactured homes a few years back because of all the complaints that were received. The paper found that most of the problems were due to improper site preparation and not so much with how well the house was built. In most cases it's up to the home owner to ensure their site is properly prepared, if it isn't graded or compacted properly many problems can/will occur.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zinger1457 Out here is Arizona manufactured homes are very common in rural areas. Buying a manufactured home here seems a lot like buying a car, you go to the sales lot, select your model, then they drop it off at your lot. That's where most of the problems start. The Tucson paper did a series of reports on manufactured homes a few years back because of all the complaints that were received. The paper found that most of the problems were due to improper site preparation and not so much with how well the house was built. In most cases it's up to the home owner to ensure their site is properly prepared, if it isn't graded or compacted properly many problems can/will occur.

I've seen this first-hand. Probably worth the time and money to pour concrete footers for the blocks used to level the home, and while you're at it, some anchors for the tie-downs.

[Looking4Ward]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR I've seen this first-hand. Probably worth the time and money to pour concrete footers for the blocks used to level the home, and while you're at it, some anchors for the tie-downs.

+1

About 15 years ago I bought a waterfront lot that included an old doublewide.

The original owners went to great lengths to prep the land for that DW, which included a concrete slab on top of which the DW was set.

I ended up giving the DW to an employee of mine for $1 provided he had it removed from the land - which required a crane to lift each section out from behind a seven foot high retaining wall.

The movers commented what great shape that old DW was in - almost 30 years after it had first been set on the property according to the old title - and we all agreed it was because of the extra care that had been taken when originally setting it up.

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[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR I've seen this first-hand. Probably worth the time and money to pour concrete footers for the blocks used to level the home, and while you're at it, some anchors for the tie-downs.

My first job(early 70s) was helping my DB set up mobile homes. Rural area, site preparation was the buyers responsibility. Not many were prepared, we'd just use a square nose shovel and clear enough area to handle the miscellaneous cribbing we had. Then shim and level. Not the best idea, but the buyers were told their responsibility.
MRG

[Joggernot]

Pay the extra for the 2X6 outside walls, even in Texas. The added insulation will more than pay for itself over the life of the modular house. Our Colorado cousins live in modular houses and they are very nice houses.

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Looking4Ward ........... I ended up giving the DW to an employee of mine for $1

How did she feel about it?