Considering MFG home- questions

Tailgate

Tailgate

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We'll be downsizing in a year or so and are able to relocate as we want. We are considering mfg housing community living. Haven't really lived or been familiar with mfg housing since living in trailers in college. Any tips about how to find upscale, quality homes? Looking for contemporary floor plans with open living, nice kitchens etc... can you get more 'bang' for the buck with mfg homes? We're not fancy, just want to be comfortable.

Relatives in CA are looking at 'Sterling' brand homes..says the quality is highest. Sterling has no dealers in Texas.

Haven't looked at anything except online... we're in 'sincere' but not 'serious' stage... we just looking for a direction to start with..any tips or info would be appreciated... cheers!
 
No tips from me, but I am a big fan of manufactured homes. They get the snotty attitude from some people who only consider "stick built" homes to be "real" homes. A number of good companies out there.
 
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Family owned a mfg sales company 25 years ago. Then there were basically two options; the standard mobile home that was 12-14' wide and 45 to 65' long, came on a steel frame, pull into spot, level it out, hook up water, sewer and electric and hand over the keys. The second option and at least at the time better built was referred to as modular homes. These were better built. The manufactures would state they were more stable than the standard 2x4 onsite built home; had to be better built due to travel and crane onto site, etc. This second type really looked nice, dry wall and 2x4 or 2x6 construction, would should to the site in one or two large rectangles, would crane onto a cement block foundation and we would basically lag bolt the house together and complete siding on each end, then hook all up, hand over keys. Not sure how the industry is doing but have to believe better. I would buy a modular home over a "mobile" home. good luck.
 
My husband (an architect) has pointed out that since manufactured and modular homes are designed to be shipped on trucks- they will likely survive an earthquake better than a traditional stick home. (Designed to be shaken/jarred/etc.)

It's an argument to keep in your arsenal for any naysayers.

Here in San Diego there are very few parks/communities. Some in the surrounding communities - but they are all getting rezoned and redeveloped. The land is too valuable.
 
I was considering buying an old beaten down house for its lot, and replace it with MFG house. Has anyone done this?
 
My husband is an architect, he would never recommend the purchase of a mobile home - new or otherwise - unless you can afford to loose all your investment.

Buy a modular home and put it on land you own. Modular homes are constructed to comply with stick-built code.

Mobile homes are not the same quality, they depreciate in value. Mobile home parks are subject to re-development and it is difficult to find another park that will accept an older mobile home.
 
The few modular homes I'm familiar with were of fine quality, no structural issues. FIL's house was one, BIL has one, a couple of people I used to work with had them. One advantage is speed - they're not as constrained by weather issues since most of the assembly is done in a factory.
 
I have been inside a mobile home, but not a modular home. And we have rented a park model once for a vacation. Same as other park models, this one was narrow. Despite its size, its interior and appliances were well appointed. My wife and I agreed that it would make a nice home for single persons or a couple who do not need or want a big home. I thought it was well built.

Are park models still considered mobile homes?
 
NW-Bound said:
Are park models still considered mobile homes?
Click to expand...

The way I understand it (which may be wrong) the distinction is that park models are intended to be put in place once and never moved again, while mobile homes are intended to be moved again.

In practice I suspect the difference is the same as the difference between a Chevy and GMC pickup truck.
 
Tailgate said:
We'll be downsizing in a year or so and are able to relocate as we want. We are considering mfg housing community living. Haven't really lived or been familiar with mfg housing since living in trailers in college. Any tips about how to find upscale, quality homes? Looking for contemporary floor plans with open living, nice kitchens etc... can you get more 'bang' for the buck with mfg homes? We're not fancy, just want to be comfortable.

Relatives in CA are looking at 'Sterling' brand homes..says the quality is highest. Sterling has no dealers in Texas.

Haven't looked at anything except online... we're in 'sincere' but not 'serious' stage... we just looking for a direction to start with..any tips or info would be appreciated... cheers!
Click to expand...

I don't have any information to add except we are in the same spot. From a financial standpoint a not stick built home seems to make a lot of sense. I am just not sure where we would put one.

We looked at waterfront condos that had a senior park with mobile homes right across the street. Same general location, same shopping, same schools, only with the senior park we wouldn't have any shared walls and we'd have some of our own space. I am sure the condos would have more cachet, but I am not sure the cachet is worth an extra few hundred thousand dollars, especially if we want to travel a big part of the year.
 
I was surprised at how the manufactured homes industry has changed recently. There is a company near us, Blu Homes ( https://www.bluhomes.com ) that builds manufactured homes up to around 3,000 square feet. At the top end, the basic home before customization is over $650,000, and the site prep, including grading, excavation, foundation work, and utilities can be over $200,000. So, yeah, with customizations it's pretty easy to get a manufactured home over a million dollars.

These things are just insane. The company uses a huge shop at the old Mare Island Naval Shipyard that used to build Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicles and research subs to build the homes. Each home is computer-designed and built to fold up on hinges designed into the frame so it fits on a trailer. The homes are folded up complete with windows and cabinetry already installed, trucked out to the site, and unfolded onto the foundation.

I think the idea is to offset the high labor cost of building in a remote location.
 
We have rented a park model for a weekend. It was pretty reminiscent of our travel trailer, but bigger, better furnished and with more wood in the interior. Its the sort place I could easily have as a vacation home, but would be a major trade down from stick built. Modular is a whole different story. Good quality, does not depreciate like a new car, and all kinds of different designs.
 
Hmm... Our experience was different with the park model that we rented. We felt more like being in a home, albeit a tiny one, and definitely did not feel like we were in an RV. The floor felt solid, compared to some mobile homes that we have been in. Again, we were impressed.

By the way, it was a timeshare location that turned out to be built entirely with park models.
 
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daylatedollarshort said:
I don't have any information to add except we are in the same spot. From a financial standpoint a not stick built home seems to make a lot of sense. I am just not sure where we would put one.

We looked at waterfront condos that had a senior park with mobile homes right across the street. Same general location, same shopping, same schools, only with the senior park we wouldn't have any shared walls and we'd have some of our own space. I am sure the condos would have more cachet, but I am not sure the cachet is worth an extra few hundred thousand dollars, especially if we want to travel a big part of the year.
Click to expand...

Where was this? it sounds interesting.
 
We looked at modular homes when we built and were impressed but ultimately decided to go stick-built. We also considered SIPs.

Some friends of ours built a modular home last year. It's quite nice. Around here they can take just about any plan you have, chunk it up into modules, build it, deliver it , put it together and put the finishing touches in the field.
 
. I am sure the condos would have more cachet, but I am not sure the cachet is worth an extra few hundred thousand dollars,
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I decided to live in a manufactured home. I've never been one to keep up with the Jones so the cache thing doesn't sway me. For the price of one of these it doesn't matter if they depreciate "like a car". You save all along the way on what it costs to by one you make back the costs indifference between a manufactured house and a "normal dwelling" after a while. And at 55 I wasn't looking for any long term capital gains. I am assessing my living arrangements in 10 year increments these days. (Unless I die sooner)
 
razztazz said:
This is exactly why I decided to live in a manufactured home. I've never been one to keep up with the Jones so the cache thing doesn't sway me. For the price of one of these it doesn't matter if they depreciate "like a car". You save all along the way on what it costs to by one you make back the costs indifference between a manufactured house and a "normal dwelling" after a while. And at 55 I wasn't looking for any long term capital gains. I am assessing my living arrangements in 10 year increments these days. (Unless I die sooner)
Click to expand...

Manufactured houses certainly seem to make a lot of financial sense. Do you live in a park or have your own land?
 
Palm Harbor builds mobile and modular homes and are considered top of the line. I bought one 10 years ago (Florida) and the depreciation is not as bad as I thought it would be. Extra insulation (at a price), vaulted ceilings, pick your own finishes, open floor plans make this a great home. I live in the country on 5 acres and it keeps the property taxes very low. I'm very happy with mine.
 
The folks across the way from me have a modular on a walkout basement foundation. You wouldn't know it was a modular unless you were told. It is about 24x36, nicely appointed with a nice lower level family room in front and a garage in back. They use it as a summer cabin.
 
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