Manufactured homes are not what you think.  I had the image of trailers with all 2X3 construction and 1/8 inch panelling.  Those are your grandfathers manufactured homes.  I am very critical of construction practices, and was down on manufactured homes.  But, I have to say my opinion has shifted 180 degrees after seeing exactly what they are about now.  You think a stick built house is tough?  Try picking one up with a crane.  You can do that with a manufactured house, even full of furniture and appliances.  And they even come as 2 story designs that can go on a full basement.

The houses are built indoors with QC inspections all along.  And are even built to the same building codes as stick built houses.

If you are looking for fast, top quality housing that can be put ANYWHERE in Georgia (yes, even in Buckhead), you need to look at this hidden Ga. industry, a product manufactured right here..  Hundreds of houses are shipped from Ga. around the world every year.

OK, I have thrown the gauntlet down, flame away........  

How about Mag wheels? Can you get Mag wheels?


ByteTheBullet  (-:

Sound like you're trying to sell one.

Quoted: Sound like you're trying to sell one.

More than one if you axe me.


ByteTheBullet  (-:

Actually, no.  I don't sell them.  There have been multiple threads on home buying here, and no one has mentioned these things.

I am an independant contractor, and have worked many new and old houses in Ga.  Most have been stick built.  Recently I have worked on several of the modular homes, and have been impressed.

When I work on a house, I see parts of it the owner probably never sees.

As for mentioning the manufactured homes industry, I am sick and tired of all these "builders" using illegal labor in the housing industry.  In an industrial environment, no real SSAN, no job.

I am all for "Built in the USA by Americans."

And are even built to the same building codes as stick built houses.

Where did you here that? Also different ares of the country may have adopted admendments to the codes that are needed for special circumstances unique to their area.

Manufactured Home: Built entirely in the factory under federal code administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which went into effect June 15, 1976, has been upgraded numerous times. Covers single- or multi-section homes and includes transport to the site and installation. Regulations include: design & construction, strength & durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency & quality.

Are you talking about these?

Modular Home: Built to state, local or regional code where home will be located. Multi-section units are transported to sites and installed.

You can get the modulars built to comply with IBC standards.  Not all are built that way, you get what you order.

You can still get essentially a glorified travel trailer if that is what you want.

I don't buy and sell, but I doubt the frame off modulars drop much in value, the "trailers" are a different story, though.

Those foam and beaver barf cheapies that the developers are putting up now are not going to be in high demand in 20 years, IMHO.

I found this company www.ritz-craft.com. What's the name of a company in GA that builds these? I might be interested pretty soon.

The ones I worked on were Horton Homes out of Eatonton, Ga.  Yhere is also another manufacturer in Conyers, but I don't know the name of that one.

I worked with a guy that used to do Quality control and design for Clayton (out of TN) and he was telling me that they had really high restrictions on the quality of lumber they used.  

Seems like he told me that they were made well, but in his opinion the movement from delivery was really not a good thing.

w00t!

several years ago i saw an episode on this-old-house about home building in japan. they build houses in a factory. compenents have all wiring and stuff in each unit. you prepare the foundation and the components arrive on flatbeds. a crane picks up each component and drop them in. workers attach, seal and connect the wiring and plumbing etc. very fast installs. components are made of steel. use of cranes allows them to pick the pieces up and drop them over telephone and power lines (large cranes) inside of building sites.

there is some of this stuff available in the US. check www.capsyscorp.com.

as opposed to stick frame building, you can order all of the components pre-built at the lumber yard. walls, floors, floor trusses or pre-built joists, roof trusses etc. framers then assemble these components on site. there's quite a bit of this going on.

as to lumber quality. i think thats number 1, number 2, number 3 pine and so forth. quality has to do with knots, bark in the lumber. the 'cleaner' the less  knots, the stronger and more expensive. although using shorter spans and .. say 2 by 8s or 2 by 10s instead of 2 by 4s or etc or having your studs spans closer can provide more strenght (is that what you look for in quality?). or you can have your house built out of steel instead of wood. not much of that being done in ga as far as i know.

there are rumors... some custom home builders will do cost plus percentage or cost plus. so they order 2 by 10s where 2 by 6s or even 2 by 4s would suffice... drives out the cost of the home and on a percentage basis can put money in the builder's pocket. the house IS stronger.. but unless you are expecting 3 feet of snow to accumulate on your roof (as an example) the cost isn't necessary.

Actually since Hurricane Andrew manufactured home requirements exceed those of site built homes. This is federal law so it is the same across the country.

AKA "Wheelestate"