FAQs

This was a home built to no particular code before 1976. Still incorrectly used to refer to a "Manufactured Home" which is built to the national HUD code today and is what we sell on this site, along with Modular homes.

a factory built home that is built to the exact state building code as any "stick (i.e. site) built" home, can be moved, and appraises like a stick built home.

the date by which a home (Manufactured or Modular) will be completed by the factory.

Note, this only applies to homes that do not include shipping. Once you have decided on a home, we can assist you to get a quote to move your home. We cannot get a firm quote until you have decided on a home. The price quote will usually include "Road prep" and Transport to you zip. The "Road prep" is where the home is removed from its original foundation and prepared for transport. That means the home is disconnected from utilities, jacked up, and axles, wheels and a hitch are installed so that a semi-truck (a "Hauler" specifically designed to move a Manufactured home) can pull the home to its new location. If it is a Double Wide, then the "marriage wall" (the line that divides the home down the center) is also wrapped in plastic to prevent water entry during transit and re-installation of the home. You can generally figure about $2,500 per section to install an average home onto your foundation - either onto a concrete slab or a crawl space. Hence a Single Wide will cost around $2,500 and a Double Wide around $5,000 - $8,000 depending.

Transport to your Zip code will vary between transport companies, but is generally between $6.00 and $8.00 per mile, per section, with a minimum of $1,000 per section. So at $7.00 per mile, for example, it would only cost $1,400 to move a double wide 100 miles ($7.00 per mile x 2 sections x 100 Miles) and $2,800 to move it 200 miles.

Note that upon arriving at your lot the Hauler will only be able to place the home where the truck has access. They will not be able to drive over soft ground, deep snow, hidden septic tanks and so on. Any special equipment needed to get your home close to your foundation (a dozer for example) will be an additional cost that you need to plan for.

Again, we can assist you to get quality contractors to complete this phase of obtaining your home. You will be responsible to pay the contractors directly for the work that they do for you.

Note, this only applies to homes that do not include shipping. Moving a new home is not difficult at all. A "Hauler" (a Semi-truck specifically designed to transport Manufactured homes) simply attaches to the hitch (that has already been installed at the factory) and moves the home to your lot. Most haulers will charge between $5.00 and $7.00 per mile per home section to move a new home.Note that upon arriving at your lot the Hauler will only be able to place the home where the truck has access. They will not be able to drive over soft ground, deep snow, hidden septic tanks and so on. Any special equipment needed to get your home close to your foundation (a dozer for example) will be an additional cost that you need to plan for.

We can assist you to get quality contractors to complete every phase of obtaining your home. You will be responsible to pay the contractors directly for the work that they do for you.

The following is a list of costs that you will need to consider when budgeting for your new or used home.

• Clear lot & remove existing home if necessary
• New home cost from the factory, including upgrades
• Foundation cost (Slab, piers in ground, crawl space or basement)
• Electric service installation
• New Well cost, or connection fee to city water
• New Septic system or cost to hook up to city sewer
• Transport home to your lot (remember to double miles for a double wide)
• Home installation onto foundation (may need to include a crane for some Modular homes)
• Plumbing Hookup (water, sewer, gas)
• Electric Hookup
• Additional site work (driveway, grading, steps, landscaping)
• Permit and inspection fees
• Miscellaneous repairs for transport damage and finish detail after home is installed.
• Inside trim and ceiling drywall at marriage wall, and exterior siding on each end. (Most installers offer that as part of their package)

about $1,500 per section

The average cost to install an AC unit is $5000. It can be as low as $1800 and as high as $10,000.

Please click HERE for a more detailed description of the difference between these types of homes.The standard or construction code that the home is constructed and certified under. A modular home is constructed to the state specified construction code, or local construction code. A manufactured home certified under the national Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards is so strictly regulated both in design and construction, that the home's federal certification supersedes every state and local home construction code throughout the entire United States. A manufactured home can be shipped to any state in the United States. A modular home can only be sited within the area of the jurisdiction that approved the home.

When moving a used home, there are several things to consider and plan for.

• Must pay for 'break-down' of used home to remove from existing foundation ($ 2,000 - 5,000 on a Double-Wide, especially if we need to help the buyer get axles and wheels and fabricate hitches for it if they are missing)
• Extra cost to transport, since used homes have more liability for the hauler, and there are fewer movers that will transport a used home, it generally costs an extra $2 or $3 per mile. SO a new home will generally transport for $5 - $7 per mile, while a used is $7 - $9 per mile (per section)
• There is no warranty (AT ALL!) on a used home
• (there may also be some other miscellaneous costs such as lot rent for a home in a Mobile home park until the new foundation is ready, and the extra cost of financing for a used home vs. a new)

No. Manufactured homes vary markedly in size, style and "price point" or retail cost not unlike conventionally constructed homes. As comparing a slab-on-grade track home selling for $120,000 is not practical to comparison to a $400,000 "custom" built home, comparison of a manufactured home that sells at $40,000 retail cost to one that sells for $90,000 retail cost is not practical. There are no "magic numbers" in home buying, be it manufactured homes or conventionally built homes. The homeowner has to choose where their priorities lie. In buying your home, do you need a large amount of square footage and multiple base bathrooms for a growing family or do you prefer a smaller overall home with more luxury type amenities such as a whirlpool tub or wood-burning fireplace?

A manufactured home is constructed on an assembly line. It is done inside a building so that Mother Nature didn"t have the opportunity to rain on your floor decking or your studs before the roof was put on. Also, the workforce that constructs manufactured homes enjoy the same dry warm/cool workplace that your home does so they can be more productive in what they do. They also do the same portion of the home assembly every day. Therefore, they can be trained to do that particular job well. Random drug testing is also used to insure both the quality of the product produced and the safety of the workers in the plants.

Absolutely not. Federal law states that any local jurisdiction that discriminates against HUD homes is acting unlawfully. The statute does, however, allow local jurisdictions to regulate the exterior wall and roof coverings to be similar to other types of home construction. For example, a community may require that all homes have a 5/12 roof pitch (which HUD homes are not usually built with)

No. State residential codes are usually based on International Residential Code. That code document was called the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code until just recently. The National Association of Home Builders; NAHB (the national association for conventional residential construction builders) did a comparison study in 1997 to analyze the two codes and compare the requirements. In the conclusions portion of their study, the "stick" builders stated: "...There are many similarities in these codes, along with minor differences of slight consequence, and some differences of notable consequence. On balance, the codes are comparable..."

No. The manufactured home is much more completely and competently inspected. Every manufactured home is inspected, not only by the quality control personnel employed by the manufacturer but also by a professional "Third Party" independent engineering and inspection company that must be approved for that function by HUD. These inspectors are required to be trained in the requirements of the HUD standards as well as the quality control procedures contained within the Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations. This is a totally separate federal standard on how the inspections are to be performed and monitored. In addition, HUD has hired companies to insure that proper procedures are being followed.

Indiana is one of the nation"s leading production states for manufactured homes. The states of Georgia, Texas and Indiana vie for the lead production numbers each month. Also other states including Alabama, Florida and North Carolina produce significant numbers of homes. The manufactured housing industry and the recreation vehicle industry grew from the original "mobile home" industry. Today over 51% of all recreational vehicle in use in the United States are produced in Indiana. Most of the manufactured homes sited in the greater Midwest also are produced in our Hoosier state. The combination of these two production industries comprises the seventh largest industry in the State of Indiana.

Yes. State residential codes usually require that manufactured homes being placed on real estate be installed upon a permanent foundation system and in compliance with not only the construction code but also the manufacturer"s installation instructions. These instructions are required by the federal Manufactured Home Procedural and Enforcement Regulations to accompany every home when it is shipped from the plant. This is an engineer-approved manual for how the home is to be installed.

Yes. Manufactured homes can be placed upon a "crawl space" foundation or on a full or partial basement foundation. For transportation purposes, the basement stair and any other construction in the basement will be done by your builder at the site after the home is delivered and set. If you are considering a basement under your home, it is important that you discuss this with your retail sales person when ordering your home. The manufacturer can incorporate the floor opening for your site constructed basement stairs as your home is being built in the plant facility.

Certainly. Obviously color choices are available for both the interior and exterior of your new home. With over 20 manufacturers to choose from, floor plan choices and almost overwhelming. Today options such as a built in microwave oven, wood burning fireplace, whirlpool garden tubs, ceramic tile counter tops are available. Also some of the newest options available on manufactured homes are ceramic tile floors, hardwood floors, 9-foot high ceilings, factory-constructed porches, and fire proof cement fiber lap siding.

No. While the effects of a tornado can be devastating, there is no meteorological or scientific basis to thinking that manufactured homes attract tornadoes. In fact, the explanation for the abundance of reports of damage to manufactured homes from tornadoes is quite simple: manufactured housing is most abundant in rural and suburban areas where meteorological conditions favor the creation of tornadoes.

For a full drywall home - (either Modular or Manufactured) about 38 Lbs per Sq Ft, for a regular manufactured home with paneling about 30 lbs per Sq Ft. Remember to calculate weight for each home section that is being lifted, since it will install in sections.

No. Manufactured homes are no more prone to fire than homes built on-site. As a matter of fact, a national fire safety study by the Foremost Insurance Company showed that site-built homes are more than twice as likely to experience a fire than manufactured homes. The study showed that the number of home fires is 17 per 1,000 for site-built homes, while only 8 per 1,000 for manufactured homes. (Foremost Insurance Group of Companies, Fire Loss Study, 1986).

In general, manufactured homes will appreciate at the same market rate as other homes in the same neighborhood, but, as with all housing, it is subject to the same market factors which affect appreciation. The factors that impact future value include: the housing market in which the home is located; the community in which the home is located; the initial price paid for the home; the age and maintenance of the home; the inflation rate; the availability and cost of community sites; the extent of an organized resale network.

For years, many people believed that having manufactured housing near or adjacent to a site-built housing would depreciate the property values of the site-built housing. There is little evidence to support this notion. In fact, all the recent studies on the subject have come to the conclusion that manufactured homes, either in communities or on individual lots, have no impact on the property values of site-built homes that are adjacent to or in close proximity to them.

Most drywall homes will suffer some damage during delivery and setting of the home onto your foundation. These pictures show what could be expected in some cases - although this is probably more damage than usual. It is relatively inexpensive to hire a drywall contractor to complete these repairs. There will almost always be some damage, particularly if the home is stressed during setting onto your foundation.

Please Note that your transport company does not carry insurance for this type of damage.

Typical Road Damage Photos

You can find more information on Wind Zones here - More Info