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The American dream of home ownership is still as strong today as any time in the past. For Americans who are typically, a nation of homesteaders, a home of your own, with land, to raise a family, is still "The American dream". Decent, affordable housing has been a common quest since this country began. The present method of framing a house has been employed since the late 1800’s. Back then this technique was developed to make better use of materials beginning to become available in that period. It has more or less remained unchanged until today. So from that period until today we continue to build a house one stick at a time with little regard to raising productivity and efficiency. Time, is passing on this method of construction. The solution to overcoming this stagnation lies in the use of modem-day methods and techniques, and overcoming the misconception that "factory-made" houses somehow don't measure up to on-site or stick-built structures. Availability of affordable, quality housing, now depends on the utilization of technology originally developed in America around the end of World War II and fine tuned ever since until, making factory produced homes the smart choice for today’s home buyer because, specialization of labor together with assembly line principles carry the best potential for our housing future. Producing a house in a factory can take advantage of a great variety of construction techniques that cannot be duplicated in a site built home environment i.e. a controlled climate, no rain, snow, sleet etc. on your home and materials as it is being built, precise cutting and assembly (100,000 dollar component saws, laser layout of floors, walls & roofs assembled in steel jigs for example), specialized labor (one crew doing electrical, plumbing, drywall, etc. day-in and day-out) inspections of every phase of construction by company and third party inspectors and many other advantages to numerous to mention here. In other words we are doing nothing different than Henry Ford did in the early 1900"s by finding a better way to produce an automobile efficiently and at less cost. If you are going to buy a new automobile today would you have all the parts of your automobile delivered to your driveway then, after all the parts were exposed to rain, snow, mud, theft and whatever, assemble them without the use of modern machinery and techniques that are available in a factory. Not only would the cost be prohibitive to do this, the quality of your end product would not be near that of a factory produced automobile. A modular/industrialized house produced in a factory is considered the strongest of any frame house construction method, including stick built or panelized... Conventional looking factory produced houses that are indistinguishable from site-built housing in a wide range of designs including single and two-story units are available from M1BP Our homes are well designed aesthetically and with the highest energy ratings in the industry for lowering heating and cooling costs. M1BP recognizes the awareness of a new picturesque movement desired in the market place. Houses reflecting traditional American tastes such as, Victorian, Colonial, English Tudor, Contemporary and many other designs are part of our product portfolio. There are a wide selection of floor plans, styles and sizes to meet every discriminating taste. And of course, we can custom design a home to fit your lifestyle. A buyer should understand that building codes do not guarantee quality. Careful investigation and comparison by the prospective homebuyer, to detect important differences, is essential. Because of the different types of homes being produced today by manufactures terminology in our industry can be confusing. The term "manufactured" housing has become a vague description relating to any house or unit produced in a factory. In years gone by the terms "house trailer" transcended into "mobile home" these terms identified low cost single units being produced in the 50’s & 60’s then came "doublewide", "manufactured", "modular" etc. To clarify the terminology you need to be aware that, today there are basically two types of factory produced houses being produced today the HUD Code manufactured home or double wide and the State Code Modular. HUD CODE / MANUFACTURED The HUD code or Manufactured home’s building code is a minimum code written by HUD (US department of Housing and Urban Development) The code standard to which these mobile units are built is considerably more lenient in material and design requirements than state and local building codes. HUD requires that these homes include all the amenities necessary for immediate occupancy after the home is set, trimmed and hooked to utilities so, the heating system, water heater, appliances, floor covering etc. must ship installed in the home. HUD Code floor plans are approved by HUD and are not subject to any changes and HUD allows only ranch style homes; they do not allow Cape Cod, Bi-level, Split-level or 2 Story plans. HUD homes have a steel frame platform that the home is built on and it remains with the home. The construction throughout these homes are typically much lighter construction and use components that are specialized for this type of home thus, making replacement parts sometimes hard to find. HUD homes are easily distinguishable by their low profile caused by the typical 7’ side walls (ceiling height) and low roof pitch. HUD Code homes can be set on block piers or be placed on a crawl space or basement foundation. The purpose of HUD homes is to provide a low cost affordable entry-level home to the consumer and of course there is a strong market for them. If a buyer tries to upgrade a HUD home to resemble a State Code Modular (i.e. adding a steeper pitch roof, drywall throughout, adding residential trim, name brand cabinets etc.) the result is always that you still end up with a HUD Code home with all it’s hidden features that, costs as much or more than a State Code home which, makes doing this a very poor investment.STATE CODE MODULAR State Code Modular homes are built to the same building codes and use the same materials as a conventional stick or site built home. The codes for State Code Modular are controlled by the state where the home will be placed. Typically, that states basic building code which is used for all types of construction (Residential and Commercial). Most states use a private 3rd party inspection firm to inspect the homes being placed in their state as they move down the production line at their respective manufacturer’s plant. These homes are subject to many more inspections before being certified by the state than a site built home. In cases where a county does not have a building code these, are the only houses that are inspected and in counties that have building codes the houses are inspected by the manufacturer, state (3rd party), and local building departments. The floor system, walls, roof system, ceiling heights etc. all adheres to standard framing practices. Components such as sinks, cabinets, exterior & interior doors, windows, plumbing, siding, shingles just to mention a few are, standard name brand items that can be purchased at your local lumber yard. Typically, a local contractor places the heating system and water heater in the foundation area. State Code houses must be placed on a permanent crawl space or basement foundation. State Code Modular houses typically come with a 10-year system and structural warranty. Considering quality, warranties, future resale and appreciation value, the "State Code" homes are considered to be a better overall investment than the HUD Code home.THE FUTURE Even the most conservative predictions anticipate housing prices will continue to rise. Prime land is becoming more difficult to locate, development expense and labor costs will move up and pressure will mount for higher selling prices to the buying public. The unique advantages inherent in the modular approach are predicted to make this method the dominant force in building. Efficient manufacture of products with buyer appeal is sure to accelerate this thrust. The unique advantages inherent in modular construction have benefits that can work to the advantage of the residential construction industry. |
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