Sunshine Homes

[Terry]

Is anyone familiar with or own or have owned a Sunshine Home? If so, how did you like it? Was the construction good and was it energy efficient? Sushine claims that it uses yellow pine for construction rather than spruce or fir that other manufacturers use. They say that foot for foot it is heavier and stronger than spruce or fir. Any validity to these claims?

Another subject.....what makes a "high end home" and high end home? Is it the contruction or mostly the interior appointments that increase the price over a mid-range home?

[Scott]

I am not sure about the claims that their lumber is heavier than any one else's nor do I know anything about Sunshine Homes as they are not sold in my area. As far as "High End" homes go, there are many things that seperate these homes from the mid range to low end of the spectrum. It can certainly be construction techniques, grades of materials, etc. It can be the options/upgrades provided or the ability/willingness to customize. I wouldn't say that the builder's service record would be a tell tale sign because even some of the entry level builders can have a great service history. All I can tell you is to shop around and use common sense. If one builder uses 2x4 interior walls, 2x8 floor joists, and 2x6 exteriors and has a 8 foot sidewall among thier standard features, I would be willing to bet that these would be better than 2x3 finger joint interior walls, 2x6 floor joists, 2x4 exteriors and 7.5 foot sidewalls. Whatever you do, don't just believe that one is better than the other just because a sales person says so. Do your home work.

[Terry]

Thanks for the info. Another responder at a different site says that yellow pine is indeed denser thus stronger than spruce or fir as long as they don't use smaller boards or larger spacing between. I suspect your thoughts about the higher end models being so, in part, at least, due to better quality materials inside the home and willingness to customise is probably accurate. I have been doing a lot of homework, and the homes that I have been interested in seem to have pretty consistent construction qualities across the spectrum. .......floors, wall studs, both exterior and interior, roof load ratings, shingles, plumbing, floor coverings, appliances, etc, all seem to be about the same. The only real differences I've found is that some use 2x8 floor joists and some use 2x6; some have 2x4 exterior walls and others 2x6; and some use 2x4 interior walls vs 2x3; and some have better insulation packages than others. So, I am narrowing things down to the manufactures who seem to use the thicker and stronger boards and higher insulation.

[jgn]

The ideal home would be 2x6 exterior 2x4 interior 2x8 floor all on 16" centers with 1/2 T&T walls, plywood decking, 8' side walls 4/12 pitch .and 40 roof shingles. A lot of builders will use 2x3 interior on non-load bearing walls which work fine but 2x4 feels stronger if you hit it and will be a little quieter. When I looked at Sunshine they build a nice home. They are 2x4 interior, had their own service people and a good reputation with the dealers. You can get anything you want in a MH if you are willing to pay for it and you will get as good or better construction than a site built home for a lot less cost.