Solitaire vs. Palm Harbor

[Denice]

I have been looking at the Palm Harbor homes for some time now and have always been impressed with their quality. My sister just bought one this past year. Service issues have become a nightmare for her. It's not that they're unhappy with the Palm Harbor just the service. Today I looked at some Solitaire homes because I had read on this forum that someone was very happy with their Solitaire and it was a very well built home. I believe Terry that was you. In reading back over previous articles on the forum regarding Solitaire I read that you had many service problems (or a lack of service) with your Solitaire home. Is there any Manufacturer out there today that offers quality server after the sell? I know y'all talk of Karsten a lot but I don't believe Karsten homes are sold in Texas. I liked the textured walls in the Solitaire homes and we were very impressed with the flooring and overall construction of these homes. It seems that Palm Harbor does a lot of decorating to catch the eye. The Solitaire homes didn't. It also seemed that with Solitaire you're getting more home for the money. Can anyone offer some helpful suggestions in deciding between Solitaire and Palm Harbor?

[Terry]

Denice, Thanks for the kind words. Yes Solitaire is the finest home on the market today. It's totally a debt free company. You see Solitaire uses grid works in the floor every 16 o.c. horizontal 2x8 floor joists and 2x3 vertical 16 o.c. on top of the joists and plywood is applied as the flooring which gives the floor a very solid support. No one in the industry does this to their homes. Now they uses the 2x3 rafters 24" o.c. or 16 o.c. for a 40 pds. per. sq. ft. support for Colorado coded homes. They also use the grid work in the roofing also. 16 o.c. 1x3 grid work in the ceiling. Which gives the home a very solid ceiling support. Every framing studs is 16 o.c. no more than that is their rule. They use real wood cabinets and tile floor coverings. One piece tub/shower stalls, elogan toilets, not the ceap small type. Water shut off at every fixtures. They wrap their homes 1/4 plywood exterior undersheathing than hardboard siding is applied over the exterior siding which gives the home a solid support. Totally tape and textured thru out the entire home. Now PalmHarbor couldn't even touch that at all. At one time PalmHarbor was a very top quality home, but they were bought out by another company and they don't build quality homes as they used too. The plant out of Tempe, Arizona was one their diamond company. They built one of the finest homes from there, but now it went down and their homes don't look as good as they used to. Karsten of Albuquerque, New Mexico is getting alot of attention these days. They are building quality homes under a very strict supervision from the Karsten family. They use only real 2x6 exterior wall studs with R-19 insulation and real 2x4 studs for the interior walls 24 o.c. and 1/2 drywalls thru out the entire home. Their frames as recessed at both ends for future blocking or permentent foundation. This company is grown alot and really pays attention to every detail in every homes they make. Their rule of thumbs is make the job right the first time. I have toured their factory and every homes are leveled out on huge jacks and the building process begins all the way to the finish department. Now they do have retailers in Oklahoma, Amarillo, Texas, Colorado, Missouri, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California and they are in the process of opening a new factory in Oregon. See what a great company this is. They care about their customers and they do take it seriously. www.karstenhomes.com. Solitaire homes in Texas is different from the retailer I bought my home from. The retailer I delt with was from Albuquerque, New Mexico and he is an independent retailer. Now the dealers in Texas ans Oklahoma is owned by the factory so you are lucky in that area. They also take care of their customers as I heard from a mutual friend of mine. So shop wisely and compare the apples and choose the one that stands out in your eyes.

[RuthieG]

Do you know if the Solitaire is sold in FLorida?

[Terry]

Ruthie, Solitaire isn't solid in Florida yet. But their is a fine company in that state by the name of Jacobsen that's very good almost like the Solitaire too. Jacobsen Homes of Safety Harbor, FL. They use 2x6 sidewalls and wrap the home in plywood before the exterior sheathing goes on the home. You have many options to choose from also. Good luck. www.jacobsenhomes.com