Floor system

[B.C. STURDEVANT]

I know Karsten is touted as an excellent mfd home, but I worry about the longitudinal floor system which they use. Can anyone explain why a company so highly thought of still uses this system. Randy Eaton reccommends a transverse system and I'd like to know if there is some wide variation I should know about.

[Terry]

B.C. Hello, Depending on how the floor is constructed and fastened to the joists is the important part. Like the Karsten Homes, they have been in the manufactured housing business for over 25 years and always used that longitudinal floor system. Before the name Karsten emerged into the manuactured housing industry, they were formally Golden West Homes in Northern California and is one of the best manufactured home builders and now they sold out to Oakwood Homes. This new company than restarted in Albuquerque, NM and uses the same construction just like how they used the floors in the Golden West Homes. Infact if you want more answer to this floor construction their is a very nice article on the www.goldenpacifichomes.com web page about the Golden West Homes which was tested for air leaks by the Department of Energy in Oregan. They had to say nice things about the floor systsem of the Golden West Homes and it's the same floor system that Karsten uses in their floors. Just click on the floorplans and click on the Goldenwest floor plan and next click on the longitudinal floor and you will see the page about the floor systems and click on the Energy Department and see what they had to say about the longitudinal floors. Infact their 30% more steel in the Karsten homes chassis and the home doesn't flex like other manufactured homes at all. Very good framing systems under the floor which is the outriggers every 5' apart which holds the floors, sidewalls, and the roof of the home. You will also notice if you go look at their chassis their are 12" chassis in between both I beams just like the outriggers, which is reinforced to the chassis. Most competetors use only a 3" C channel steel to hold the chassis together every 8' apart. This also causes the home to flex back and forth when being transported. Good luck.

[Randy Eaton]

Hello B.C.Karsten is an average manufacturer. It's not the best in the industry but satisfactory. The floor system is o.k. but that’s' all. I still like transverse floor systems with 2x8 floor joists. If you purchase a karsten be sure to place it on a concrete foundation with a concrete perimeter wall.

Randy Eaton