Good companies

[jennifer]

Hi Scott,
Don't know if you work for Karsten or not and can help with this question. The Karsten floor plan I looked at does not fit our needs. The only floor plan we have fell in love with is the Clayton. After reading the many post, I want a Karsten. Will Karsten change their floor plan. And if you do work for Karsten, I will be more than happy to share the Claytor floorplan with you, so you can tell me if I just overlooked what your website has. Also, I am in the Dallas, Texas area, so I am limited on picks. My cousin has a Karsten out of California and loves it. So, I am also going off of family referrals.
Thanks for all the help you have provided on this website. - Jennifer

[David Oxhandler]

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[DPowell]

We are located in Brinkley. We wanted to build a house but at $80-$100 per sq foot we just can't afford it. We are trying to get ready for retire in five years hopefully. But this has been an awakening . Trying to find a home that we like and can afford. but yet be a good home. Good luck with your hunt. I contacted Karsten but they haven't replied what I have done is search internet. the Eaton book and the call and get information mailed to me. Some have really been nice other haven't.
Good luck.

[Dwight]

I think you should look into Waverlee Homes. This is a very well built, high quality home with very few if any service problems. Home owners experience very good service on the few service request that they have to make. A #1 choice for a new home. Visit their web site at www.waverleehomesinc.com and if there is a retailer anywhere in the area, you owe it to your self to make the effort to visit them. I have had great experience with them.

[Laura]

Jennifer,
I just visited a Karsten dealer yesterday. I learned that Karsten will build any other floorplan for an additional $2000.00. This is true at least for the Albuquerque plant.

Now, I'd like to know if they will substitute plywood sub floor for the particleboard- as John said he would insist on.

The dealer gave me an expanation for not using plywood and I'd like to know if there is any truth to what he said. He said plywood will - over time and traffic- de-laminate and become noisy to walk on? Does anybody have experience with this senario.
Karsten uses treated particleboard that resists water damage and they also paint a waterproofing on the "wet" areas of the home. This dealer made this particleboard sound like a better choice - but what do I know. It is also hard for me to fathom that an otherwise high quality manufacturer would intentionally "cheap out" on the subfloor.

[David]

WOW- So many different opinions. I have searched the internet and will only buy a Palm Harbor Home. I dont know where Scott is getting all his information but I was not very impressed with Karsten. At least Murray tells everyone he is a Palm Harbor Dealer. It sounds like we have some other Dealer Reps in here hiding as a customer. With Palm Harbor you also dont have to hire a contractor for set up as the Palm harbor people do their own set- up. I cant see a Palm Harbor Factory owned Dealership going back and forth blaming the factory, when the corporation owns both.
FOR MY MONEY PALM HARBOR IS ALL I WILL SPEND MY MONEY ON.

David

[David]

WOW- So many different opinions. I have searched the internet and will only buy a Palm Harbor Home. I dont know where Scott is getting all his information but I was not very impressed with Karsten. At least Murray tells everyone he is a Palm Harbor Dealer. It sounds like we have some other Dealer Reps in here hiding as a customer. With Palm Harbor you also dont have to hire a contractor for set up as the Palm harbor people do their own set- up. I cant see a Palm Harbor Factory owned Dealership going back and forth blaming the factory, when the corporation owns both.
FOR MY MONEY PALM HARBOR IS ALL I WILL SPEND MY MONEY ON.

David

[Vern]

Laura,
I am also doing research on various companies with the idea of buying a new MH by the end of the year. As to the response that you got from a dealer regarding the virtues of particle board and the sins of plywood: All, or almost all, site-built homes use plywood for flooring, usually 3/4" t&g, 16" O.C. Plywood is so superior to "sawdust" board that it is not worth any serious discussion. As to the idea that plywood will de-laminate over time, that is some kind of joke. It would happen if the ply is designated 'interior' grade and is subjected to extremely wet conditions. But if the ply is designated 'exterior' grade, only prolonged wetness will cause de-lamination. Site-built homes uniformly use 'interior' grade ply for flooring. 'Exterior' grade ply is most commonly used as sheathing for roofs and exterior walls. The choice of grade is based upon weather exposure and cost, 'exterior' grade being the more expensive of the two. Cresdeck and Novatek, the brand names used by MH companies, are high density particle board, meaning "sawdust" which has been exposed to an adhesive then forcefully pressed together into large sheets. There is no lamination, that is, no plys of real wood glued together with the grains of the wood running at 90 degree angles to each other. It is this opposing orientation of the thin grains or plys of wood which gives plywood its great strength. The reason MH manufacturers use particle board is simply and completely about money. Particle board can be manufactured in large, uniform sheets. These large sheets make for more efficient MH fabrication in that less handling and less nailing is required as compared to plywood. But no matter what anyone says, miniscule pieces of wood glued and pressed together can never give the kind of strength and durability that plywood provides. Particle board has many good uses, but it should never be used as floor decking. It will inevitably fail in that capacity. Hope this helps.
Vern

[rmurray]

Well said....the only thing else I would have said..is that I would suggest you find another saleperson..this guy knows nothing about construction materials..or..LIES..

By the way...ALL HUD HOMES HAVE THE WET AREAS WATER PROOFED..It is part of the code..

[S. Janell Miller]

If you are buying a Palm Harbor Home ask to see the video or go to the Austin Plant and see how it is built. They sure are hard to beat and they have the best foundation.