Took Factory Tour of PH Boaz Ala

[Jerry Fortner]

Factory tours do let you see lots of things. As we were walking to the beginning of the line I noticed that all wall socket holes were cut no where near studs. Thus electrical boxes are fastened to the wall(Sheet Rock). The frame and floor sections looked very good. Tongue and groove plywood flooring. I was less than impressed with the hanging of the sheetrock. Numerous misses with the nail gun down the vertical studs. I asked the lady how many misses were allowed. She just laughed. The 2x3 inside wall studs do look puney but can be upgraded. Highest roof insulation is 30. Saw the precut cabinet panels and they are made of partical board. This really fooled me because seeing the finished product the doors are wood and you just assume the structure is also. I am trying to make this work because my wife wants this Riverside II model which has a tray ceiling as you enter the living room. Well in my county you have to have a least a 4-12 pitch on the roof. The PH would be a 5-12 hindged room. The tray ceiling cannot be included with this roof line. My wife had most all her items satisfied which were cosmetic in nature. Mr. Eaton rates PH as one of his favorite but yet many of the things he cautions against as being poor construction seem to be harboring here. Also they use single headers in all the construction that I saw on outside walls. One worker said double headers on 32 feet width. I was not able to confirm that. This is just my observation and is not intended to be little the product. I was just expecting more. Will continue the quest to find an acceptable constructed unit. Next factory tour will be Horton Homes, Eatonton, Ga.

[jgn]

Thanks for the post. My wife is sold on PH because of the looks but I am not because of the construction, the problem is she usually wins. What you reported is what I thought it would be.
If you are in AL look up Franklin Homes and do a report. I have seen some of their homes and they are nice looking and heard they are good quality.

[rmurray]

In defense of Randy on this one...Some months ago he expressed surprise at some of the lack of features in the LaGrange, Ga PH....Remember..Randy is located in the NW and PH builds different homes in each plant.....Be glad you did not visit the LaGrange plant...

It will be interesting to see your review of the Horton plant...I think you will be impressed....When discussing Horton and your need for a 4x12 roof...Remember that Horton does not quote their roofs that way...They quote the length of the king (center) post...They build with 3', 4', 5' 7' king posts...on a 24 wide these would be true Xx12 measurements...Example...24 wide 4' king post is 4x12 roof...on 28 wide it would be a 3.42'x12 pitch...on a 32 wide it would be a true 3x12 pitch...

On a 32 wide...the 5 foot king post will realize a true 3.75'x12 roof....the 7' king post will yield 5.25'x12 pitch....

If your dealer is familier with your county..he should know which roof pitch you need...but..you can check with the building department as well...If the law used the term NOMINAL 4x12 roof..the 5' post is exactly correct...if the code calls for a TRUE 4x12 roof..then you will need the 7' post... Most likely the code uses the term nominal...

I will be watching for your review..

[Jerry Fortner]

Thanks for your input Mr. Murray. I have learned to respect your knowledge in this field. I hope to go to Horton the 2nd week in June. I will post what I find. Thanks again for explaining the way Horton does their roof pitches.