PowerHouse 2000

[Don B]

Hi all,
I just went to the Cavalier Homes site and veiwed the Powerhouse model, how many sq ft is this home?. Is the construction similar to Homes of Merit, and Palm Harbour?. I heard that you could buy this home for 60K "loaded", is that right??

Does anyone have a site I view the florrplan, the one I looked at at: http://manufactured.home.cinfosystems.c ... 202002.htm
is very small,I cant get a good idea of the layout.

Construction is important to me...but if this home is constructed nearly as well as HOM, or Palm Harbour, at that price its one whale of a deal...but again I would like to see a floor plan with a tad more detail than the site listed above...again thanks for all input.
Don B

A man with many questions

[augustaga]

We have these as well as others...

2128 sq. feet...28x76 floor...

All Cavalier products are extremely well equiped...but...basic construction is no where near the HOM and I am not sure about the Palm harbor model you have seen..PH builds all different homes in the SE..

Cavalier is std...2x4 exterior walls 16" centers..2x6 floor joists 24" centers...2x3 marrage walls 16" centers...2x3 interior walls 24" centers..NovoDeck floor is std.
Home is not yet available as a Energy Star Home..

Options...OSB floor, plywwod floor, zone 3 insulation...2x6 side walls with 2x8 floors ($2500)...
Features are very strong...Delta Faucets, porcelion bath sinks, single lever faucets, thermo pane windows, base board molding, all wood cabinets in Oak (Maple as option and white as option), 24 oz scotchgard treated carpet, 36x84 real steel front door, stone fireplace w/raised hearth, top of the line tubs, corner 3 sided shower in master bath, floor tile in baths and kitchen, large pantry, large "modular" closet in mbr, wide door trim, 6 panal doors all the way to the floor, 50 gallon water heater w/sandog element (5 yr warranty), 20 ft. side by side from Whirlpool, wall oven, built in microwave, ceramic counter range (one burner has double element for large pots and pans)..The power house also has small convenience items like built in trash cans, lazy suzan in corner cabinets...the list goes on and on..

You are right this home can be had for much less than 60K depending on the underpinning you have...

Warranty is 1 year only (of course there are suppier warranties on some items much longer) and there is NO design flexability and little decor choices...3 carpets only..just 5 wall papers and 3 counter tops...Not like the others you mentioned in this respect..

[Don B]

Thanks Bob,
Decisions,decisions.....so,basicly for $2500 more I can get the construction I will find in a HOM home....and all those features sound great..although theres only a one year warranty on the home,that, Im not to tickled about. But I sure do like the features... plus that seems like an awful lot of home for well under 60K,does HOM come close to have anywhere near the standard options you spoke of....but theres very little decor choices,my wife likes the decor choice thing,but she also LOVES all the standard options you mentioned....so, now Im pondering HOM and Cavelier...can someone just flip a coin please :/

[John]

Two things would concern me about the Cavalier and they are the 2x3 marrige walls and the Novadeck. I know you can upgrade to OSB but how about the marrige walls and is 2x3 strong enough?

[Jason]

Re: 2x3 interior walls
- Is the 2x3 marriage wall installed on each section? If so you will end up with a 6 inch thick marriage wall when the home sections are attached.
- lot's of MFH (Hud code) are built with 2x3 interior walls, some less expensive homes even have some 1x3 filler studs
- The three inch interior walls are designed by numerous engineers and subjected to a several 100 mile stress test (transport)
- I have talked to some factory sales reps that indicated they shifted to 2x4 interior walls primarily to charge more money for the home or to penetrate a market where the buyers were asking for 2x4 walls.

In my opinion the 2x3 interior walls are fine if the home is built and installed properly.

[John]

My complaint with 2x3 interior walls and MH in general is the "non standard" things they put in the home. This makes it difficult to find many items because they are not common building hardware such as doors, jams, hardware, plumbing etc. Whenever I have to fix something at my mobile it is an excursion to find what will fit and since the house is 20 miles from any store it is very time consuming to get the wrong part. If I replace this home I will look for standard construction features.

[Don B]

I'm glad you brought that up, standard hardware construction is important to me as well, Im a bit of a do-it-yourself kinda guy, if something small needs replacing ie faucet,doorknob,door,etc.... I would like to be able to go down to my local hardware store and pick it up....are all mobile homes..paticularilly Champion homes,because thats where Im leaning,installed with hardware,plumping fixtures etc.. that can only be bought from a "manufactured home store"?

[Threnody]

I can go down to Lowe's and replace just about anything in my Powerhouse.

[Threnody]

Also, with 2x3's, don't expect to slam a door and have it latch 100% of the time - that's the only thing I've noticed about them. No, we don't hear the wind whistling outside, and we only hear rain if its a torrential downpour.

Remember: Setup & foundation are CRUCIAL as to how the house will hold up. Luckilly our setup crew did a great job.

[rmurray]

NO..is the answer...They still will have 24 inch centers on interior walls, cieling and floor joists...

The marrage walls will still be 2x3..on each side..The list goes on..
You can still buy a Merit...Forest Manor..with better basics..not as good as the Bay Manor...in the same price range...Features can all be added and price is very close..and still have plenty of choices and floorplan flexability and 5 year warranty...

Candidly the industry in the SE is VERY competitive and prices are very close on the various products..item for item...Your decision is just what do you want...If you want all the goodies..the biggest size..and the best construction and quality..you will pay about 70 to 80 K...From there..you either compromise your pocket book..or one of the three items listed above...
The Power House is a very good buy for those with this size pocket book..and the need for a large home and lot of goodies..For the money..there is no better home..but there are better homes..

You mentioned Champion in your other post..HOM is a Champion division but..at Champion..each division is independently run..and materials and specs are different at every branded plant...HOM would have all stuff you can buy at your local home improvement store...I cannot say that about all Champion branded products...