More searching and LOTS of Questions...

[Stormy]

This week my husband has been on vaction. We had the goal of at least picking a manufacturer this week. We have made over 10 visits to 6 different manufacturers.

The information from dealer to dealer is SOOO different, as is the quality. Hearing so many different stories would have been TOTALLY confusing wtihout Randy's books as a guide. (THANKS!!!! Randy)

Champion has been crossed from the list. We went to three different dealers. They were the only ones that gave us a HIGH pressure to check our credit. We refused and were ready to leave. They relented and showed us a few houses. There were 'salesmanship' difficulties at each place.

Solitaire is WONDERFUL!!! Both dealers we visited gave us keys, pointed out houses and let us look on our own. We LOVED the quality. However we just couldn't find a floor plan that we could both agree on.

Patriot is WONDERFUL!!! The dealer was very professional. The houses are beautiful. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a floor plan we both agreed on.

After visiting 3 Fleetwood dealers, we finally found one who had professionalism that we would deal with. They have a floor plan we like with the upgrade options we want. BUT ( and this is a biggie) they would have to order it, therefore we are buying sight unseen. We saw a 3 bedroom in the same series, but want the 4 bedroom floorplan. We are waiting on a price quote from them. We would have to add many structural upgrades.

We are still waiting for the Bridgeports we want to look at to be located, so we can actually see the houses. We are still leary because they are made by Cavaleir.

We found a Palm Harbor that we both like and considering very much. WE've made two visits to the same dealer and were pleased.

Now for the questions....

What is the difference between Hardi Plank and Smart Panel?? PH says they no longer will use Hardi Plank because of more cracking during the move, and when repaired, it more easily builds mositure and causes mold. Is this true? We are considering Hardi Plank on another home we like.

Would you buy a home if you could not see it first??? I can tell from the floor plan that I would like it...I think :-/ I don't know, it just seems like a big risk. One I am not sure I am willing to take.

Can 'wet' areas be tapes and textured?? Is this a good idea?? Some manufacturers will not tape and texture the kitchen/bathrooms/utility room. Some won't tape and texture the bathroom/utility room. And some will do the WHOLE house if you want. We heard a lot of it can be easily damaged when wet?

Does anyone have information on the Palm Harbor 76A3?? We would be upgrading the appliances, having the upflow vents in the ceiling, a Sliding Glass door in the dinning room, Upgrading the windows, and the insulation.

Does anyone have information on the Fleetwood Edgewood 0764M? We would be upgrade to tape&texture throughout, ceiling vents, Handi Panel siding. I am worried the upgrades needed would put the price above what we would want to pay.

Does anyone have information on the Bridgeport series by Cavalier? How are they quality wise?

If you have read this far, thank you so much. I don't mean to ramble so, but this has been an exhausting week. I am thankful I went informed and knew what to look for quality wise (but I am still learning). I am glad to be able to come here and have a sounding board, with advice from all of you.

[rmurray]

1)..Hardi Plank vs Smart Panel...Do not know enough to answer...We use Hardi Board commonly for skirting and most of our models have it as trim with no problems...I would think if the home was not very stout...it would break in transit...probably why you do not see it offered much in the South...

2)..Ordered home...I would have no problem at all ordering...if you do not allow this option in your quest..you will very much limit your choices...This is not muc different than buying a custom built home from the print and pictures in a magazine...
There seem to be 2 very different reactions that folks have to floorplan drawings...some only see lines on the paper..others can visulize a home...

3)..taped wet areas...These must be built with a waterproof sheetrock..normally green in color (often called green board)..some factories offer this..some do not..the saleperson who mentioned it could be damaged in the wet areas was uninformed..

4)..Cavalier has many good features standard...but basic contruction would be called lacking by some...2x3 marrage walls, 24 inch center roof rafters, interior walls (2x3) and floor joists...

[JohnnyJ]

Don't know what part of the country you are in. The Patriot dealers here in Bama
sell the Pinnacle series homes. They come with tape and texture in the LR,
Family room, hall , and MBR standard. The other rooms can be upgraded. They
also offer many standard features on their 32 wides that are upgrades on other
MFH's. THEY ALSO OFFER TO CHANGE THE FLOOR PLANS. You may want
to check back with the Patriot dealer.

As for the model of the PH home, 76A3, I searched the PH website and found
zippo. PH offers some homes such as The Greystone, and The Gotham, but
do not put them on the website. I firmly believe they don't have them on the web
site because of their lousy construction. Also, the above mentioned homes don't
offer much in the way of construction upgrades, and the Greystone comes with
only 7.5' exterior sidewalls with 2X4 lumber.

If you like plastic lavs, plastic fixtures, and poor construction, grab a Cavalier.
I think they are the least impressive MFH I have seen.

good luck

[rmurray]

"If you like plastic lavs, plastic fixtures, and poor construction, grab a Cavalier."


Actually all Cavlier products are standard with Delta metal faucets and great bath fixtures as well as many other standard "eye candy" goodies...It is the 2x3..24 inch center interior walls, 24 inch spaced rafters and 24 inch spaced floor joists that I think put them at the lower end of the quality standard..

[billie webster]

If you are in an area where you can, check out Adrian Homes. Their factory is in Adrain, Georgia. They have excellent quality. 8' side walls and tape and texture are standard. Their cabinets are well made too. Prices are reasonable considering the quality of their product.

[JohnnyJ]

Yep, RM, everything you mentioned is part of the "construction" that I am
talking about.

[Mac]

I have Hardi-Plank on my place and would not have it any other way. We live in the rainy Pacific Northwest, and SmartPanel - Louisiana-Pacific's new product - would probably work fine as well. Hardi-Plank is wood fiber and cement. SmartPanel is pressed wood chunks. If made properly it would be find. The old version, Inner-Seal, swelled and grew mushrooms due to poor sealing against moisture. I had it on my site-built house and it was OK IF I kept it primed and painted. My house qualified for total siding replacement, but the payment fund was empty, and I sold the house.

[Lynda]

I'm not sure what your talking about? They seem to be good quality to me. I'm in upstate NY and the Cavalier Homes that I am looking at come with 2 x 6 walls 16" oc. 2 x 6 floor joists 16" oc. Delta faucets, china lavs, whirlpool appliances etc. You can see the layout of this house at this address:

http://www.clayful.com/wildwood_html.html

This is the house my husband and I are planning on purchasing is there other things we should look for before considering this home?

[Threnody]

I'm sitting here IN a Cavalier home typing this and I promise you, the only plastic in my house is the blinds.

Lynda, your house is laid out nearly identical to mine, with the exception of the master bath/closet.

FWIW, when I called the Bellcrest plant, their recording said that all homes are built 2x4 standard now.

[Stormy]

Hi,

The quality I saw was good. I ran down the checklist from Randy's book with the dealer. The homes were in the Average to Quality construction range in EVERY area that he mentioned, and had a lot of little perks that he didn't list.

If we could have found a floor plan that we liked we would have HIGHLY considered that home.

HTH