Discovery Homes setup/installation

[suze]

We have been looking very closely at Discovery Homes. Yesterday they posted a new plan on their website that is very close to what we have been looking for, the new Rosemont plan. It is still a little small for us, we would need to add at least a family room somewhere, but the layout is very good.

My question is, are these homes set up the same way a typical manufactured house is? Since they are pretty new to the field (last couple of years), are the teams that install them experienced enough to setup/install them properly? What kind of questions should we ask our dealer? What should we be wary of?

Thanks,

Suze

[rmurray]

Discovery Homes is a Division of Palm Harbor homes and often are built by Palm Harbor crews...all factory trained...each sales center has a construction manager well experienced in the building of these...

These are true modular homes and have NO relationship to manufactured homes..they are usually crane placed onto an existing foundation which is specifically engineered for the individual home..They are then finished on your site by experienced Discovery employees...not contractors..

You have not mentioned where you are from or your time frame of purchase...but the Discovery Line of homes is evolving with more floorplans every month...There is another model on the drawing board..and available in a few parts of the country now..that is exactly what you are describing...The floorplans on the web site are those available in all areas that Discovery is sold...there are a few floorplans locally available that are not yet national...You will have to talk to your local Palm Harbor/Discovery representative about your area...ask about the Gambria model..

E-mail me if you like..

[suze]

Thanks for responding. Our property is located south of Waxahachie, Texas and we have been in touch with both the Waxahachie and Mesquite Palm Harbor locations. We are hoping that we will be able to begin the process sometime after the first of the year. Our property is located in the county, and currently unimproved, so we will have to have a lot of site prep to deal with (utilities, road, septic, etc.).

I will ask our representative about the Gambria. Our ideal home will have some of the features of all the models (Buckeye, Wilmington, Cinci) we've seen, 3-4 bedrooms, 2 living areas, 2 dining areas and a large utility area (for our dogs to sleep at night). We like several models that Nationwide Homes (also now a Palm Harbor division) builds, but they don't build in Texas. Finding a 2 story modular/manufactured home in Texas has been pretty difficult. We were planning on a country style or Victorian style home, if we were to build with a custom builder. The Discovery homes have the character we like as well as nice interiors, cabinetry, nice bath arrangements.

Thanks,

Suze

[rmurray]

Good Luck..

[Suze]

We just looked at the discovery homes again, they had made it into our final cut and we had virtually decided to go with the Buckeye.

The sales person we have always dealt with previously was not in, it was the day after Thanksgiving. The salesman on duty acted like he wanted to sell us a double wide instead of a discovery home. The price he quoted on the discovery homes was about 15% higher than the prices we got previously and when we pointed out it was putting him as or more expensive than a regular builder he got very rude and argumentative.

Do the salesmen get a bigger commission on mobile homes over modular homes or what is the deal? We left Palm Harbor wondering if it would be worth going back to a different location.

[rmurray]

Call the General Manager of this location..( All GMs work until 8PM on Monday night if they are not there this weekend).Tell him all you have said here...review the pricing that you were given and express your concerns to him/her.....Just by posting this here..some in corporate will see it and will be trying to find out who you talked with...This Friday salesperson is wrong...

As far as pricing is concerned...the 2 types of homes do not relate to each other in any way...

Modular homes (as custom builder also quote) ... are usually quoted with a base price which might include basic foundations..delivery..basic entry platforms...everything to have a nice home...

Then there are upgrades and possible site preporations....The upgrade list can be long if you want it to be...The Buckeye is a stunning home standard....In our area most of the homes will be displayed with a list of upgrades in it...even a granite counter top on the island...I mention this because the counter top is an expensive upgrade that is a buyer preference item...as an example..

In our area...Discovery Custom Homes do cost as much as basic custom homes...But the custom site builds will be far inferior to the Discovery home in every way...Ask a custom home builder to build with 2x6 walls...energy star ready construction..ceramic tile in the wet areas..ceramic tile showers..top of the line 42 inch cabinets..downflow island ranges...5 year builder warranty...and the price goes up and up and up...If you try to compare a Discovery Home to a site built...be sure to compare apples to apples..

I would stick to your original salesperson..talk to the General Manager about your concerns...Go to a different location if you feel you should...

But..buy it soon..before rates go up any more..

[Suze]

Thanks for the advice.

We have looked at mobile homes, modular homes, and custom home builders over the past couple of months. My husband is a hard shopper and looks at everything two or three times before deciding what to buy.

We had shopped custom home builders and the upper end custom builders started out at $78 a foot which included actually more than what discovery provided. The custom builder included the septic system, concrete drive, and garage in his price.

The prices the fellow was giving us Friday put discovery around $82 to 83 a foot. When we questioned it he got very argumentative and somewhat insulting. Said if that was too much he would rather sell us a double wide. He made a comment that since we had been there 3 or 4 times we must be seeing something in discovery we liked and why did we keep coming back if we could get a custom home for $78 a foot. We told him we had kept coming back until his price went up.

The whole episode left us with a bad taste about Palm Harbor.

[jgn]

Always a good idea not to rush and look at everything a dozen times and any reputable sales person understands that, I look more than that to buy a car. You really need to make sure you are comparing the same construction and that takes a lot of work so make a check list. Are both 2x6 exterior and 2x4 interior, same weight roofing, same joists and spacing on flooring. How much concrete in the foundation. Do both have the same interior features and include the same items, carpet, tile, appliances. Most builders will have allowances for many items and if you go over you pay the difference, like quality of carper, fixtures etc, find out what they are and what they buy. 4$ difference per foot is quite a bit but that can vanish in a hurry if one includes many things and the other does not.
With a decent builder you know the home will appreciate at the same rate as other homes in the area, with a modular your not sure how the market will react.

[rmurray]

As the other post mentioned...most custom home quotes are limited to a dollar amount for finish items..These are the items I was talking about in my previous post...

If a more basic home is what you are looking for..you might ask if the Buckeye is available in your area as a "Builder Series"...The "Builder Series" Discovery Homes are much more like the typical locally built home in the price range you mention...

2x4 exterior walls..8 foot cielings..fiberglass showers in the master bath..30 inch (still very good) cabinets...less expensive floor coverings (FHA approved)..no crown moldings...there are other items as well...but the home compares directly with most locally built homes in features...but it still has a 5 year builder warranty and factory crews setting the home...plus you can directly check PH financial situation on-line and know you will have no problems in this area..In most areas the builder series is about $10,000 less than the custom series..

So far..everytime I mention the builder series..i get the reaction that "Yes but I like those custom features"..well they cost a little..just remember $10,000 is only about $55/month..

As I said..compare apples to apples..item for item..remember the Buckeye quoted size...1809 sq feet..does NOT include that neat wrap around porch which is over 250 additional sq. feet..(The porch IS included in the base price).Be sure to ask your builder about this add item.....As I said..talk to the GM..

[rmurray]

I was a little set back with your statement about appreciation...How would anyone know this home is anything beside a locally built home???????