Manufactured Home brands

[Kurt]

I've been looking to buy a new or nearly new manufactured home. So far, I've looked at Discovery/Silvercrest/Champion on one lot and Oakwood, Marlette, Golden West and Karsten at other lots.
I'd like some opinions, cautions, recommendations from those who've had experience with these homes. I live in the Puget Sound area of Washington State.

[Mac]

I'm in Oregon, bought a Karsten in 2003. We are quite happy with it. I like Silvercrest, Champion, and Karsten among those you mentioned. Another great brand from Karstenland (Stayton/Salem) is Homebuilders Northwest.
If you go with Silvercrest, they offer a SuperFloor option with 1-1/4" plywood floor. I'd go for that.

The dealer is an integral part of the equation - They should have a good reputation for setup and service. This is south of you, but Santiam Homes was very good to us.
Cemplank siding has recently been bought by James Hardie - their warranty is 25 years, as opposed to Hardie's 50. I'm not sure if the quality is different, or if Hardie is being cautious.

Have fun!

[Vee]

From the selection you mentioned, it seems you are on the right track in searching for your new home.

We have a 2004 Champion. We simply love it. It is all electric, 2,300 sq ft and has good size rooms, fireplace and the ultimate kitchen + 5/12 roof pitch. You will have to ask the dealer about the ultimate kitchen. It consists of all stainless steel appliances, a range with the glass top, the oven is a convection or regular and ours has the sink in the island. We have an eating area and a dining room. We placed this home in the middle of 140 acres in West Virginia.

We even have beautiful underpinning on this home. I don't know what it is called but they put up a concrete screen all around the home and then put whatever color cement you want on to the wire screen and then while the cement is wet they design it to look like rock right out of a creek. It is very pretty.

We have no complaints with the service or the home. It has been perfect. Since we have drywall throughout we did have a little crack in the wall of the smaller bedroom. Other than that no complaints. The home is sturdy and just a real good made home.

Enjoy your search and you won't go wrong with Champion.

[rmurray]

You have what is called cut brick or in your case cut stone underpinning...The process requires a skilled craftsman in the stucco business to make it right..A good craftsman can make the stone or brick very real....There are only a very few in the nation who can do this....When I was in North Florida we did many homes with this finish..We even did a few all the way to the roof with the cut brick...In Augusta, GA I have only found 1 guy selling this product...he was from North Florida...Soon he went out of business and moved back for the lack of interest in our area......Wish we had a craftsman here in this area who could do this work...

Your home sounds GREAT...

[Kurt]

I was asking about specific brands of homes. It looks as if your reply was attached to my posting by mistake.
I just started looking at this site a couple days ago and noticed that you have a lot to say on various issues related to mfh. What's your background? I assume you've worked in the industry. What do you think of the homes I mentioned in my posting, Champion, Silvercrest, Discovery and Oakwood?

[David Oxhandler]

The Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes Provides at-a-glance listings with key information home shoppers need to make an informed decision. This is the essential buyer’s resource, listing every builder in the U.S., their histories, products, price ranges, construction ratings, need-to-know information and much more. This guide will serve you well as a stand-alone reference for up-to-date information on the companies and the products they build. Plus!, an annotated construction rating chart with 56 criteria you can use to evaluate any home — before you buy. The Ratings’s Guide includes evaluations for All 79 U.S. builders including:

Company background/history
States where sold
Retail price range before tax (price includes transportation & set-up)
Construction rating on a 1-to-10 scale (with 10 being the highest quality)
What distinguishes brand from its competition
Availability of in-house financing and in-house insurance
Warranty structure and length ... AND MUCH MORE

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[Debbie]

We own our own truck and my husband pulls mobile homes and I escort him on the oversize loads if we were to buy one it would be the Karsten it is the best all around it is a heavy house and well made we see them in production at the plant when we pick them up in Breckenridge, Texas. The next one would the Oak Creek we pull them from Fort Worth & Lancaster, Texas all overthe lower states.
If we were to buy one it would be Karsten and then Oak Creek.
Good luck ~ Debbie

[Peter]

Hi, I'm in Punta Gorda FL. We have bought a lot, now need a home. We have no knowledge of the industry. We have been told by owners so far that Palm Harbor, Jacobson, Sky Line are the makes we should consider.Is Karsten sold in Fl? We are probably going for a triple wide

[Judy]

I would not recomend Oakwood at all. Cheap Cheap Cheap Poor Quality

[Judy]

If you can, look around for a Solitaire Homes Dealer. You should see Solitaire before you buy anything else.