I've never wanted to even consider living in a mobile home because of the quality of the inside. I'm talking kitchen and bathroom cabinets, walls, and moldings. No matter how much they brag about their solid oak cabinets and no matter how high the price, these things are ALWAYS flimsy.
But, I cannot afford the square footage in a site-built house that I can afford in a doublewide, and I do want square footage!
So here is what I'm thinking of doing. The house we like can be custom-ordered to any specification. I'm thinking of having them build it to just a certain stage of completion...for example, I want them to leave off the moldings, window casings, some flooring, and by all means, NO SPRAYED CEILINGS! That glittery stuff is just too awful. And then we will purchase those things and add them as we get the time and money. Armstrong has a beautiful ceiling tile that looks like a painted tin ceiling! And we could also replace kitchen and bathroom faucets one at a time with real metal ones (the ones that are in it now are plastic).
BUT...after we put all this time and money into it (which, of course, would be spread out over a period of years), would we have too much tied up in a "trailer" if we needed to sell it? I'm not planning on ever moving again, but you never know. The house is a 32 x 80 with a formal living room AND den, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a built-in porch. The asking price (which I don't plan on paying) is $59,000.
What do you guys think of my idea?
Separate question on quality of workmanship
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Randy Eaton
Re: Reality Check
Hello Myra,
I have a question for you. What would you have to pay for a new site-built home that is over 2,500 square feet? My guess would be over $130,000 just for the home, not including land. It sounds to me that you're interested in quality construction but not willing to pay for it. I would encourage you to step up to the plate and start looking at some quality built manufactured homes in your area. My comparison guide would be a great start. Realistically a quality built manufactured home will cost over $40 per square foot. If you're considering a 2500 sqf manufactured home then you should be around $90,000 to $110,000. If you're looking at a 2,500 sqf home that is only selling for $59,000 then you're looking at the cheapest built manufactured home the industry has to offer. My advice would be wait and save enough money to do it right the first time or look at a smaller quality built home that you could afford.
Randy Eaton
I have a question for you. What would you have to pay for a new site-built home that is over 2,500 square feet? My guess would be over $130,000 just for the home, not including land. It sounds to me that you're interested in quality construction but not willing to pay for it. I would encourage you to step up to the plate and start looking at some quality built manufactured homes in your area. My comparison guide would be a great start. Realistically a quality built manufactured home will cost over $40 per square foot. If you're considering a 2500 sqf manufactured home then you should be around $90,000 to $110,000. If you're looking at a 2,500 sqf home that is only selling for $59,000 then you're looking at the cheapest built manufactured home the industry has to offer. My advice would be wait and save enough money to do it right the first time or look at a smaller quality built home that you could afford.
Randy Eaton
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Melissa
Re: Reality Check
Myra,
What brand of home have you been looking at? I would say your shopping at the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality workmanship. Some brands make a home even better than many site built homes I have been in. My sister purchased a 3600 sq ft site built home last year...brand spanking new. I can't tell you how many problems they have faced. In fact this month they will have to move out for a week while the builder replaces the ceilings because they weren't built right the first time. Then sometime soon they will have to move out again while the builder replaces the Mexico copper plumbing they "accidentally" installed. We are talking a HUGE home in a very well to do area. Many site built homes are cheap, cheap, cheap...and so are many manufactured ones. You HAVE to shop it out. Make sure you look at several maufacturers. There are some beautiful homes out there that don't have flimsy anything.
As for having them not complete the home. I may be wrong but from what I understand they can't sell you a home that is not "complete" according to HUD standards. That means flooring, cupboards, etc. If your wanting to change everything you'll probably just have to accept it the way it comes and change it as you go along. I would highly suggest looking at some other homes though. Usually if the inside is "flimsy", the structural integrity is questionable as well. That's just been my experience though. As for sprayed ceilings??? No dealer I know of still sells that stuff in their homes. Even the cheapo models here in CA have taped and textured ceilings.
Happy hunting!
Melissa
What brand of home have you been looking at? I would say your shopping at the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality workmanship. Some brands make a home even better than many site built homes I have been in. My sister purchased a 3600 sq ft site built home last year...brand spanking new. I can't tell you how many problems they have faced. In fact this month they will have to move out for a week while the builder replaces the ceilings because they weren't built right the first time. Then sometime soon they will have to move out again while the builder replaces the Mexico copper plumbing they "accidentally" installed. We are talking a HUGE home in a very well to do area. Many site built homes are cheap, cheap, cheap...and so are many manufactured ones. You HAVE to shop it out. Make sure you look at several maufacturers. There are some beautiful homes out there that don't have flimsy anything.
As for having them not complete the home. I may be wrong but from what I understand they can't sell you a home that is not "complete" according to HUD standards. That means flooring, cupboards, etc. If your wanting to change everything you'll probably just have to accept it the way it comes and change it as you go along. I would highly suggest looking at some other homes though. Usually if the inside is "flimsy", the structural integrity is questionable as well. That's just been my experience though. As for sprayed ceilings??? No dealer I know of still sells that stuff in their homes. Even the cheapo models here in CA have taped and textured ceilings.
Happy hunting!
Melissa
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Myra
Re: Reality Check
Thanks, Melissa, for your advice. The sprayed ceilings seem to be the norm in this part of the country (deep South).
It's true what you said about the site-built houses having problems...my brother built a 3500 sq. ft., $250,000 home and it was a piece of junk. They were in it less than a year. But they made a profit when they sold it!
See my reply to Randy above for answers to your other questions. Thanks again.
It's true what you said about the site-built houses having problems...my brother built a 3500 sq. ft., $250,000 home and it was a piece of junk. They were in it less than a year. But they made a profit when they sold it!
See my reply to Randy above for answers to your other questions.
Thanks again.-
Threnody
Re: Reality Check
I'll admit, there are some AWFUL looking homes out there - I've seen Claytons, Champions, and Fleetwoods that made me run screaming, but you really should look at every manufacturer you can. Check out Adrian, Horton, Cavalier (esp the powerhouse, but I'm biased), Palm Harbor, and Homes of Merit for nicer looking homes.
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Myra
Re: Reality Check
Thanks for your reply, Randy.
The housing market is not great in my part of the country right now. Prices are not sky-high. There have been several nice, brick homes come up for sale that I could have purchased for 70-80K, but I didn't like where they were. I figured I could get a bigger home and put it where I wanted it if I went with a double-wide.
Also, the home I was looking at for $59K was not 2500 sq. ft., the salesman said it was around 2200. Of course, we all know that is measured around the perimiter and not actual floor space.
It supposedly has sheet-rock walls (hard for my untrained eye to tell). It has double-paned, tilt-in windows. Marble vanity top in MBR. Carpet looked nice (plush, not that old sculptured kind). Fireplace with manufactured stone. Lots of insulation. Don't know about the construction. I signed up for you free thing about construction but haven't read it yet. Thanks for that, BTW.
Anyway, did you see my post below about the brand? Homes of Legend. I couldn't find a web site for them. I don't know who the manufacturer is. Have you ever heard of them?
I promise you, no matter how "quality" the house is supposed to be, the cabinets (the doors will be "solid oak" but the finishing strips are practically cardboard) and molding are all lousy in even the "good" brands I have looked at. Champion, for one. I am going to check out some Fleetwoods in the next few weeks. And $59,000 is not a low price for a manufactured home around here.
I may be better off building if the "over $40/sq. ft." thing is true. A friend of mine just built a VERY nice home (using a local, very dependable and conscientious builder). She said it is around 2000 sq. ft. and was built for $90,000 (not including land). At that, a 2500 sq. ft. would come out to 112, 500 (which I couldn't do, but just trying to illustrate to you what building costs are like here as opposed to where you are). What do you think?
Sorry this is so long. I just have so many "issues". lol Thanks for any more advice you can give me.
The housing market is not great in my part of the country right now. Prices are not sky-high. There have been several nice, brick homes come up for sale that I could have purchased for 70-80K, but I didn't like where they were. I figured I could get a bigger home and put it where I wanted it if I went with a double-wide.
Also, the home I was looking at for $59K was not 2500 sq. ft., the salesman said it was around 2200. Of course, we all know that is measured around the perimiter and not actual floor space.
It supposedly has sheet-rock walls (hard for my untrained eye to tell). It has double-paned, tilt-in windows. Marble vanity top in MBR. Carpet looked nice (plush, not that old sculptured kind). Fireplace with manufactured stone. Lots of insulation. Don't know about the construction. I signed up for you free thing about construction but haven't read it yet. Thanks for that, BTW. Anyway, did you see my post below about the brand? Homes of Legend. I couldn't find a web site for them. I don't know who the manufacturer is. Have you ever heard of them?
I promise you, no matter how "quality" the house is supposed to be, the cabinets (the doors will be "solid oak" but the finishing strips are practically cardboard) and molding are all lousy in even the "good" brands I have looked at. Champion, for one. I am going to check out some Fleetwoods in the next few weeks. And $59,000 is not a low price for a manufactured home around here.
I may be better off building if the "over $40/sq. ft." thing is true. A friend of mine just built a VERY nice home (using a local, very dependable and conscientious builder). She said it is around 2000 sq. ft. and was built for $90,000 (not including land). At that, a 2500 sq. ft. would come out to 112, 500 (which I couldn't do, but just trying to illustrate to you what building costs are like here as opposed to where you are). What do you think?
Sorry this is so long. I just have so many "issues". lol Thanks for any more advice you can give me.
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Myra
Hi, Thanks for the advice, I've been noticing your ...sm
posts about the Cavalier Powerhouse and I tried to find some information about that on the Cavalier site but didn't find any mention of it. Do you know of any way I could find out about it on the web? I've found some Cavalier dealers locally but haven't had a chance to go to them yet. Thanks.
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Threnody
Re: Hi, Thanks for the advice, I've been noticing your ...sm
It's ok... I understand completely. I had issues too when I was out shopping around. Several builders operate under the Cavalier umbrella - here are the photos & floorplan of the Buccanneer Powerhouse (Mine is a Homestead, but it's identical):
http://manufactured.home.cinfosystems.c ... 202002.htm
Btw, the molding DOES look crappy in their photos. In person, it looks a LOT better - and it's thicker than it appears. However, no matter how you look at it, the window treatments blow. Prepare to buy new drapes.
The square footage is 2026, and it's a 28x80. With the land, my house comes out to about $37 per square foot.
Good luck!
Several builders operate under the Cavalier umbrella - here are the photos & floorplan of the Buccanneer Powerhouse (Mine is a Homestead, but it's identical):http://manufactured.home.cinfosystems.c ... 202002.htm
Btw, the molding DOES look crappy in their photos. In person, it looks a LOT better - and it's thicker than it appears. However, no matter how you look at it, the window treatments blow. Prepare to buy new drapes.
The square footage is 2026, and it's a 28x80. With the land, my house comes out to about $37 per square foot.
Good luck!
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Myra
Re: Hi, Thanks for the advice, I've been noticing your ...sm
Thanks! I'm off to look at it now.
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Myra
Randy, more on pricing in this area SM
I took a virtual tour of the Palm Harbor "Full House" today (actually the "Fullest" house) and it looked nice. I called a PH dealer about 2-1/2 hours from here and he said it was $68,000...and there is a special going on right now where you get all GE appliances, including washer, dryer, and freezer, for no extra upgrade charge.
What I don't understand is why a "quality" builder like PH would put OSB in their floors. You have to pay extra to upgrade to plywood. Anyway, does that still sound too low to be true?
What I don't understand is why a "quality" builder like PH would put OSB in their floors. You have to pay extra to upgrade to plywood. Anyway, does that still sound too low to be true?
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