The Power House

[Jim]

My wife and I are looking at "The Power House". (We've lived in a "stick-built" house for 15 years and now looking at a manufactured home to put in the country) We have a buyer for the home we live in now and expect to sign a contract with him within a few days. Once we have a signed contract for the sale of our home, we're going to have to move fast to get things rolling; i.e., pick out the house, the dealer, dig a well, septic, etc.

Any advice on how to "keep my head" over the next 30 to 45 days? What do I need to do to make sure it all goes right and that I don't pay too much?

What's a fair price for the Power House now anyway?

Thanks in advance, Jim

[Gary]

Who makes the Power House? I have not heard of that one.

[Jim]

Cavalier makes it and sells it under several of their lines. (according to "rmurray" in a post dated 12/02/02)

Thanks,

Jim

[rmurray]

Cavalier does build this home...for a while it was selling under 47K and was one of the best values in the industry..

It still has great features...but the basic construction...(2x3 interior wall..interior walls, floor joists and cieling rafters all on 24 Inch centers...)...leaves a lot to be desired..especially since the price has gone up...

You should be sure you find a good dealer...and think about what you want in a home...both in the way of construction, floorplan and features...Then find one to suit your needs...

Good Luck...

[JohnnyJ]

We looked at thid home for about 5 seconds. After the salesman said "You have to
get it with 2X4 exterior walls, because they don't do 2X6," we were walking off the
lot. Should more aptly be called the "Powder House." (IMHO)

good luck

[rmurray]

Actually I do think they offer the home with 2x6 exterior walls with the wind zone 3 upgrade....I would be much more worried about the 24 inch centers in the roof, floor and interior walls..

[Jim]

OK, you guys have me a little concerned. I thought 2x4 ext. walls and 24" placement on interior walls were standard in the manufactured housing market today (I currently live in a site built home).

For what it's worth, I didn't mention is that this will be our home for only five to six years. Not a permenant house for us.

[JohnnyJ]

The better quality manufactured homes will have 2X6 studs on the exterior walls,
placed 16" O.C. You might also check out a myriad of other items not found in
a less expensive model; water cutoffs at all sinks, toilets, tubs; plywood or OSB
flooring; better insulation; double or triple headers over the windows and doors;
snow load of the roof structure; etc., etc. The list is longer than I care to go into
here, but there is still more.

If you are only going to be there for 5 or 6 years, does resell value count for
anything? You may want to buy one of Randall's books and investigate further.

While 2X4's are fine for stick built homes, a manufactured home has to stand up
to the rigors of the road, and be able to withstand more structural stress. The 2X6
studs, and 2X8 floor joists help give more structural integrity. With a 16" O.C. ,
you get 3 studs per every 4 feet vs. 2 studs every 4 feet with 24" O.C.

good luck

[JohnnyJ]

rm,

The salesman I spoke to said nothing could be upgraded in the "PowerHouse"
as far as construction.
Maybe he was new or not knowledgeable, but, that is what I am going by. On
the other hand, I am not overly impressed with Cavalier anyway.

[rmurray]

These features are about the minimum necessary to pass the code...There are many manufactured homes built to far stronger standards....

Of course in most cases you get what you pay for...and will have to pay for what you get...Cavalier does have some good eye appeal features...

When buying for the short term resale should be the most important consideration....I hope you are not expecting to sell the home and have it moved...This would be very costly..You should place the home on the most desireable property you can find and plan on selling the whole thing as a package...Then you should do very well..appreciating just like any other home on that land...

I know your plans are for "only" 4 or 5 years...but nationally this is the average time all homes are resold..This is not a short time...plus...no matter how careful you are..sometimes things change and you might have to stay there much longer...