HERE ARE SOME FACTS ABOUT HOMES BUILT IN A FACTORY:

1. BUILDING IN A FACTORY IS MORE COST EFFECTIVE.

No matter what type of factory-built home you decide on, it will certainly be less expensive to have it built in a factory setting. Due to efficient production techniques and the large quantity of materials purchased, factory-built housing is less expensive than its site-built counterpart. Using the same quality materials that are found in site-built housing, there is no better housing choice. Dollar for dollar, you get more house, with more features in a factory-built house than in a site-built home.

2. A FACTORY IS A CLIMATE-CONTROLLED SETTING.

Have you ever passed by a home under construction when it is raining or snowing? Lumber and other interior parts are exposed to the elements. Factory-built homes are constructed in a protected environment. The controlled conditions inside a factory account for the precise nature of a factory-built home. All homes are built on construction jigs on the level floors of a factory to ensure every wall is square, plumb and ready for final assembly on your building site. A factory setting also significantly cuts down on theft. Have you ever read a story in the newspaper about a building site getting robbed of materials? It happens quite often and the consumer ends up paying the price.

3. QUANTITY PURCHASING MEANS SAVINGS.

Even large-scale site builders who buy a large volume of materials, can never match the buying power of a factory. Site-built home builders purchase lumber, plumbing and electrical equipment by the truckload to handle their local needs. A factory-built home builder, on the other hand, builds for entire regions of the country, so purchases can be made in trainload volume. The bigger the volume of materials, the better the savings that are passed to you, the customer.

4. BETTER QUALITY-CONTROL.

A site-built home is built under the watchful eye of the local building inspector and whatever supervision if any, is on the job site. Most local building inspectors and builders do a commendable job of overseeing projects, but nothing near the requirements that factory builders must meet. Factory-built homes are built according to federal or state laws and does, which mandate high quality-control measures that assure your home is constructed properly.

FACTORY-BUILT HOMES, CODES & INSPECTIONS

Factory-built homes fall into two major categories: manufactured and modular. What differentiates homes that originate in a factory are the codes or regulations to which they are built. The building code sets the requirements for every element of these homes.

When a local codes enforcement official approves a set of plans and inspects a site-built home, he or she is looking to see that the home was constructed to the requirements of the New York state building code.

Modular homes are also built to the same standard- the New York state building code. Before a factory can start producing homes, a state architect or engineer reviews all the proposed plans and quality control measures, including the people who will be involved in the quality control program inside the factory. These measures are taken to ensure that the homes produced meet the standards set forth by the state building code.

When the factor starts producing homes, a third-party inspector who is not an employee of the manufacturer is on-site. The third party inspector's job is to make sure that the plan and controls that were put in place prior to the production are carried out. Once the home is completed, a New York state insignia is attached.

Manufactured homes are built to a national standard; the code set forth by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This is a national code, although it is adjusted to account for regional climate conditions.

As with modular homes, before a factory can produce homes for sale, all work stations, personnel and procedures for quality control and compliance must be documented and approve. With HUD-code homes, the approval is done by a third-party professional.

A different third-party inspector must then inspect the homes, once the factory starts production, to assure that the quality control measures and compliance are being met. Once satisfied that all measures are met, the inspector attaches the HUD certification to the home.

The question that is always asked about the difference between modular and manufactured homes is: "Which Is Better?"

When comparing HUD-code to Modular, some people believe one is superior to the other. While a particular element of either code may be superior, most experts agree that the two building codes are about equal.

A word about mobile homes

The HUD Code became effective 1976 and has been updated as needed. Before that time, factory produced homes not built to the state building code were called mobile homes.

Mobile homes were of unregulated quality; some were very good, and others were not. Because of some production techniques and sales practices, mobile homes sometimes got a bad reputation.

Now that the industry has been regulated for 30 years, the difference between mobile homes and manufactured homes is like night an day. The fact is that mobile homes have not been produced since early 1976, although there are still mobile homes in existence. Today they are manufactured homes, and the difference is much more than a name. Most of the time when you hear someone talk about mobile homes or trailers, they really have no idea about the industry, or what they are talking about. They only know what they think they know, and usually do not allow facts to influence their opinions.

(reprinted with permission by the New York Housing Association, Inc.)