# What's up with the manufactured housing industry?



## MasterBaiters (Jul 13, 2017)

I do recommend Groehe plumbing fixtures


----------



## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

General Housing Modulars all had name-brand fixtures in them. YOU went to the hardware store not the trailer store if something needed fixing. 

The only thing I remember not being right when I was finishing it off was a toilet. It would belch when flushed giving you a butt washing if you were sitting on it. I called Bay City. They thought I was nuts but sent a serviceman over with a new toilet. He found out I was not nuts. he would not set on the toilet to see I was not nuts


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

multibeard said:


> General Housing Modulars all had name-brand fixtures in them. YOU went to the hardware store not the trailer store if something needed fixing.
> 
> The only thing I remember not being right when I was finishing it off was a toilet. It would belch when flushed giving you a butt washing if you were sitting on it. I called Bay City. They thought I was nuts but sent a serviceman over with a new toilet. He found out I was not nuts. he would not set on the toilet to see I was not nuts


I think they're located where I used to go mud boggin lol. Actually took a tour one day I think in middle school. I can't remember what the purpose was though... probably career or trades related.


----------



## C20chris (Dec 4, 2007)

Not all "modular" homes are created equal. Unfortunately, most manufactures create really inexpensive final products built with equivalently low-end materials. If it is done right, an in-plant "manufactured" house (whatever the term) that is assembled on-sight, will have a much more predictable performance vs. stick built. If the product is controllable it is improvable... There are just a lot of low-buck products on the market that create the deserved suspicion...


----------



## jiggin is livin (Jan 7, 2011)

A lot of peoples general knowledge of manufactured homes come from older ones that we all knew someone who had one growing up. They were much more like a trailer construction with thin walls and almost no insulation, as previously mentioned by a few of us. I don't remember the year exactly, but somewhere in the late 90's they were required to be built to the same code as on site homes. That is where the differences start. True that most of them still had the thin panel sections to be thrown up once the house was set. My cousin installed them for years and there were pros and cons then and now, but the "modern" ones aren't all that different.

I have seen a few manufactured homes that were nicer than stick built, but the floors were redone and tiled, drywall, siding and metal roofs.

I would have a tough time saying one was better than the other in today's world. You go back 25 years or more and yes there is a difference. 

A lot of the cost difference that people see and automatically think "cheaper built" is simply due to efficiency and ease of materials being on hand. It is inherently more expensive to build the same exact house on site than prebuild and haul in and put together, even using the same exact materials.


----------



## ReelWildFun (Jan 23, 2016)

I am in this delma right now just sold a home and comparing stick build vs modular price difference of just over 100 thousand has me leaning towards modular 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## d_rek (Nov 6, 2013)

MasterBaiters said:


> Sadly,stick built doesnt guarantee fewer problems.As a Lic builder in Mi i can only say that i wouldnt wish a Modular Home on my worst enemy.Choice of materials including shingles ,windows etc is important and as with any other profession not all builders are created equal.Of course there are many that are happy with a Modular but again its the test of time.It is no coincidence when peeps say they are cheaper,cuz they are,and so are the materials used.Good Luck with your windows and Moen has cheapened their line in pursuit of greater profits.All of the plumbing fixtures in our current home of 21 yrs are German made and have performed flawlessly and appear new.


No offense but it sounds like you're confusing modular with manufactured versus stick built on site. And not just you but a lot of posters here don't seem to understand the key differences.

Custom modular = stick built, wood frame home built in a warehouse and delivered on site. Can range from any number of layouts from a typical 'double wide' to cape cods, various ranches, etc. Most of the exterior + interior will already be prefinished to specification, unless you tell them otherwise. Some of the home (roof) will have to be finished on-site, as will any adjacent structures (ie: garage). A true custom modular is not a 'trailer' it means that the major living areas are pre-fabbed in a warehouse, delivered and set on a foundation on-site.

Manufactured = metal frame, also built in a warehouse. The biggest and most critical difference is metal frame and materials. These are your standard single and double wide trailers. They typically only come in two different layouts and use much cheaper materials throughout the construction. Wood framing is a foreign concept for most manufactured homes. These do not typically get set on a foundation. Either left on the trailer or blocked up on existing grade. 

Stick built on site = Traditional wood frame home built at construction site. You actually couldn't pay me to live in the house that's going up next to me after seeing the builders shoddy work. So no traditional stick built is not always better.

Our home is a custom modular. Stick built in a warehouse. Delivered on truck bed and set on concrete foundation. Nothing cheap about any of the materials used, and definitely wasn't even cheaper versus going traditional stick-built on site. The biggest benefit of custom modular was time to deliver. We could have actually gotten a stick-built on-site cheaper, but it would have taken a lot longer to build. All the while the foundation, frame, and other materials sit exposed to Michigan's wonderful weather conditions.


----------



## Lumberman (Sep 27, 2010)

There also a lot of assumption that stick built houses are built like they used to be. Which isn’t always the case. 

There’s a giant development in Allendale Michigan where the houses average around $300k. 

They are considerably lower quality then the custom mods that I have seen. These things are garbage. The absolute cheapest of cheapest material. The decks are rotting off them in 5 years. They all have some kind of issue after the 1st couple years. 

A good custom mod on a well done site plan can way better built then a bad stick built.


----------



## jiggin is livin (Jan 7, 2011)

Lumberman said:


> There also a lot of assumption that stick built houses are built like they used to be. Which isn’t always the case.
> 
> There’s a giant development in Allendale Michigan where the houses average around $300k.
> 
> ...


A lot of “builders” that do subdivisions do exactly that. It’s as cheap as they can go, to maximize profit and speed. I’ve worked on a few of them and the things you find inside the walls and attic just make you shake your head in disbelief.

I was less surprised at what we found when we gutted my uncle’s old house trailer from the 50s. That’s pretty friggen sad.


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

jiggin is livin said:


> A lot of “builders” that do subdivisions do exactly that. It’s as cheap as they can go, to maximize profit and speed. I’ve worked on a few of them and the things you find inside the walls and attic just make you shake your head in disbelief.
> 
> I was less surprised at what we found when we gutted my uncle’s old house trailer from the 50s. That’s pretty friggen sad.


In my attic you can see where they used a hammer rather than a saw to cut a hole... stick built on site by any kid who could hit a nail half way square.


----------



## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

If I was going to have a custom home built in MI, I'd ask for 2x6 stud walls, instead of 2x4. Just much more insulated (for both summer and winter), but pricier, too. 

D-rek nailed the differences between Manufactured, Modular, and stick-built. Manufactured homes have a steel undercarriage, and come with axles, *and a VIN number*! They are essentially a depreciating asset as soon as you buy them.


----------



## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

sureshot006 said:


> In my attic you can see where they used a hammer rather than a saw to cut a hole... stick built on site by any kid who could hit a nail half way square.


 I have seen it for things like holes in osb for crain straps on gable ends etc... who has time to go get a saw when the crain operator is waiting?


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

DirtySteve said:


> I have seen it for things like holes in osb for crain straps on gable ends etc... who has time to go get a saw when the crain operator is waiting?


Someone with a sense of pride!


----------



## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

Who in the H ever puts a strap on a gable end to lift a building?

Whenever, which was seldom, we had to set a modular with a crain there were spreader bars above and below the module to keep the straps from hitting the eaves. The Lorenze brother that set the modulars for us knew where the balance point on the buildings was so they set level on the foundations as they came down. If they were roll-on sets he could set two buildings in a day if the sites were close enough. They would be weather-tight when he left. His brother would come along and in a couple of days and fiinsh the siding and do anything else that they needed to done on their part.


----------



## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

d_rek said:


> No offense but it sounds like you're confusing modular with manufactured versus stick built on site. And not just you but a lot of posters here don't seem to understand the key differences.
> 
> Custom modular = stick built, wood frame home built in a warehouse and delivered on site. Can range from any number of layouts from a typical 'double wide' to cape cods, various ranches, etc. Most of the exterior + interior will already be prefinished to specification, unless you tell them otherwise. Some of the home (roof) will have to be finished on-site, as will any adjacent structures (ie: garage). A true custom modular is not a 'trailer' it means that the major living areas are pre-fabbed in a warehouse, delivered and set on a foundation on-site.
> 
> ...


 Stick built means pieces are cut and assembled on site, leaving the materials open to the vagaries of different sawyers, different people measuring, limited on site inspection, and open site storage.
Modular ( and manufactured) means jig sawn ( precise dimensions), properly measured, cut and assembled on other jigs for precision. They are square on all 3 dimensions.The quality depends upon the materials used. Not as subject to the vagaries of unskilled workers or a lack of inspection.
Yes, typically "manufactured" refers to mobile homes, double wides, and even quads, but when one gets to 2200 sq ft quads with true 2x6 (nominal) walls, the line gets pretty blurry, even if its parked in a mobile home park and not anchored on a concrete or block foundation, as it could just as easily be..


----------



## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

multibeard said:


> Who in the H ever puts a strap on a gable end to lift a building?
> 
> Whenever, which was seldom, we had to set a modular with a crain there were spreader bars above and below the module to keep the straps from hitting the eaves. The Lorenze brother that set the modulars for us knew where the balance point on the buildings was so they set level on the foundations as they came down. If they were roll-on sets he could set two buildings in a day if the sites were close enough. They would be weather-tight when he left. His brother would come along and in a couple of days and fiinsh the siding and do anything else that they needed to done on their part.


I was referring to gable end when building a stick build. When a crane is setting the truses and the gable end is sheeted before putting lifting it. The hole put in the osb is covered by siding and homeowner never sees it unless they crawl into the attic like sureshot mentioned.


----------



## BumpRacerX (Dec 31, 2009)

ReelWildFun said:


> I am in this delma right now just sold a home and comparing stick build vs modular price difference of just over 100 thousand has me leaning towards modular
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Background-Used to do Construction Estimating/Sales for a builder in Northern MI that did all options. Three full time framing crews, one factory built crew, plus had a couple of other framing crews that we sublet some simple rough-ins out to. We did a lot of homes for that area. My best year I personally estimated and sold just under 70, ranging from $30k rough in's, the entire spectrum of factory built homes (HUD and BOCA at the time), simple finished homes and a couple monster custom homes.

My new house is a state code modular. I left the industry in 2006. Still friends with the builder. We talked about going site built and they would have cut me a heck of a deal. But unless it's custom with tons of intricate details, it's very hard to beat a state code mod. So they did one of those for me instead.

Factory built housing is very predictable. Consistent. If you see issues with one...often it's the foundation or installation, not the house itself. 

Site built housing is great if you know the quality of the builder and their crew. It's going to cost you more, but there's more options and customization available.


----------



## HUBBHUNTER (Aug 8, 2007)

Near the last house I sold there was an open lot that was sold and the new owners put in a manufactured house. Full basement. They brought it in, in 3 sections. 2 halves of the house and then garage. When the 2nd half of the house was brought in we had just had a lot of rain and the building site was a mess of muddy clay. They backed the trailer in as far as the mud would allow and left it for a few weeks. The trailer and half of the house were leaning dangerously until it was unloaded and set on the foundation. Now I drive by and you wouldn't know it wasn't stick built. Pretty nice place for a young family.


----------



## ReelWildFun (Jan 23, 2016)

Has anyone dealt with american living for modular home looking for the good bad and ugly still in debate of modular or stick built genesee county 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## onenationhere (Dec 18, 2008)

It's the only affordable option for a lot of folks. Real estate is bonkers right now.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

With modular homes, you can drive away from the site on a Sunday, and return the following Friday to a completed home - turnkey ready. That is a pretty gratifying day.


----------



## ReelWildFun (Jan 23, 2016)

onenationhere said:


> It's the only affordable option for a lot of folks. Real estate is bonkers right now.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Yes that's why I sold house I was in 

Sent from my SM-G955U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------

