House price reductions topped out at 26% at the end of last year, which likely relates to the timing of the November tax-credit deadline (which was extended). California homes were among the steadiest in the country. San Jose had just 12% of listings cut, and Oakland had 13%. The highest on the list was Jacksonville, FL at 36%. This good news brings on the expectations in manufacturing jobs for home builders.

modern manufactured home

If you look at Google News, and search for mobile home, then all you see are stories of tragedy. Many mobile homes are still out there that do not meet basic safety requirements. Thee homes are predominately Pre-HUD homes that were never held to any standards when they were built. Pre-HUD means the home was built before 1968, and the HUD safety regulations were never enforced.

Manufactured homes that were built after 1968 have been proven to be just as safe as a site-built home. However, many people still have a stigma about living in a manufactured home because of safety issues. This is unfounded, and if you visit a mobile home dealer then you will learn the truth.

Also, anyone trying to purchase or refinance a loan for a pre-HUD mobile home will have a very difficult time because the bank considers the home to be a larger risk than a post-HUD manufactured home. Afte 40 years, you would be surprised to learn how many pre-HUD mobile homes are still out there. Anyone living in a pre_HUD mobile home would be well advised to bring their house up to code. And, if they can afford it, replacing a pre-HUD with a new manufactured home could save your life.

A new manufactured home has hit the market, called the iHouse. With conceive principles in the likeness of Frank Lloyd Wrights Usonian conceive style, this mobile home is a new shift in the design of manufactured homes. In 1936, when the United States was in the depths of an economic depression, Wright developed a series of houses he called Usonian across the USA. Wright hoped that home costs would be lowered by people building their own Usonian houses. However, assembling the modular parts was complicated for most people to take on – most buyers hired pros to construct their Usonian houses. This derive is very similar to how modular or manufactured homes are currently produced.

Frank Lloyd Wright revolutionized the American home when he designed more affordable Usonian houses with low horizontal lines and debatable interior spaces. Many of these features can be found in the sleek, modern conceive of Clayton´s new iHouse. Clayton is a renowned mobile home production company, and their new iHouse is pioneering design and efficiency towards the destiny of mobile Housing. The iHouse sports a drenched modern, Usonian-like conceive and also integrates the latest in energy efficiency features into mobile housing.

The Usonian homes were small, one-story structures disappointment on concrete slabs with piping for radiant heat beneath. The kitchens were incorporated into the living areas. Open car ports took the place of garages. These conceive elements have been commonplace in mobile Homes since their emergence in the 1950´s. The only missing determinant to manufactured homes, discovered in a Wright design, was a modern style.

In his blog devoted to the iHouse, Greenotter writes — What I like about the house in general, there is minimal dissipated space. The room sizes are efficient, honest, comfortable and functional.

Recently, Popular Mechanics magazine wrote about the iHouse in January declaring that the iHouse looks like a house you’d order from Ikea, sounds like something designed by Apple and consists of amenities that one would expect to come from a offbeat green company out of California selling to a high-end market.

The basic iHouse is 992 sq ft, though the design’s blend of indoor and outdoor space makes it seem bigger. Final prices haven’t been set, but Clayton hopes to issue it for about $100,000. But the core unit can be expanded by adding additional rooms, in different configurations, to suit the buyer’s specific needs.

Wright had envisioned Usonian homes to be affordable and easy to construct, which were the founding concepts of mobile housing. For decades, Mobile Homes have been the most affordable housing available. Clayton´s new iHouse does come along with a substantial price tag, which has brought on some criticism. The banal answer is that the iHouse energy efficiency options give the owner of the manufactured household substantial savings in energy costs.

Frank Lloyd Wright believed these stripped-down houses represented the constitutional ideals of the United States. This ideal had laid dormant, until now. With the development of the iHouse Clayton has integrated Wright´s efficient and minimalistic spirit into the manufactured and modular housing market.

After 10 months, the San Fernando wildfire devoured more than 11,000 acres and destroyed nearly 500 residences, most of them in the Oakridge park. The first new residence has been completed, and the Kessler family has started movig into their brand new manufactured home, a beautiful yellow home with white trim. Of the 600 homes originally in the park, 101 were cleared for residency shortly after the fire and 17 required repairs. Today, 90 homes that sustained little or no fire damage have been reoccupied, said Ginny Harmon, Oakridge’s manager. A total of 130 lots have been cleared in preparation for new structures.

“It’s still a beautiful park,” Adam Kessler said. “And it’s a really nice community. It’s centrally located. It’s close to family. I like the security, the beauty, the people.” He captures mobile home park life in these statements. There is a comeradery found in mobile home parks that can not be duplicated elsewhere.

modern manufactured home

The new iHouse by Clayton offers a modern and energy efficiency in a manufactured home design, with a price tag starting at about $100,000. This is the first of it’s kind in the manufactured housing community, and it is revolutionary.

Manufactured Homes are built in a factory.

Buying a new manufactured home means you don’t have to spend your time fixing-up an old site-built home. Since the buyer chooses the colors and textures of the inside and outside of a manufactured home, there aren’t any aesthetic improvements necessary either. Many people who live in mobile homes say that the low maintenance feature is a large selling point for them.

Modern manufactured homes are nothing like what you may have seen 20 years ago. They are much better. Manufactured homes are well built and have many advantages, including energy efficiency, quality workmanship, and dry wood manufacturing. The energy efficiency can be found in the use of thick insulation and quality windows and doors. This eliminates drafts in the house, and prevents climate-controlled air (which you pay for) from getting outside. So, your heating and cooling costs are lowered, and most importantly you stay comfortable.

There are two options on where to place a manufactured home, in a mobile home community or on private property. There are benefits to each, it just depends on your preferences. In a community, you own the home, but the site is leased. Many communities provide clubhouses, pools, and more. Communities also usually have very little upkeep or yard maintenance, and allow you to develop close relationships with neighbors, and even participate in social events. A manager, who lives in the community is there to serve the needs of the homeowners, from solving problems to keeping everyone safe. Home Security Systems can also be installed in manufactured homes to increase the security, or include medical alert features.

Modern Manufactured Homes are often mistaken for site-built homes, because they can look so similar. Steeper roof’s, gables, and larger floor plans all make a mobile home more desirable to buy and live in. Also, home buyers also have the option to add matching garages or separate storage buildings.

People who would like to live in a larger plot of land, may choose to place their manufactured home on private property. Of course this is more expensive up front, but there is no leasing with this option. Whether a homeowner chooses to place their manufactured home in a community or on private property, they have the same options across the board. There are three options for a foundation: concrete slab, crawl space, and a full basement.

Insulating your walls, floor and ceiling in your mobile home will save on energy costs

Insulation in walls, floors, and ceilings acts like a blanket, keeping the heat inside your home in winter—and keeping the heat out of your air-conditioned home in summer. Like a blanket, the thicker the insulation, the better it works. The performance level of insulation is called its R-value, which indicates its resistance to heat flow. (As R-value goes up, energy use goes down).

Insulation in manufactured home walls and floors is usually fiberglass batts. Ceiling insulation is usually loose-fill fiberglass or cellulose. Before the first energy crisis in 1973, most homes built in the U.S.—including manufactured homes—contained little insulation. The level of insulation used in homes has been increasing ever since. The recommended amount of insulation for a given house depends on its climate; colder climates generally demand more insulation.

Determine if your home is a candidate for adding insulation. Decide what part of your home, if any, should be insulated: floor, ceiling and/or walls.

Air leaks in your mobile home make your AC or heater work harder.

Air leaking through the walls, floors, and ceilings of your manufactured home can have a significant impact on your heating and cooling bills, as well as your comfort. It can also contribute to moisture-related problems. While windows and doors are common sources of air leaks, more important leakage sites are often in less visible places.

Following these tips will reduce the unwanted exchange of warm and cold air through your mobile home’s walls, floor, and ceiling, which will in turn result in lower heating and cooling bills. It will also make your manufactured home a lot more comfortable by reducing drafts.

Save energy with storm windows in your manufactured home.

In manufactured homes, Storm windows can be installed over existing windows to improve their insulation value and dramatically reduce air leakage and drafts. Separate, removable storm windows can be installed in seasons when heating or cooling is typically necessary. Storm windows can be removed during more temperate seasons or if windows need to be operable for ventilation. Storm windows are most needed in cold climates, and less important in warmer regions. Triple-track storm windows, mounted outside the primary windows, open and close easily and provide screens, but they are quite expensive and generally must be installed by professionals. Interior storm windows have been found to work best for manufactured homes, and only these will be addressed here.

Not all storm windows will work on manufactured homes because of the way windows are installed. Be sure you select windows suitable for your home. Following these tips will reduce the cost of heating your home and make it more comfortable during the coldest times of the year.

Even though storm windows add little to the insulating performance of single-glazed windows (that are in good condition,) field studies have found that they can help to reduce air movement into and out of existing windows. Therefore, they help reduce heating and cooling costs.

Storm windows are available for most types of windows. They can be installed on the interior or exterior of the primary window. They range from the inexpensive plastic sheets or films designed for one heating season, to triple-track glass units with low-emissivity coatings that offer many years of use. Mid-priced storm windows may use glass, plastic panels, or special plastic sheets that have specific optical qualities. Those made of polycarbonate plastic or laminated glass also offer a high degree of resistance to breaking during storms and/or from intruders.