We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Home

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What are Manufactured Homes?

By Shannon Kietzman
Updated: Jan 22, 2024
Views: 9,576
Share

Manufactured homes, also known as factory-built homes, pre-fab homes, pre-cut homes, factory-made homes, and mobile homes, are residences that are built in a factory. While some of the finishing touches may not be added to manufactured homes until they arrive on site, nearly every other component of the home is completed beforehand. In order to transport manufactured homes to the building site, they are loaded onto a steel chassis and placed on the trailer of a semi truck. The wheels used to transport the manufactured homes can be removed. The chassis, however, stays in place.

When manufactured homes were first developed, owners were limited in the sizes and shapes they could select from. In addition, manufactured homes had a distinctive look that made them easy to differentiate from stick built homes, which are homes that are built entirely on site. Today, manufactured homes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes that can be difficult to tell from stick built homes. In fact, manufactured homes be just as large and intricately designed.

Manufactured homes do not fall under the same building code guidelines as stick built homes. Rather, they must abide by guidelines specifically designed for manufactured homes. In the United States, these guidelines are set forth by the Federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) agency. While building inspectors check the work, such as the electric hook up, they are not required to approve the final structure.

Manufactured homes are desired by some homeowners because they generally cost far less to build than a stick built home. In addition, the buyer can select from a wide variety of amenities, layouts, and room sizes. In this way, manufactured homes are completely customizable and capable of being built to specifications.

On the other hand, there are still certain limitations to what can be created with manufactured homes. In addition, some believe the process of transporting manufactured homes results in a reduction of the stability of the structure. Manufactured homes can also be difficult to refinance when certain segments are not placed on a permanent foundation, and they have a tendency to decrease in value over time.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By Windchime — On Apr 29, 2011

My grandmother chose to retire to a manufactured home in Florida. She loves the community and lifestyle and I always enjoy my visits with her.

When she first made the decision to sell up and move my gran made sure to get some advice on hidden expenses such as site rental. The only thing she didn't realize was that some places have strict rules about what each manufactured mobile home must have in place. These things added about 10% to the cost, so that's worth asking about.

By CaithnessCC — On Apr 27, 2011

Thanks for writing a positive article about this topic. Manufactured home prices are really competitive, but some people still seem to think they are somehow inferior to a regular house.

I grew up in a mobile home and I'm proud to have parents who made the best financial choice in the long term.

Share
https://www.wise-geek.com/what-are-manufactured-homes.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.