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What are Manufactured Homes?

Shannon Kietzman
Shannon Kietzman

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.

Mobile homes and other varieties of manufactured structures are built inside a factory and transported to their final location.
Mobile homes and other varieties of manufactured structures are built inside a factory and transported to their final location.

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.

Prefrabricated homes generally cost less than similarly sized conventional ones.
Prefrabricated homes generally cost less than similarly sized conventional ones.

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.

Discussion Comments

Windchime

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.

CaithnessCC

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.

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    • Mobile homes and other varieties of manufactured structures are built inside a factory and transported to their final location.
      By: allbylouise
      Mobile homes and other varieties of manufactured structures are built inside a factory and transported to their final location.
    • Prefrabricated homes generally cost less than similarly sized conventional ones.
      By: twixx
      Prefrabricated homes generally cost less than similarly sized conventional ones.