Mobile home

[fried1765]

Well then he shouldn't have anything to worry about if he ever leaves FL and moves to Iceland...! :laughing:

now go take your meds...!

Your point is?
I never suggested that I was entertaining any thoughts of moving to Iceland.
Although I did live there very briefly many years ago.
Very interesting place.

 

[MossRoad]

Hello and thank you for your time.

I am considering placing a mobile home on my property. I have been given the authority by the county. I know nothing about mobile homes.

I have been told it needs to be 1976 or newer, has to have a title, minimum of 500 sq ft, has to be hud approved and wind loads of 2-3 whatever that means?

Can someone educate me on mobile homes? Anything you can tell me would be more than I currently know.

To be clear, exactly what type of home are you looking at. Trailer, modular, etc...

 

[1930]

To be clear, exactly what type of home are you looking at. Trailer, modular, etc...

Trying to educate myself on the types available. how do I know its hud approved, whats windloads of 2-3 mean exactly ( thats what I was told to look for by county ) Do all mobile homes have titles ect ect.

I am considering it as temp quarters until I am able to build my home.

 

[1930]

I see no that this will not work for me. Thanks to everyone that replied. Too much investment for a temporary living quarter

 

[JethroB]

Most people consider a mobile home as a trailer. It is built in a factory, set on wheels and trucked to a site. There it is blocked up, and the wheels are removed. It can easily be moved at a later time.

A modular home is usually built in a factory in pieces. The sections are trucked to a site and placed on a foundation. Generally, they are not intended to moved again.

I agree. Manufactured home is the term preferred now days to what we call mobile homes. Titled and taxed as personal property like a car.
Modulars are generally considered permanent and treated as real property by states like a stick built home. Both have come a long way in the last couple of decades if you are willing to pay for the upgrades.

 

[TractorGuy]

Can be a great value. Wife and I bought our first piece of property with a 73 model 12x60 in 1979. We lived in it until 1993. It had 2x2 studs in the inner walls and particle board floors. I would crawl on top and smear cool seal on the roof every few years.

As flimsy as it was it never felt unsafe in high winds and sat through the worst hurricane our area has ever had in 85.

 

[DK35vince]

As a counterpoint to some of the above posts....

I've been living in a doublewide for the past 30 years now. Never had one leak in all those years. Or other problems that I can think of. 6" exterior walls with what at the time was called the "Alaska" insulation package, and triple pane windows. Factory-installed wood-burning stove which last year I changed out to a pellet stove. A few years ago the original shingles on the roof were starting to curl so I had a full metal roof put on so I'd not have to worry about it again in my lifetime. And this year I changed out all the original faucets for fancy new ones - also the frost-free sillcocks in the outside walls.

And there is NO particle board in this house of mine. Inside walls are sheetrock. I think some folks are talking about old single wide mobile homes built in the 60s and 70s when they talk about the construction. Also - mine sits on a full basement. Concrete walls/floor with I-beams to support the house. Lots of storage - and if ever I do have to do something with the plumbing like changing out the sillcocks, I can do it on a stepladder instead of lying on my back in a crawl space.

We have been in our double wide 16 years.
Very similar experience to what you have.
6" wall studs, full basement, never any leaks.
Been quite happy with our house. (manufactured home)

 

[MossRoad]

My old boss and her husband bought a modular factory built home. It's double wide. They had a full basement poured. Her husband is an engineer and figured out the requirements for 1 large steel beam to span the entire width. On arrival day, the crane set the beam into the basement, then both halves of the house. They now have a full basement with NO supports in the middle anywhere. Clear span. Very nice use of space.

On the subject of cost, they had a lot of upgrades put in. They put pencil to paper and it cost the same amount as a stick built house. About the only difference was the house was done in 4 weeks VS months for stick built.

 

[tmcj]

Same here...double wide on a full foundation. Axles and tongues removed and on a full foundation is considered a permanent residence. We picked and ordered our home based on several standard structural specs etc that are typically considered upgrades with some manufacturers. 2 x 6 exterior walls, 2 x 4 roof trusses, floor joists, heavier subfloor, windows, furnace, on and on. Well insulated and go through about 1/3 of heating oil each year compared to most people i talk to with standard built homes of roughly same square footage of living space. Built and moved in our place 21 years ago. We did have 1 leaking skylight and replaced skylights, and replaced shingles with metal roofing while adding on a 10' x 17' front porch last year. Otherwise no leaky pipes or any other issues. Still going strong. Starting out it was what we could afford at the time. In a few short years when the kids are done with college and out on their own and its just the wifey and I here again, it will suit us well. Much better than an oversized and mostly empty house. Also, when we are old and frail, everything we need is on one level and won't have to battle the stairs for daily routines. Otherwise the basement can be easily accessed from ground level on the backside of the house if needed.

 

[Oaktree]

I agree. Manufactured home is the term preferred now days to what we call mobile homes. Titled and taxed as personal property like a car.

This is something that's going to vary considerably from state to state, even from one town/city within the state to another. Here a mobile home (what used to be called a house trailer) is just considered a house. Some municipalities require them to be in designated parks, others will allow them on any property as long as it meets requirements (lot size, setbacks, etc.).

Not sure what you mean by "taxed as personal property", do you mean property taxes or something else?

 

[Oaktree]

On the subject of cost, they had a lot of upgrades put in. They put pencil to paper and it cost the same amount as a stick built house. About the only difference was the house was done in 4 weeks VS months for stick built.

Dunno about that, depends on the builder. I've seen stick built houses go up in 2-3 weeks once the foundation's poured and set. All depends on how well co-ordinated the various crews are.

 

[RoyKing]

I would buy a used one to live in while you plan the real house and be your own subcontractor.

 

[mcfarmall]

In my neck of the woods, if it's built on a steel frame and has a VIN number and a title from the Sec'y of State (just like my camper or utility trailer) then it's a mobile home. If it's stick built in a factory, has NO steel undercarriage and is set on site with a crane, then it's a modular.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I've found that the Mobile Home industry has come up with some of the very best floorplans you can ever have in a rectangular shaped building. The newer models have also gone all out in making them extremely attractive with some very nice finishes.

Having worked on quite a few of them for clients, I've also learned that they have figured out every possible way to cut a corner that there is. From going with the cheapest electrical outlets ever invented, to the bare minimum in plumbing to the lightest framing allowed. They are a fast and cheap way to have a place to live, but the also lose value every year. If you pay $50,000 for it new, you will never sell it for that amount in the future unless you do something with the land to make the overall property worth more then the mobile home.

My ex was a title officer and she worked with several local mobile home companies. Their business plan relied on repossessing a brand new mobile home 3 times before selling it for the last time. They provide financing that they know the buyer cannot afford, so they plan on getting as much upfront cash as possible, then taking the mobile home back and selling it again when they fail to make their payments.

I need to learn to hitite only what i refer to. In this case, financing and takin it back.

One of my favorite singer songwriters is a texas guy named James McMurtry. You might recognize the name, his daddy was a very successful writer...The Last Picture Show etc etc etc.

He has what i call a hillbilly rap song. It's about 11 minutes and talks about going to a family reunion at his Uncle Slatons up in Oklahoma. "Uncle Slayton had to leave texas but, he won't say why.". IMHO, it's one of the greatest songs ever and if you are from texas you should recognize most of the landmarks he talks about.

One line is........ uncle slayton sold them 40 acres, owner financed cause he knows they are slackers and he....takes it back.

Song called Choctaw Bingo

 

[MF243RedTop]

I have been told it needs to be 1976 or newer, has to have a title, minimum of 500 sq ft, has to be hud approved and wind loads of 2-3 whatever that means?

A Guide To Understanding Wind Zones For Mobile Homes

In Georgia the 2-3 would be wind zone rated for hurricane force winds. Here they typically require a wind zone 1 or 2 depending on how close you are to the coast. Since your in FL I'm guessing that number goes up.
Those specs should be placed inside the home on detailed placard usually in a bedroom closest wall, kitchen cabinet door..

 

[SARG]

We have lived in one since the eighties on four acres. It was all I could afford at the time.
I have replaced the windows and the siding (twice).
I'm in the last decade now .... so why bother to go through a move.
I would not do it again ......... it was a bad decision.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

The difference between a manufactured home and a modular home is in the actual building process / materials and building inspections. You can have the same identical house / floor plan side by side and not tell the difference. However, you will pay anywhere from $10-20k more for the "modular" home.

This costs buys you "upgraded" construction materials: 2x10 floor joists vs. 2x6, 2x4 roof trusses vs. 2x2 (or combination), full residential wiring done to national electric code, full residential plumbing done to plumbing code. Full drywall. The building process goes down the same assembly line, however the local county inspections that would take place at a site built house (framing, elec., plumbing, insulation, hvac, etc... all get done at the factory by the same local inspectors.

The "manufactured" home only gets one inspection, done by a HUD in-house inspector, at the end of the assembly line. HUD requirements are the bare minimum. Staples vs. nails, #3 graded lumber vs. #2 and better, 14 g wire on big circuits, cheaper Hvac and ductwork.

The idea that it will depreciate..... well, I have refinanced a "manufactured home" 3 times over the last 25 years, cashing out more than the house initially cost, and now selling it, again making more in profit than it cost (all said, increasing in value about $250K over 25 years). It is (and has been) considered to be "real estate property" since day one of being set on a permanent foundation. It has a conventional mortgage, and the buyers are purchasing it with a conventional mortgage.

Yes, I have seen other manufactured homes totally deteriorated beyond repair, getting selling prices basically what the land is worth. It all depends on how well it was maintained and how good it was initially built. (Buying a $50K unit vs. $100K unit).

I have also seen stick built houses with cracked foundations, cracking floor tiles, cracked drywall, and the best one ever.... a weed growing out from between the baseboard and the carpet from the outside .... this was on a brand new $300K site built house! That 'builder' was a hurry up, get it done, use the cheapest labor, etc... type of builder....

 

[crazyal]

Since a mobile or manufactured home will not work how about a RV trailer? They are easy to find used for a decent price. If it's in good shape and you keep it up chances are you can get some of your money back. I don't know about the laws where you are, some states don't allow people to live in RVs year round while other states could care less about if you register them as long as you don't drive on the road.

 

[Jim Nelson]

Since a mobile or manufactured home will not work how about a RV trailer? They are easy to find used for a decent price. If it's in good shape and you keep it up chances are you can get some of your money back. I don't know about the laws where you are, some states don't allow people to live in RVs year round while other states could care less about if you register them as long as you don't drive on the road.

This is exactly what we did when we upgraded from a '82 mobile home to a '03 mfg. home. We just tapped into existing septic,water,and electric and lived right on site while everything was being done. There were inspectors in and out all the time and never a word was said. We sold the travel trailer for what we had into it when we were done. We also rented a storage pod that we kept on site and that was the only extra expense we had.
All in all it was a good experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if the need came up.

 

[1930]

A Guide To Understanding Wind Zones For Mobile Homes

In Georgia the 2-3 would be wind zone rated for hurricane force winds. Here they typically require a wind zone 1 or 2 depending on how close you are to the coast. Since your in FL I'm guessing that number goes up.
Those specs should be placed inside the home on detailed placard usually in a bedroom closest wall, kitchen cabinet door..

This was super helpful. Thank-you