| Manufactured homes offer affordable option |
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By: LISA MARCHESONI, Post Senior Writer
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Posted: Sunday, February 21, 2010 6:07 am
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Buyers can choose from nearly 60 one-story house plans with exteriors of vinyl, cedar log or brick. House sizes range from 700 to 2,800 square feet.
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Prospective homebuyers may reach the American dream with a manufactured house, “affordable for the average person,” said a district manager for Pioneer Affordable Homes.
Manufactured homes are built in a closed environment in a factory and assembled on site, explained district manager Giani Tavolazzi of Pioneer Affordable Homes at 2604C Merchants Walk.
The homes generally cost 10 to 35 percent less than a site-built home because the manufacturer buys building materials in bulk and deals with fewer contractors, he explained.
“In the face of escalating costs, the need for affordable homes have never been greater,” Tavolazzi said.
Buyers may choose from almost 60 one-story house plans with an exterior of vinyl, cedar log, cabin or brick. The house size ranges from 700 square feet to 2,800 square feet. Customers may upgrade to hardwood floors, granite counter tops, recessed lights, fireplaces, Jacuzzi bathtubs, walk-in closets and island kitchens or more expensive appliances.
“They’re built extremely compatible to a site-built home,” Tavolazzi said. “It’s done in an enclosed environment in a factory so there’s no weather conditions that would delay the process.”
Before beginning the process, the customer must get prequalified for a construction loan. Once qualified, the customer picks the home, model and location. If a customer doesn’t have property, Pioneer will locate land.
In the construction process, crews will dig footers and install the plumbing.
Construction usually takes about five days in the factory where the assembly line techniques remove problems such as poor weather, theft, vandalism, damage to building products and materials, and unskilled labor.
“Factory employees are trained and managed more efficiently and effectively than the system of contract labor by site-built homes in the construction industry,” Tavolazzi said.
Once completed, houses will be transported to the site and assembled either by jacks and roller system or a crane.
“It’s what I would call a turn-key house,” Tavolazzi said.
When properly sited and maintained, manufactured homes appreciate like any other homes. It is subject to the same market factors that effect appreciation and depreciation of the home.
Multiple inspectors from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development oversee the design, strength, durability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality control.
“Manufactured housing has come a long way,” Tavolazzi said. “It’s right there with site-built homes.”
For example, HUD requires a wind zone in certain parts of the country where the home must withstand 113 to 115 mph winds for three seconds.
“When Katrina came through, some of the manufactured homes lifted off the site but rolled,” Tavolazzi said. “It was still intact.”
For more information on the Web, check www.pioneerhomesales.com or call Tavolazzi at 692-8660.
Lisa Marchesoni can be reached at 615-896-0814 or at lmarchesoni@ murfreesboropost.com |
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