You say potAtOH and I say potAHto but both refer to a delicious food. When it comes to prefabricated homes the names can be confusing. What is the difference between a modular, manufactured and mobile home? One thing they all have in common is that they are prefabricated in an offsite facility or factory.
However, they do have some differences. Before 1976, mobile homes were produced to meet the demand for affordable housing in the United States. Historically, early homes were made to be mobile and to go where people needed to be. They were transported and set up on metal or concrete foundations. Mobile homes were also used as temporary housing for factories and workers during World War II efforts. Returning veterans also needed housing and the industry offered a fast and low-cost solution for them post war.
As demand increased, the appetite for large homes that offered more comforts than the previous models increased as well. The mobile home started to look more like a traditional home while maintaining the cost efficiency. It was 1974 before Congress passed an act for construction and safety standards for the industry and yet the term mobile home lived on.
HUD Code followed by the Housing Act of 1980 actually mandated that the “manufactured” term be used in place of “mobile” in all literature and federal laws referencing homes built after 1976 to distinguish them from early concepts that didn’t include the important new construction standards. These modern homes are extremely different from their earlier manufactured counterparts. They are built to different sizes of single, double and triple wide. Modern construction materials have been upgraded over the years as well as major strides in energy efficiency and most importantly safety standards. They are built entirely inside a facility or factory to avoid any weather delays that plague onsite construction. Many modern homes today are totally customizable with many options for inside finishes, flooring, appliances as well as exteriors. Manufactured homes are then completed to order and transported to your lot or land and placed on a permanent foundation.
Modular homes refer to those whose components are completed in an offsite factory. They also are built to regulatory standards for safety and efficiency and construction compliant codes. They are typically built in sections which are transported separately to the location and then assembled on the foundation by a contractor.
These prefabricated homes have built in advantages of lower cost, a shorter build time not subject to weather delays, and quality construction.
Mobile and manufactured terms for a home are still used interchangeably. Many people still refer to manufactured homes in community parks as mobile homes today. Just bear in mind the key differences of safety, and durability in those built after 1976.
If you have any interest in manufactured and mobile housing, please contact us or visit our website here to learn more. We are your affordable housing experts, here at GoFresh Homes!