According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), manufactured homes can last approximately 55 years – and even longer with proper maintenance! For many, purchasing a manufactured home is a lifelong investment. So even though it’s much easier than building a home on-site (not to mention more affordable), you’ll still want to do a fair amount of planning to make sure your home is exactly how you envision it. Here are 5 tips to keep in mind when planning your future manufactured home:
1. Assess Your Needs
Manufactured homes vary from model to model, and when it comes to customization, your options are endless!
In the initial planning stages, you’ll want to consider how many family members will be living in the home and how much space you’ll all need (realistically).
Some questions to consider: Is one bathroom enough, or does it make more sense to have 1.5 or 2? Your kids might share a bedroom now, but will they want their own rooms as they grow older? Do you want to be able to house guests comfortably?
Rather than just planning for the present, think about how you and your family might grow in the future.
2. Budget
Did you know that manufactured homes are approximately 20% to 50% less expensive than site-built homes of the same size?
It’s true that manufactured homes can provide the perfect budget-friendly option for those looking to own their own home or add an addition to their property. But just because you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars doesn’t mean you shouldn’t plan for additional expenses that might arise during building and installation. Beyond paying for the home itself, you’ll also want to budget for a land survey, site prep, delivery, and any additions you might want (i.e. a porch or wheelchair lift).
When consulting a contractor, factory, or installation provider, ask for a sample spreadsheet or cost breakdown from a previous project to get an idea of how much your costs might exceed the base price of the home.
3. Consider Your Style Preferences
Once you have a budget laid out, you can start to think about the aesthetics of your new home. In this day and age, you can pretty much dispose of the myth that all manufactured and mobile homes look exactly alike.
Here are just a few examples of manufactured homes by our partner companies:
4. Apply for a Permit
Many potential manufactured homeowners get intimidated by the permit process. With ADU regulations changing all the time and varying from place to place, it can seem overwhelming. But luckily, if you choose to work with a full-service installation provider, you’ll be walked through every step of the permitting process.
Click here to see how the process works, step-by-step!
5. Prepare For Installation
Once you’ve decided how big of a home you want and what you want it to look like, you’ll want to make sure your land is all ready for delivery and installation. This is one of, if not the most important steps in the entire process.
If your home isn’t installed properly, it can lead to serious damage and unnecessary costs down the line, so understanding how installation works and picking the right contractor for the job is crucial. For example, the kind of foundation you require will depend on whether your manufactured home is a recreational trailer (i.e., it has wheels), or a permanent ADU.