How Do Mobile Homes, Manufactured Homes, and Modular Homes Differ
What is a mobile home?
There are a million plus mobile home owners across the United States. However there have been zero new mobile homes built in over 48 years. Say what? Yes, that is a true statement. Mobile homes sometimes called “trailers” or “trailer homes” have not been produced in almost a half a century.
In the 1950’s, 60’s, and into the 1970’s, the “mobile homes” burst upon the housing scene as a form of housing that anyone could afford. The incredible demand resulted in dozens of manufacturing plants building thousands of these low-priced homes throughout the country, in states where regulations governing construction and health and safety were virtually non-existent.
In the meantime, several manufacturers on the west coast were producing quality mobile homes for homebuyers to be placed on more expensive land or in modern mobile-home land-lease communities. The state of California, for example, regulated factory-built homes to a standard that would eventually be a template for federal regulations that were to follow.
What is a manufactured home?
With the support of the responsible members of the “mobile home” industry, the U.S. Congress passed legislation in 1976 to establish a federal building code for “mobile homes.” This legislation is the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act which became effective June 15, 1976, creating legally the “manufactured Home.”
The federal code is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Community Development (commonly known as the Hud Code). The federal standards regulate manufactured housing design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality. The HUD Code also sets standards for heating, plumbing, air conditioning, wind safety, thermal and electrical systems.
Even today, 48 years later, many of those shopping for a new manufactured home will often refer to them as “mobile homes.” Those, including some of us employed in the manufactured housing industry, will often refer to today’s manufactured homes as “mobile homes”. Perhaps the long outdated terminology is ingrained in “nostalgia.”
What is a modular home?
A modular home is a form of manufactured housing constructed in a factory using conventional home floor joists and delivered to a site on a trailer bed or flatbed truck. The delivered home may be in the form of panels that are assembled at the site, may be pre-cut and assembled on site, or may be pre-built and delivered in one piece. Most manufactured home factories will offer manufactured home floor plans built to site-built regulations. The home, panels or pre-cut panels are lifted from the trailer and attached to a foundation.
A modular home may be single or multi-storied. Modular homes are not subject to HUD standards, but must be built to state and local Uniform Building Codes.
