Top 5 Forces Behind Manufactured Home Affordability and Quality Construction
The following are the top 5 “justifications” for savings derived from modern manufactured home production processes that create value, allowing more Americans to realize quality affordable home ownership, even in the face of an ever-widening housing affordability gap versus traditional site-built homes.
In all respects of quality of construction and all other measurements, as delineated below, a new manufactured home is equal or superior in every aspect to a site-built at a cost of about 50% less. It may seem odd to “justify” quality and affordability. But sometimes you must, especially when there is such a large disparity in comparative cost of a home.
(1) Measurable Savings In Reduced Completion Expediency
“Time is money,” Greater flexibility and efficiency of the manufacturing process allows for customization of each home to meet a buyer’s lifestyle and needs and are preplanned before the home begins the construction phase and does not delay completion. Typically, a customized new manufactured home can be built and ready for occupancy on site within weeks, as compared to months for a home built on site. This expediency accounts for much of the savings in becoming a manufactured home owner.
(2) Controlled Environment And Assembly Line Techniques
The controlled construction environment and assembly line techniques remove many of the problems encountered during traditional construction, such as weather, theft, vandalism, damages to building products and materials and unskilled labor. Manufactured home factory employees are well trained and managed more efficiently than the system of contract labor employed by the site-built home construction industry.
(3) Benefits From The Economies Of Scale
Much like other assembly line operations, manufactured homes benefit from the economies of scale resulting from purchasing large quantities of material, products and appliances. Manufactured home builders can negotiate substantial savings on many components used in building a home, with these huge savings passed on directly to the homebuyer.
(4) Evolution In Factory Built Technology
Today’s manufactured homes have experienced an evolution in types and quality of homes available to buyers. Technological advances allow manufactured home builders to offer a variety of architectural styles and exterior finishes heretofore were not available off-site, that will suit most any buyer’s dreams, while allowing the home to blend in seamlessly into most any neighborhood.
(5) Efficiencies Of The Factory Building Process
The affordability gap in comparison to traditional site-built homes is primarily due to the efficiencies of the factory-building process. Manufactured homes are constructed with standard home building materials and are built almost entirely off-site on a factory assembly line.
