When I grew up living in one they were called trailers. Later they were called mobile homes. Now manufactured houses.

I have seen the difference and know the why: HUD took over the building code for them in the 1980s and started enforcing it in the 1990s. If you see one built in the last decade that has a HUD sticker, it was built to the same code (give or take a little) as a site built home of the same age.

I can expound on more differences, but am curious how many do or have lived in one, what kind, when built, etc.

I lived in singlewide trailers from 1990 to 2000. Then a doublewide when I moved to NC, until 2004. That doublewide withstood Hurricane Floyd (prior to my purchasing it) and then Isabelle (after I bought it). Both direct hits. There was no damage, not even a shingle missing either time. Stick-built houses all around had massive amounts of damage.

Now I live in a modular. I love it. (the difference between the two (mobile home/modular) is predominently in how the joists are laid, plus some other less obvious things.) If it was built to go down the interstate at 60+ miles per hour, you can probably consider it well built. That, plus the fact that they are built under controlled conditions, never get rained on before the house is enclosed, and workers are much more comfortable (thus probably more likely to pay attention to detail) I find it hard to believe that they are not more widely accepted as the appropriate way to build. Well, there you have it from someone with a degree in architecture.

I lived in an old one when I first moved out of my parents' home in the early '80s. Man, it was a piece of junk. The mobile homes today are much, much better. What I can't understand, though, is why they depreciate so when a "normal" house keeps its value or even appreciates (well usually, now does not count).

If it was built to go down the interstate at 60+ miles per hour, you can probably consider it well built.
I used this same logic to go from pop-up tent to pop-up camper for DJing car shows. We had a 'rogue cloud' stop by last year and blew the tent down a hill and nearly into the lake - with steel tent weights and PVC pipe full of stone hanging on it trying to keep it in one place. Now we took an old pop-up camper and fabbed it for the same purpose. Not only are we hoping the 60 mph theory holds true, we have faster set up. Instead of popping up the tent, getting out the table and chairs, and so on, we just pop up the camper lid, and set out the speakers. So far, so good....and the cruisers think the retro camper is kooky, too.

Not only am I BIKER TRASH I am (have been) TRAILER TRASH a few times. I have also owned homes, the trailers always kept me as warm and dry as the homes at less cost.:cool:

A little more update.

Manufactured homes are typically built to very nearly the same specs whether they get a HUD sticker or not, but the difference is that a non-stickered home has a bit of flexibility on some minor points. Still the reason they are built the same is because it is easy to control one system than two.

HUD requirements include approved roof trusses with load testing to failure for each run of the trusses (minimum 2 are tested to failure), drywall instead of the 1/4" paneling, 12" or 16" centers on the stud grade 2x4s or 2x6s, and many other changes along that line.

Also, CA has a wildfire and urban requirement because of the fires out here, and it requires among other things, fire rated external doors.

Energy Star ratings are also available for manufactured houses.

It is easily possible to get a 3000 ft square house for only a little over $100,000, plus getting the land and service for it, and customizing it will cost more of course. In other areas of the country the cost is less.

I have been living in once since 93. Even moved it once. Overall, I don't mind it. It is cheaper than renting, and I get a little more privacy. I am on a dead end street (at the end), so I don't get much traffic on my road. The house had been pretty good. I do need to replace the carpeting in the office and living room, and have had to replace the water heater, but not much more than that.

I think this house (28x48) would be an ideal size for me if it were on a full basement, and had a nice garage. But, it is paid for...