Learn how manufactured homes have improved
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008The manufactured home of today is an evolution of style and features that has its beginnings in a history of answering the Savvy shopper’s demand for excellent houses at an exceptional value.
In the 1920s, “trailer coaches” were built to serve the Smart adventurer who wanted the option, when on the go, of having a ready-made place to sleep at a campsite. During Word War II, these temporary dwellings were used to house factory laborers who arrived from far away to help out in the war effort.
When the war was over, veterans came home to find economical housing difficult to find. The manufactured housing industry answered this call by dwelling structures that were big enough to house a person and his family. And, these buildings could still be moved from one area to another to provide the flexibility that the buyers needed.
In the 1960s, Discerning families wanted even more out of housing builders. The hunger was for grander trailers with more benefits and the new fixtures that were rapidly popping up on the scene. And, it had to be mobile. History buffs may remember Lucille Ball in the comedy, “The Long, Long Trailer.”
From this thirst was born the mobile home. Mobile homes were more spacious in size, nicer in appearance and met the needs of prospective young Discerning homeowners.
In 1974, Congress passed the National Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards Act, also known as the HUD Code. This watershed legislation made mobile homes the only form of private and single-people building governed by federal regulation. Even traditionally built dwellings did not enjoy such stiff regulation. These regulations, which became effective in June of 1976, replaced any existing state or local construction and safety requirements applying to the product.
The effect of federal regulation was to more clearly define trailer houses as buildings, rather than vehicles. The Homes Act of 1980 adopted this change officially, mandating the use of “manufactured housing” (factory-built buildings) to replace “trailers” in all federal law and literature for homes built since 1976.
The manufactured home guys and girls see today is truly a home and it bears little resemblance to its ‘tin-box’ predecessor, the trailer. Often, shoppers may not even recognize a fabricated home - so close is it in design and structure to its stick-built counterpart. Thanks to sophisticated production processes and the demands of the buyer, pre-fab homes have become a model of efficiency, affordability, and innovative design benefits.
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