Manufactured Homes
A manufactured home is constructed almost entirely in a factory. The home is placed on a steel chassis and transported to the building site. The wheels can be removed but the chassis stays in place. A manufactured home can come in many different sizes and shapes. The two major forms of manufactured homes are single-wides and sectionals. Single-wides are sixteen feet or less in width and can be towed to their site as a single unit. Sectionals are typically twenty feet or more in width, and are towed to their site in separate units, which are then joined together. Although not as common as the latter, a manufactured home can also be produced as a Triple-wide.
In general, local building codes do not apply to manufactured homes but are regulated by federal law . Manufactured homes are built entirely in a protected environment under a federal code set by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It is this national regulation that has allowed many manufacturers to distribute homes nationwide, since they do not fall under the jursdiction of local building authorities. However, there are snow load and wind zones that were adopted by HUD that manufactured home builders must now follow. These newer standards for manufactured homes have greatly increased their durability.
Quite often manufactured houses are placed in one location, on permanent foundations, and left there permanently. However, they can be moved to a different location if need be. Behind the decorative and protective skirting placed around the home during installation, manufactured homes have extremely durable frames, axles, wheels and tow-hitches.
Most often manufactured houses are placed on a cement slab or frost pier systems, and less frequently, on a basement or crawl space. Typical manufactured home support systems consist of anchoring equipment such as ties, diagonal ties, straps, cables, turnbuckles, chains, and other approved components, including tensioning devices that are used to secure a manufactured home to their foundation system. When properly designed and installed, these anchoring systems will help resist the uplift, overturning, and lateral forces on the manufactured home, and on its support and foundation system. The following diagram, Pier and Ground Anchor Support Systems, shows the type of foundation support system, we at Alexandria Homes, Inc., most typically use when setting and installing our manufactured homes.
