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Anether Alternative to Trctditicn:Prefubricuted Homes

Click to see original imageBy N. LA VERL CHBISFENSEN Sei-ipsa League Newspapers “High interest rates are devastating the housing industry.” Such statements as this one by Sen James Sauer. D Tenn. have been heard quite frequently in Congress in the past many months. As Sauer noted, the interest rate up tum began In October. 1979. when the Federal Reserve Board embarked at its tight money policy to combat inflation. And lbere’s no doubt that housing has been one gf the ltardestvhlt industries. Thh article – final of four looking into possible alfordahle alternatives in housing – will deal mainly with mannlactured lprelahricatedi modular nr sectional homes, Other articles have dealt with nr at least mentioned: Building your own home if practicable, hnying an old home and remodeling it at your own pace; going to a manufactured/mobile home; building “piecemeal” un a lungrange plan; and roofing river a firushed basement for temporary use. Another altemntlve many have found practical is to buy n home in the path of a commercial or highway building development and move it. Olt-times such a hnme can be acquired at hare minimum price. fitting to a new foundation or basement at a suitable location, and renovated Into a comfortable. economical imit, The important thing in any housing venture is in research the costs and linanclng in advance, seak expert advice, check zoning laws and huildin% codes. and work closely with loca building Inspectors. in the present housing exigency. local officials – including zoning boards may have to adjust same laws and codes to accentuate the practical. even if the aesthetic suffers a bil temporari A comeback for the temporary basement home” could be one possibility. if permitted, Time was. in some areas. when it was not unusual for a young couple or a low-income family to live in a roofed basement antil circumstances permitted completion uf the home. Tlghiened zoning now bars basement homes in some areas. Basement homes are permitted under specilied conditions in Pmvn. Modular or sectional homes. factorymanulactured and moved to the site. are winning wide acceptance today. according tc John R. Kupferer. executive vice president. National Association ul Home Manufacturers. Falls Church. Va The NAHM estimates that more than 320.000 homes are produced each year by housing manufacturers. Perhaps y0u’ve seen a modular home being moved along the highway, Probably this was only one of two or more sections of a modular home. “lt ma surprise you to learn that modular homes are available in two story. splitvlevel. L-shaped and Ushaped designs.” says NAHM. As the most sophisticated and cumplete of all the types of manufactured homes. a modular nr sectional house is about 95 percent complete when it leaves the factory. This often reduces completion time at the on-site location to a matter of days. A “panelized” home package – comprising preassembled wall sections. tnissee. windows, etc. – ls a popular and versatile form of prefahricaled housing. according to the association in 979. home manufacturers produced 237.000 panelired homes. erected by small builders across the nation, An additional 300.000 panelized homes were manufactured hy large nroduction builders in their factories or assembly in subdivisions and developments, Can you save mone b hu n a manufactured home? y y Y. E This depends of many factors. The only way you can really know is to check out the figures in the light of what you want and where and make comparisons. NAI-IM declares in its guidebook: “A manulactured home won’t necessarily be the least expensive home you can buy but dollar for dollar it will be the best value. ” Superior quality. claims NAI-iM. is the primary benefit manufactured hm-nu enjoy, being built under factory environment. with supervisors checking the product for compliance at every assembly-line station, Manufactured homes usually can save on construction loan costs because of the speed with which they are built and erected. Tom Davis, vice president marketing lar Interstate Homes. lm says his flrm’s lactury-produced homes cost about $22 to $76 pef square loot. with onlslte costs usually between $10 and $16 fer square tout Visua ilmtg a hriBht future for manafact homes. aviasays interstate ia building a new $7’41 million plant at Salt La e City which will cut costs through new efficiencies. Precision-Bllt Hume: at Ogden. Utah. says a Bwsquareloot home sells for about I22,0M with on-site costs tube added, A 1,250-foot. three-bedroom home would range in the neighborhood of $44.000 plus on-site costs. Comparable prices were siuoted by the Boise Company which bm ds homes at live locations in Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Utah, and produces pam eliaed homes at plants in Alabama. Oklahoma and Virginia. All three manufarturers said modular homes can be built “ar elegant as you want them” wtih flexlhility nt design. atyle, and furnlahinga.