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Sturdier Than Ever

A Message from Gub Mix
Executive Director
Nevada Manufactured Housing Association

Imagine how your site- built home, or one owned by a friend or relative, would stand up if it were rolled down the highway at 50 mph. That's how manufactured homes are engineered and designed to handle the stress and strain of such moves, and not just once, but as many times as needed. Now, most site-built homes would literally fall apart if moved about in this manner, but not HUD code manufactured housing. Ultimately, any home must face the test of strength and durability, while manufactured homes are designed to go above and beyond to ensure exceptional reliability.

What is the difference between the HUD code and those codes used by site builders, such as the Uniform Building Code? In the end, not much. Prescriptive codes" (any of the model codes used by site-builders including the Uniform Building Code) basically lay out the procedures used to build a structure. The HUD Code was designed to be used in a factory setting and is referred to as a "performance code". It defines the standards that must be met in a quality home, but allows the factory to utilize innovatively engineered ideas that may greatly reduce the actual building time or cost.

All of the model codes and the HUD Code must meet the same performance standards when complete, providing the durability and safety considerations that Americans demand. If the HUD Code builder discovers a better, more economical method to meet those standards, then upon submission of the proper engineering data and tests, these new ideas can be immediately included in the production line. However these same new construction techniques for site-builders are implemented much more slowly causing homebuyers to foot the bill for outdated building methods longer than necessary.

This may be why the percentage of HUD Code homes sold as compared with site-built sales increases each year. Now more than one-third of all single-family homes sold in the United States are manufactured homes. Financial analysts on Wall Street are forecasting this will increase to more than 50% in the next 10 years.