tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post7431632904140174441..comments2023-11-27T12:01:05.657-08:00Comments on Greenotter's Manufactured Home Reviews: Dark brown moulding gone wildGreenotterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10797132091234472102noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-79649797083086718012020-03-03T07:14:25.866-08:002020-03-03T07:14:25.866-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11986278845542362873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-43197996198461741782017-06-05T01:12:47.254-07:002017-06-05T01:12:47.254-07:00I made a spreadsheet of all the homes I've con...I made a spreadsheet of all the homes I've considered so far and the Micro, Loft and Karsten are all very close in cost/sqft.<br />$47 Palm Harbor Loft<br />$46 Skyline Micro<br />$45 Karsten K1676H2Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-15201285957969744002017-06-04T14:32:59.485-07:002017-06-04T14:32:59.485-07:00I like shed roof designs on the smaller homes from...I like shed roof designs on the smaller homes from Ideabox of Salem, OR, but they are expensive.<br /><br />If a smaller brand was good before it was bought by Clayton, it's still going to be good after it was bought by Clayton. Clayton doesn't change anything in terms of materials used. Of course, the thought of making Buffet richer is off-putting, but check out the homes of the factories closest to you. <br /><br />Yeah, I've read about a lot of homes. Domes were my favorite for a while but the roofs are especially problematic and I couldn't build one here anyway. I toured an earthship in Taos. I didn't like the windows all on one side.<br /><br />My favorite thing about manufactured homes is the economies of scale. I mean, let's take that little model you pointed me toward. If you built that yourself, it would end up costing more than the finished price, just to buy the parts. Greenotterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10797132091234472102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-89290354235855747202017-06-04T14:12:14.131-07:002017-06-04T14:12:14.131-07:00Thank you for the compliment :) I agree, what she ...Thank you for the compliment :) I agree, what she said about plywood was BS but I'm glad she said it because it let me know she is dishonest and not someone I would buy from.<br /><br />I've been reading about every kind of affordable construction under the sun for the past few years. I can tell you about straw bale, earth bags, rammed earth, adobe, cob, concrete etc. <br />First of all, almost all of them are not allowed in CA. Secondly, no matter how cheap it seems initially,(ie straw bale) the additional cost of the engineering will make the overall cost higher than stick built. <br /><br /><br />I got the Grissims Ratings book and picked out Homebuilders Northwest as my first choice only to find out they have gone under. That's really sad because they offered a well made mobile home that didn't require upgrading almost every part of the structure. 4 others that started out being very good have been bought by Clayton and I am wary of anything owned by them. If you've heard of any names of small MH builders in the NW, please let me know.XXXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01318153950300272023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-79838159942315309672017-06-04T12:21:15.200-07:002017-06-04T12:21:15.200-07:00Except for the R11 in the floor, the standard spec...Except for the R11 in the floor, the standard specs for Franklin look pretty good. I don't know much about their homes but haven't seen photos of an interior of a Franklin I liked.<br /><br />No, it wouldn't make sense to have a home shipped thousands of miles. The cost of doing that would be enormous, and the quality of homes on the West Coast is high. <br /><br />Also, in one of my posts I go on a bit about one of the disadvantages of manufactured housing, in particular, big doublewide homes, is the stress the sections go through during transport. You want the least transport distance possible, both from the standpoint of saving money and less transport stress the home will endure.<br /><br />It's really important to get out there and start touring homes also, just to get an idea of the quality and space in homes, and it can help you decide basic things you want like flat or vaulted ceiling, sidewall height, recessed or non-recessed lighting, and overall quality. <br /><br />Find a dealer that has a whole range of singlewide homes and you're libel to stumble on one that is just much nicer than all the other ones you've seen. <br /><br />Greenotterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10797132091234472102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-14036340765337892452017-06-04T12:01:51.520-07:002017-06-04T12:01:51.520-07:00Northern California has higher codes/standards for...Northern California has higher codes/standards for manufactured homes. You're likely to find more 2 x 6 walls there and better insulation.<br /><br />I don't think plywood is going to delaminate unless the floor keeps getting flooded. Plywood is a better subfloor especially for ceramic tile, because it's stiffer and the grout and tile will be less susceptible to movement and cracking.<br /><br />You're right, 2 x 6 is pretty light for floor joists. I'd want the 2 x 8. I know that Karsten will do an upgrade to 2 x 10 on their doublewide floor joists, maybe the singlewide, also.<br /><br />You seem like a discerning buyer. I'll look forward to your impressions in quality and the space of different models once you start touring them.<br /><br />Most of the larger manufactured home dealers have a website which will list what they have in inventory. While it is true some dealers hardly bother with singlewides, you might find some that have more.<br /><br />On occasion, you can find small doublewides under 1000 sq. ft. which make a good comparison. Greenotterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10797132091234472102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-73034988211717167192017-06-04T11:53:15.610-07:002017-06-04T11:53:15.610-07:00What do you think of Franklin Homes?
I was looki...What do you think of Franklin Homes? <br /><br />I was looking for a small mobile home manufacturer and came across their name. Unfortunately for me they are based in Alabama so the cost for an 1178 sqft single wide including delivery to CA is $81,671 which is too high. But their standard features are so much better than Silvercrest that I would rank them above all the others I've found so far.<br /><br />http://www.franklinhomesusa.com/standard-features <br /><br />I found out that it is possible to buy a new mobile home and arrange for your own shipping. You inspect the home and sign off on it before it leaves the factory which I think is a great idea. I definitely want to do that no matter who the shipper is. <br /><br />Do you think it would make any sense to buy a Franklin home from Alabama and (assuming the price is reasonable) try to find a cheaper (but experienced, insured etc) shipper to get it to CA?<br />XXXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01318153950300272023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-47994218167695792312017-06-04T11:36:15.877-07:002017-06-04T11:36:15.877-07:00Taking a tour will be harder than I thought it wou...Taking a tour will be harder than I thought it would be. I live in LA but have an undeveloped lot in N. Cal where I want to put the mobile home. When I called the Silvercrest dealer in Ventura county, she said they don't have the same models as N. Cal and when I asked which single wide model they had on display, she said athey dont have any because no one wants them. I looked over the standard features of Silvercrest which I had read was supposed to be one of the best and was pretty shocked at how bad it is. <br />• 2” x 6” transverse floor joists – 16” on center<br />• 2” x 4” exterior wall studding – 16” on center<br />• ½” drywall on all interior walls<br />• ¾” OSB floor decking<br />• 90” sidewall height<br />I didn't know it was even possible to have less than 2x8 for the floor joists. So even though the base price for their 672sq ft single wide Sm-014814 is $43,572 or $65/sqft. It will probably cost closer to $80/sqft to get thicker joists, sheetrock,plywood etc..<br /> I actually did ask her what it would cost to upgrade the OSB to plywood and she said she didn't know then tried to convince me that OSB is better than plywood because it resists moisture better! She said plywood "delaminates" so people ask for OSB instead. I was so disgusted at that point that I didn't even bother to correct her. <br /><br /><br />XXXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01318153950300272023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-3697637302265260932017-06-01T18:25:38.268-07:002017-06-01T18:25:38.268-07:00Good question! Okay, 90" is 7-1/2 feet, which...Good question! Okay, 90" is 7-1/2 feet, which is tolerable. The extra half a foot can make a good difference. It's the 7' sidewalls which are just too low.<br /><br />As far as paying $1200 for the 8-1/2'flat ceiling, ask if the insulation is the same, and tour a singlewide -- any singlewide on a lot -- with a flat ceiling that high, and decide if you like it $1200 more than a vaulted ceiling.<br /><br />An 8-1/2 flat ceiling can make a singlewide feel more spacious and more like a stick-built home, but, personally, there's a certain charm to some singlewides with the vaulted ceiling. The rooms aren't a box. Greenotterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10797132091234472102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6102980793451526428.post-40608928863188546832017-06-01T18:11:49.842-07:002017-06-01T18:11:49.842-07:00I totally agree with you on this! I'd prefer n...I totally agree with you on this! I'd prefer no moulding at all than narrow brown moulding.<br />I've been looking at a small single section from Skyline with standard 3/12 pitch roof and 90” Sidewall Height and vaulted ceiling. They don't offer the option of raising the vaulted ceiling height. The only choice is to have a flat ceiling at 8-1/2' for $1200 more. Which do you think is better?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com