Debating on a newer Manufactured / "Mobile" Home ... A Doublewide

New stick built houses use tons of OSB everywhere, and have so for at least a couple of decades. So they are just as bad.

For sure. We've had some new builds that use it for flooring, wall and roofing.

It is stronger and more expensive. But it can't handle moisture. In the case of my swamp shack, OSB right over a crawlspace that floods a lot. Not ideal. A coworker of mine has a roof desk that's osb and had a leak - it's gone.
 
For sure. We've had some new builds that use it for flooring, wall and roofing.

It is stronger and more expensive. But it can't handle moisture. In the case of my swamp shack, OSB right over a crawlspace that floods a lot. Not ideal. A coworker of mine has a roof desk that's osb and had a leak - it's gone.


They use OSB pretty much everywhere here for sheathing and underlayment. These houses are exposed to rain and whatever until the siding and roofing go on. Who knows what condition that stuff is in afterwards.
 
They use OSB pretty much everywhere here for sheathing and underlayment. These houses are exposed to rain and whatever until the siding and roofing go on. Who knows what condition that stuff is in afterwards.
I see houses get rained on often with OSB - happened to sister/BiL … he asked the contractor to start framing the garage and give the house/OSB a couple days of sun/wind before the wrap and went on …

 
New stick built houses use tons of OSB everywhere, and have so for at least a couple of decades. So they are just as bad.
OSB and particleboard are two entirely different products. Particleboard will disintegrate when exposed to water, OSB won't (but it does expand when wet). OSB will rot like plywood if exposed to water for long time periods. Marine OSB (like AdvanTech) will not expand or rot and is supposed to be better than Marine plywood.
 
Last edited:
I'd be OK with a dilapidated mobile home on a lot I really liked, even if only as a place to live where I had my proverbial dream house built.
This approach make good senses if you stick to the plan. It’s temporary solution in order to achieve a long term goal. One just has to be absolutely certain it is where they truly want to stay.

This is the mistake I made years ago. I brought an in good condition manufactured home on the land I wanted to build my “dream home” on. Unfortunately life did what life does and my dreams changed. I sold the home and property for little more than I paid for it. The only appreciation was the land and the house ate almost all that up. Any equity gained was merely what I put into paying it down.

People use the term “forever home.” I’m not sure that is actually a thing so much anymore.
 
What's the price difference to get into something newer? That way you aren't spending $500+ a month and breaking your back renovating yet again another house.
 
What's the price difference to get into something newer? That way you aren't spending $500+ a month and breaking your back renovating yet again another house.

I'm okay with doing renovations. It's doing renovations on a house that's listing a bit, saggy in the middle and completely rotten to the core that I can't do. If we find a mobile home in decent shape I can keep up with it without too much issue.

But right now it seems the delta for what we're trying to get is about $50K to $75K.

What about a townhouse ?

Unfortunately too many restrictions for us. We have too many vehicles, too many pets and a lot of them won't allow or German Shepherd.
 
It will never appreciate in value and likely depreciate like everything out there with wheels.

If you can accept losing money purchase price vs a stick built home appreciating go for it.
 
It will never appreciate in value and likely depreciate like everything out there with wheels.

If you can accept losing money purchase price vs a stick built home appreciating go for it.

I'll be losing about $50,000 on the swamp shack assuming we can even sell it for what I owe. I would hope the depreciation on a mobile home on a plot would be slightly less than 83% in five years!

You shouldn’t be scared of a crawl space.

Getting to everything is nice.

My crawlspace gives me a bad taste - literally and figuratively - going forward. Always full of water and spiders and 18'' deep at most. If there was room to move around and it was dry, sure. One of the houses we looked at was a split level on a partial "crawlspace". I could stand up inside and it wasn't even damp !

My preference would be unfinished basement, but a workable crawlspace would be okay.
 
If you go for mobile home buy the most desirable lot possible. The ones around here get snatched up , smashed or hauled off and nice $800k home goes up.
 
$180K in the south still buys a real house.

One should be able to pick up one or three out in Craig,CO with Tri-State in the process of shucking coal fired generation and the corresponding closing of the mines. But almost anything you purchase out there will have the frame under it that is rolled in on. They had almost fifty years of prosperity, but the parties over boys. It's back to sheep herding for you. And this caveat. Craig is the coldest place in the state and the place is full of scum buzzards.
 
Check out Clayton homes like others mentioned nothing wrong with a manufactured house they're stick built just in 2-3 sections.
 
I believe most of the ones around here are Clayton, there's a Clayton dealer right in town for quite a while.
Are you staying in New York or relocating? In sc there’s Clayton homes & H&H builders I have a Clayton and H&H builders dealer 5 mins from me. Also there’s palm harbor and champion manufactured/modular homes. My parents have a palm harbor built in 2017 I’d rate it a 7/10 my aunt has a champion built earlier 2000’s maybe 05-07 I personally like the champion build quality better I’d give a 8.5-9/10. Nothing’s perfect out there me and my wife had a free standing house built by mungo homes and we’re disappointed with the quality materials and overall fit & finish. I would take a manufactured modular home any day.
 
Back
Top