@Anonymous I wish I could say that I am already moved but the fact of the matter is that the foundation was just poured yesterday and as my luck always goes, we are forecast for rain 3 days this coming week so chances of my home being delivered any time soon are slim to none. During winter months, once the rains start, the ground quickly becomes saturated because the lack of heat keeps it from drying out quickly. I know the areas in and around Houston are similar in that regard except that the soil down that way drains better than where I am. I lived in Houston and southward in Rosharon for many years before returning to my stomping grounds in the northeastern part of the state. Anyway my lot is a mess right now because the ground was so soft that the skid steer they use to move the dirt around and dig the trenches for the runners just tore it up. They managed to get the concrete poured but they were not able to smooth the dirt out very well. The more they tried, the worse it got. The concrete should be set by Monday but I'm pretty sure the transport company won't be able to set the two sections of the house on it without getting everything bogged down in the mud. Sooo...I'm moving along at a snail's pace right now.
As for manufactured home builders, I did a HUGE amount of research on all the major players which included reading reviews, visiting dealers' lots and touring the homes and getting feedback from people who have lived in them. I narrowed my top choices to 3 builders: Clayton, Solitaire and Champion. I had my heart set on Solitaire at first but I learned a few things about them that changed my mind though I still regard them as a quality builder. My second choice was Champion. Champion used to build only stick built homes but branched off into manufactured and modular structures as well several years ago. I finally went with them. Depending on your location, they have a pretty large variety of homes with some really decent upgrade options. My home is a 3/2, 1699 sq. ft., with wood burning fireplace and not quite but almost all of the bells and whistles. I elected to have 6" exterior wall thickness rather than the usual 4", upgraded insulation, radiant roof barrier, upgraded all stainless premium appliance package and so on. My master bath even has a cavernous 48"x72" tiled walk-in shower with rain shower head and it has a separate commode closet. There is a walk in pantry just off the kitchen along with a mop sink in the laundry/utility/mudroom. All walls are tape and textured drywall with bullnose corners and all of the closets are walk-in and have wooden shelves and rods to hang clothes on. It's a very nice home.
Just so you know, I think all 3 of these builders, with possibly the exception of Solitaire, also produce modular versions of their homes. I have to tell you that many people still (unjustifiably, in my opinion) snub their noses at manufactured and modular homes. With all of the modern building methods and automation they use and with the controlled environment in which they are built, some of them are better built and stronger than stick built homes. You still can't get a manufactured home with a brick fascade but other than that, if you maintain one as well as you would a brick, stick built home, it will most likely last a lot longer than you will. So many people in this country, myself included, just can't afford to shell out $200-$500k for a place to live and with rents going through the roof, this was my only alternative. Manufactured homes are not the mobile homes of old and I wish there was some way to get rid of the stigma that has always been attached to this type of structure.
Please let me know what route you decide to go and if I can answer any questions regarding manufactured housing, I'll be more than happy to help or set you on a path similar to the one I took so you can research for yourself. Good luck!
