Green Building with Mobile and Modular Homes

Do the words "mobile home" make you think of run down trailer parks and shoddy construction? After decades of earning a less-than-stellar reputation, the manufactured housing industry has upped its standards and is touting advancements in green building methods. Modular homes, which are typically constructed in sections inside climate controlled warehouses and then shipped to the building site for assembly, offer consumers construction standards  which are on par with or even better than many stick built homes. Modular builders usually have to adhere to local and state building codes and these homes are often subjected to the same lending guidelines as stick built properties.  Mobile home construction is regulated by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development and manufacturers seek compliance with Federal Manufactured Home Construction Safety Standards. Basically, the days of builders putting out an unregulated and unsafe product are all but over.
 
The  Process Goes Green In recent years, government regulation companies wanting to reduce their environmental impact, and customer demand have impacted green building practices which have now become the norm for many companies in the manufactured housing industry. Companies such as Skyline Home have taken steps to eliminate chlorinated solvents and mercury in most products, recycle building wastes  when possible, and implement state of the art wastewater treatment facilities. In the homes themselves, Skyline offers consumers the ability to use low voc paints, request Energy Star appliances, and add ice barriers and double strength insulated windows when available. Mobile home and modular home builder, Clayton Homes, has a stand-alone web site which allows visitors to learn about all of the energy savings benefits that come along with their Energy Saver Plus+ homes. Highlights include Low E Thermal Pane windows which, according to the site, block 70% of summer heat while retain
ing 70% of winter warmth. Clayton's Energy Saver Plus+ homes also use Compact Fluorescent Lighting (CFL)  which drain 75% less energy, produce 75% less heat, and can last up to ten times longer than non fluorescent bulbs. Modular homes and mobile homes can also be more energy efficient simply because they are typically smaller in size than other types of homes meaning that there is less square footage to heat and cool.
 
While the manufactured housing industry has not been immune to the slowdown in new home construction in recent years, the industry has begun to increase its market share. An industry group noted, in the Greenwood SC Index-Journal, that manufactured homes made up close to a quarter of new homes sold in 2009 under $200,000 with the Southeastern United State having the highest percentage of these sales. Due to better building standards and the growing demands of savvy home buyers, it appears that modular homes and mobile homes are no longer being viewed by the masses as a "low-end" housing alternative. Financing options for mobile homes still remain more limited than with traditional conforming loan products but as industry building standards continue to improve, it would not be surprising to see many of the large national lending institutions re-enter this growing market.

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