Manufcatured houses are built in mass quantities.
A manufactured house is one that is crafted in a factory. Often called a mobile home, it is designed to be moved around from place to place. If you are buying one of these houses, there are benefits to checking out its background and getting more information on when it was built and by whom. Much of information is available on the house itself.
Instructions
1. Check the underside of the house to see if there is a metal trailer or series of I-beams instead of a poured concrete foundation. Manufactured houses have metal supports along the bottom side of the home. Also look at the foundation of the house. If the house is set on pier footings, then it is most likely a manufactured house. In rare cases, a manufactured house is set on a slab or typical house foundation. If this is the case, there are more ways to tell if it is a manufactured house.
2. Check to see if the house has a red tag (called a data plate), which is normally located near the electrical fuse box inside the house or along the bottom of the house along the frame. The fuse box is normally located in the laundry area, near the kitchen or inside one of the walls. If the home has a red data plate, it is a manufactured house.
3. Refer to the data plate to find the manufacturer. Contact the manufacturer and supply the serial number on the data plate to receive information about the house.
4. Check the HUD label of the house for information regarding its Department of Housing and Urban Development status and other inspection information. This is located on the siding of the house and may be required if you are seeking a HUD loan.
5. Measure the wall thickness and inspect the flooring materials and roof of the house. Then compare your findings to the site-building codes of your local governmental unit. If they do not correspond to the building codes, then the house is manufactured and not site built, since all site-built houses must be constructed to code.
