How affordable are manufactured homes compared to site-built homes?
Compared to site-built (traditional stick-frame) homes, manufactured homes are about half the cost per square foot. In 1998 the average sales price of a manufactured home in the U.S. was $52,300. The average cost per square foot was $30.21. By comparison the average cost of a single-family site-built home was $136,425 excluding land costs and the cost per square foot (excluding land) was $62.29. The efficiencies of building homes in factories rather than on-site allow manufactured homes to match or beat the quality of site-built homes for a fraction of the cost.
Compared to site-built (traditional stick-frame) homes, manufactured homes are about 60 to 65% of the cost per square foot. Due to changes in the California building codes as of January 1, 2008 costs for site-built homes increased over 23% per square foot, which definitely makes a manufactured home much more affordable. The efficiencies of building homes in factories rather than on-site allow manufactured homes to match or beat the quality of site-built homes for a fraction of the cost.
Compared to site-built (traditional stick-frame) homes, manufactured homes are about half the cost per square foot. In 1998 the average sales price of a manufactured home in the U.S. was $52,300. The average cost per square foot was $30.21. By comparison the average cost of a single-family site-built home including land was $136,425. When you exclude land costs, the price per square foot on a site-built home is $62.29, more than double the price per square foot of a manufactured home. The efficiencies of building homes in factories rather than on-site allow manufactured homes to match or beat the quality of site-built homes for a fraction of the cost. Manufactured homes are built on a non-removable steel chassis, the sections are transported to the site on their own wheels and joined together by a set-up crew. Manufactured homes can be placed on a permanent foundation (Stem Wall) and can even be ground set, giving the manufactured home a more (traditional stick-frame) apperance. By uti
