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Glossary of Industry Terms
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Contact: Carrie Nolan, cnolan@allseassonscommunications.com
Erin Proctor, eproctor@allseasonscommunications.com
Agency: All Seasons Communications
Phone: 586.752.6381 (not for publication)
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Manufactured Home
Manufactured homes are built to the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act enacted on June 15, 1976, and enforced by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Washington, D.C. The act serves as a basis for the HUD building code. The HUD code, through revisions, has evolved to ever increasing standards of performance and durability. Manufactured homes are built in a controlled, factory environment on a permanent chassis that is designed to be used with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities. Manufactured homes are delivered to the home site in one or multiple sections and may be placed on private property or in a manufactured home community. Appendix E of the Michigan Residential building code gives local building officials guidance on placing manufactured homes on private property. Public Act 96 of 1987, as amended along with its promulgated rules, gives insight into operations and oversight of the manufactured housing industry in Michigan.
Mobile Home
A home similar to above but built prior to enactment of the HUD building code on June 15, 1976. In Michigan, the accepted building standard prior to HUD was the ANSI standard.
HUD Code
The Department of Housing and Urban Development's code that regulates the home's design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality control. It also sets stringent performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air-conditioning, electrical systems, and structural integrity. The HUD building code specifically pre-empts local building ordinances on the construction of the home envelope of manufactured homes. HUD-code homes usually have a steel frame that supports the weight of the floor system and walls. This saves some cost in supporting the floor system compared to all wood support. The steel frame acts as the chassis to which axles, wheels and brakes are attached for transit to its final site. It should be noted that for most of the 1990s, the energy efficiency of HUD-code homes exceeded the efficiency standards of the BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc.) code of conventional site-built homes until the State of Michigan residential code was adopted in July of 2001. The HUD building code has received several revisions and updates since it was enacted and continues to be reviewed and revised to improve performance and durability. Like any model code, the HUD code establishes the minimum construction standard and a level playing field for completion. Manufacturers have been driven by consumer demand to go beyond the code in design and energy efficiency. Consumer preference has pushed factory-built homebuilders to build outside the conventional box they have created in the past, often outshining the curb appeal of neighbors when placed in urban and rural settings.
State Pre-Manufactured or "Modular Home"
Factory-built homes that begin as components and are designed, engineered and assembled in a controlled factory environment. These homes are built to the State of Michigan Residential Building
Code. This is the same code that is used to construct any conventional site-built home. Components come together at the building site and the home is completed by a licensed builder under standards enforced by state and local agencies. Modular homes may be one- or two-story dwellings and are placed primarily on private property or in land-leased communities.
State Pre-Manufactured or "Frame on Modular"
A home built to the State of Michigan Residential Building Code that incorporates a steel I-beam frame. These were built in the late 1970s and 1980s and are seeing resurgence in popularity. Even a knowledgeable inspector or appraiser will often confuse these homes, "state pre-manufactured," with a HUD-code "manufactured" home. The difference between these homes is the code under which they are constructed. Tags on the electrical breaker box, in cabinetry, or in the mechanical closet of the home will tell what code was used to build the home.
BOCA Code
Modular homes are often referred to as BOCA Code homes but it is an outdated catch-all term for a home built to the State of Michigan residential code. In Michigan, state pre-manufactured (modular) homes are designed, built and regulated to adhere to the State of Michigan Residential Building Code. Since July 2001, Michigan has mandated one state-wide building code that is, for the major part, the same as the international code, and properly called the State of Michigan Residential Building Code. Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc. (BOCA) is the oldest of three "model" codes used in the United States. Site-built and modular homes previously fell under this code, which is still used by states in the Midwestern and Eastern parts of the country.
Manufactured Home Communities
Private land developed as home sites for manufactured homes sometimes referred to as a land-lease community. In Michigan, most sites are leased to the homeowner under a lease agreement.
Single-Section Home
A manufactured home delivered to the home site in one, intact section; the average square footage is 1,090 square feet.
Multi-Section Home
A manufactured home delivered to the home site in two or more sections. The average square footage is 1,750 square feet, but may be as large as 2,400 square feet. May have a (site-built) garage attached after the home is installed. (for homes constructed prior to 1976 the term double wide is often used)
Retailer
Licensed, professional seller of manufactured homes. Assists in arrangement for financing, and has home installed on home site and prepared for move-in.
Site-Built Housing
Housing constructed at the home site, exposed to the elements, but may consist of modules of pre-assembled parts like trusses, doors, windows and pre-cast basement wall panels.
Energy Star Certified Home
ENERGY STAR was created by the EPA and is backed by the US government to help alleviate the environmental impact of using energy to power homes through energy efficient buildings, air distribution, equipment, new home construction, and products including kitchen appliances, electronics and clothes washers. To be labeled with ENERGY STAR, products and homes have to meet strict guidelines set by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the EPA. The EPA and DOE certify products that are not only energy efficient, but also provide the performance and savings consumers are looking for in an ENERGY STAR product. Today, over 35 product categories are labeled ENERGY STAR. ENERGY STAR products include refrigerators and freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers, furnace systems, air conditioners, home theater components, windows, lighting, programmable thermostats, insulation and more.
The Michigan Manufactured Housing Association is celebrating its 65th anniversary, making it one of Michigan's oldest trade associations. For more information about manufactured and modular housing, visit www.michhome.org, call 800.551.1315 or contact MMHA, 2222 Association Drive, Okemos, MI 48864-5978; 517.349.3300.
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Michigan Manufactured Housing Association
2222 Association Drive • Okemos, MI 48864-5978
Telephone: 517.349.3300
michhome@michhome.org
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