Mobile Home, Manufactured Home, Modular Home, Park Model RV, Panelized Home, Tiny Home – A Definition.
All these terms! What is the difference?
People live in all sorts of different spaces. While home is simply “where you hang your hat,” it can be helpful to know what these industry terms mean. So, whether it is factory-built or pre-cut, motor home or RV, manufactured home or park model RV – let’s look at the definition of each.
Manufactured Homes:
Manufactured homes are built entirely in the factory, before being transported to their final site. They are installed under a federal building code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (commonly known as the HUD Code) went into effect June 15, 1976. The federal standards regulate manufactured housing design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency, and quality. The HUD Code also sets performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal and electrical systems. Manufactured housing is the only federally-regulated national building code. On-site additions to the home such as garages, decks, and porches, often add to the attractiveness of manufactured homes and must be built to local, state or regional building codes.
Want more detail? Here’s a more in-depth definition of what a manufactured home is.
Modular Homes:
Modular homes are residences built in a controlled factory environment in sections, or modules, and then transported to the construction site. There, they are installed on permanent foundations and completed by professional installers.
But there’s even more to like about modular homes.
Modular homes can reduce construction time by more than 35 percent, getting you into your new home faster so you can enjoy it longer. Site-built homes can take many weeks to complete, while modular homes are assembled on-site and usually finished within a week.
View a more in-depth definition of modular homes and modular construction.
Panelized Homes:
Panelized homes are factory-built homes in which panels a whole wall with windows, doors, wiring, and outside siding are transported to the site and assembled. The homes must meet state or local building codes where they are sited.
Prefab Homes:
Prefabricated homes, more commonly referred to as prefab homes, is the name for factory-built housing in which building materials are factory cut to design specifications, then transported to the final site for assembly. Prefab homes are a broader term covering several different home types including manufactured, modular, park models, kit homes, log, and dome homes. These homes must meet local, state, or regional building codes.
Mobile Homes:
While mobile homes are often the term used to describe manufactured homes, mobile homes are technically those produced prior to June 15, 1976, when the HUD Code went into effect. By 1970, these homes were built to voluntary industry standards that were eventually enforced by 45 of the 48 contiguous states. For additional building details, here’s a closer look at mobile home construction.
Park Model RV:
A park model RV is a unique trailer-type RV that is designed to provide temporary accommodation for recreation, camping or seasonal use. PMRVs (also sometimes referred to as recreational park trailers) are built on a single chassis, mounted on wheels and have a gross trailer area not exceeding 400 square feet in the set -up mode. They are certified by their manufacturers as complying with the ANSI A119.5 standard for recreational park trailers.
We spoke with the Director of Sales at Athen’s Park Model RV’s about the increasing consumer interest of Park Model Homes. Some of the growing trends are very interesting.
Recreational Vehicle or RV
MHVillage doesn’t have many RVs on their site, since they are geared towards Manufactured and Mobile Homes. So, let’s go to DMV.org for a definition of RVs:
The term “motor home” is often used interchangeably with “RV.” “Motor home,” however, is an informal phrase, used to describe a variety of recreational vehicles, while “recreational vehicle” (or RV) is a technical and legal term. RVs usually mean either a motor vehicle or trailer equipped with some of the amenities of home. Examples include kitchens and bathrooms.
Tiny Homes
You might also be wondering about Tiny Homes and how they fit in. If so, what is the definition of a tiny home, and how do tiny houses compare to park model homes? You can also check out our article featuring 6 gorgeous small mobile homes.
