Foundations and the disagreement between Modular Homes, man-made Homes, Or movable Homes

It can be confusing to tell the difference between a manufactured home, movable home, and/or modular home. They can be very similar in appearance, and on top of that, many people use the terms interchangeably. So let's try to clear it all up and get a best definition. 

What are manufactured Homes?

Modular Home

A manufactured home is any factory-built home in the United States that is built conforming to Hud Title 6 construction standards (commonly known as "the Hud-code"). The Hud-code was implemented and took effect beginning June 15, 1976. A Hud-coded home will display documentation called the Hud Certification Label and the Data Plate. The red Hud Certification Label (sometimes called the "Hud Label") can be located on the tail end of each movable section of the home. The Data Plate will be located inside of the home. A manufactured home is also built on a permanent chassis to ensure transportability. However, typically a manufactured home is not moved from its introductory installed site. The home can then be located on Hud permanent foundation. This is what an pro engineer (like us at Foundation Certifications) inspects and certifies when we visit your home-site. 

What are movable Homes?

A movable home is similar to a manufactured home, in that it is a factory-built home. However, it differs in that it is: 1) built before June 15, 1976, and 2) not built to any uniform construction code, including Hud, since the Hud code didn't come out until June 15, 1976. 

What are Modular Homes?

A modular home is any factory-built home that is constructed to a local (City or County), or state construction code. In most cases, a state will have adopted one of the uniform construction codes (i.e. Ubc, Irc, etc.). Modular homes will not have the red Hud Certification Label, but will have a separate label (often called a "Ubc Label", or similar) attached to the home stating the code it complies with. A modular home can be built as an "on-frame" or "off-frame" modular. On-frame will be built on a permanent chassis, whereas, the off-frame modular will be built with extraction of the chassis frame in mind. An off-frame modular will normally require supplementary cranes to sustain with home placement. Modular homes are, usually, only attached to hidden land, and not typically installed in manufactured (mobile) home parks. 

Foundations and the disagreement between Modular Homes, man-made Homes, Or movable Homes