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What is the Expected Life of a Manufactured Home?

When planning to build or buy a manufactured home, you need to pay a lot of attention to several factors such as the longevity of the house. You do not want to invest your hard-earned money into something that will not last you long enough. Manufactured homes last just as long as regular homes built directly on site. This article gives information regarding manufactured homes by offering details about the length of time they can last and things you can do to make them last longer.

How Long Can a Manufactured Home Last?

modular home life span

If everything is done correctly during installation, a manufactured house should last between 30 and 50 years. For this to happen, the building needs to follow all the building codes. Therefore, you need to work with an expert to ensure they do a good job for you.

However, you need to note that the numbers 30 and 50 years are not constant. Your house can last longer if you take the needed steps to maintain it properly. In addition, the housing sector is constantly changing. Therefore, the more contemporary your manufactured home is, the longer it may last.

Factors that Determine Your Manufactured Home’s Lifespan

  • Quality of Materials Used

Most manufactured homes are made out of metal and wood. These materials are also used in the construction of normal houses. Therefore, you should not have many issues when these materials are used to construct your house. Manufactured homemade quality materials can have a metal roof, aluminum siding, and proper flooring. Such a house should last longer than a house made of lower quality materials such as plywood for the siding.

  • The Construction Process

If a manufactured home is made to be permanent, then proper care will be taken when constructing it to ensure you have the best possible product. However, some manufactured houses are made for temporary reasons. Due to this, the manufacturers do not pay a lot of attention to building a quality house. One aspect of the construction process entails the setting. If a manufactured house is to last long, it has to be set above ground. If it is ground set, the moisture will come right up to the house causing a lot of damage.

  • Installation Process

The initial installation plays a critical role in ensuring your manufactured home lasts for as long as possible. In fact, many problems associated with manufactured homes arise from improper initial installation. Since the installation is technical, it should not be done by anyone. This task should only be left to the experts. You should also consider hiring an experienced inspector that is not related to the contractors to ensure the house is up to standards and that all problems are rectified as soon as possible.

  • Foundation

Similar to a site-built house, the foundation makes an important part of the house. The quality of the foundation has a huge effect on the longevity of your manufactured home. To ensure this is the case, be sure to have steel used as the foundation metal.

How to Ensure Your Manufactured Home Lasts Long

You need to do a couple of things to increase your home’s lifespan. This part of the article looks at exactly that.

  • Do Proper Maintenance

As previously mentioned, proper maintenance is an important part of making your home last long enough. Therefore, you need to take some actions like painting the exterior frequently and caulking seams that could pass water.

  • Select the Right Location

Choosing the right location, especially those areas without a lot of humidity can prevent building materials such as warp and wood from degrading over time.

  • Address Plumbing Leaks

You have to be vigilant about water damage because it can cause structural damage to your house. Handle all plumbing issues and ensure the house is properly ventilated.

It is important to have a good understanding of the number of years that your manufactured house is going to last. However, before you ask that question, you need to have an idea of the number of years that you want to live in that house or the purpose of the manufactured home. These factors plus the quality of materials used to construct your home, and the level of expertise used during the construction all have an effect on the longevity of your home. Due to this, you need to ensure that the construction is properly done and that you hire experts for this job. This is the only way you can make sure that your manufactured home will last long.

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