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Modern factory-built homes are moving away from old-fashioned connotations. This is partially due to the rules governing their construction. While the homes are almost a "house-in-a-box," they look and feel more like site-built dwellings. Additionally, they are erected to federal Department of Housing and Urban Development code. "They're better than ever," according to Edgar Opperman, who owns a sales outlet as well as two communities of factory-built homes. "It's all been improved -- really top-of-the-line construction." Carl Becker of Becker Homes in Walnutport, Pa., agrees, noting that today's factory-built residential units are better engineered and constructed than they were 20 years ago. He adds that the homes also now offer a wide variety of options -- which allows buyers to customize their new abodes. Moreover, modern construction of manufactured housing includes an emphasis on energy efficiency -- including effective insulation, a tight building seal, and high-performance windows. Many of them have earned Energy Star labeling from the Environmental Protection Agency. Finally, improvements in foundation methods have boosted the safety of manufactured housing. Manufactured home developers now drill holes in the ground and fill them with concrete to properly secure the structures. Those advances, coupled with affordability, have given manufactured housing a high profile in some segments of the homebuyer population.
From "Today's Factory-Built Homes Moving Away from Old-Fashioned Connotations"
Allentown Morning Call (Pennsylvania) (01/03/12) Romig, Jack
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