Eliminating Barriers to the Use of HUD-Code Housing in Attached Construction

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September 2003, 106 p.

The research reported in this document was predicated on the supposition that increasing the level of industrialization in residential construction is one of the most effective strategies for improving home affordability. The purpose of the study was to explore how the cost of single-family attached construction might be reduced by building with one of the most cost-efficient building elements available in industrialized housing: the HUD-code home.

This report is intended primarily for home manufacturers and builder/developers involved or interested in the emerging single-family attached market segment for manufactured housing. This document also contains substantial information of vital interest to anyone with a vested interest in advancing manufactured housing. It is intended to summarize and evaluate the key issues that manufacturers and developers face when embarking on such projects, as well as the latest developments affecting this market segment.

The guidance to home manufacturers is intended to:

• Summarize the market for single-family attached housing, including its opportunities and pitfalls.
• Describe the state-of-the-art design, technology, and regulations with respect to manufactured housing in the single-family attached configuration.
• Help manufacturers who wish to explore this market get started.

The guidance to builder/developers and traditional site builders is intended to:

• Enable successful integration of single family attached manufactured homes into appropriate developments.
• Assist developers in understanding the special concerns of factory construction.
• Describe the opportunities and pitfalls of developing with manufactured homes.

The barriers to applying factory technology to single-family attached home construction are not primarily technical in nature, although attached housing is more technically challenging than the typical double- or triple-section detached home. Manufacturers have already made great strides in developing home designs, such as for multi-story homes, that can be adapted to the needs of attached construction. Instead, the barriers mainly relate to the limitations of the HUD code, other regulatory impediments, and to the differences in building process between traditional site developers and factory homebuilders.

This report addresses these concerns and helps to bridge the gap between the existing technology of the manufacturer and the market expertise of the developer.

Content updated on 3/31/2004