ASCAR fans attending the Nextel Cup Series Sony HD 500 event at the California Speedway in Fontana will have the opportunity to tour a completely furnished factory
constructed home.

The 1,504 square foot home will be exhibited by the Model Home Center of Lake Elsinore, sponsored by the California Manufactured Housing Institute and open to race fans from September 1-3.

Taking lessons from NASCAR pit crews, Structural Consultants team members installed the home, complete with a two-car garage, on the midway in just three days.

Cities and counties looking for a speedy way to use infill housing as a means to ensure high-value and affordable home ownership options need look no further than factory constructed housing.

Throughout urban centers in California, there are thousands of lots zoned residential that are either vacant or occupied by substandard housing. These lots have several things in common:

• They are where affordable housing is needed.
• Many are owned by the city or county.
• They are not producing sufficient tax revenue.
• They are generally not contiguous.
• They are usually long and narrow.
• Site builders won’t or can’t economically build on them.
• They are perfect for factory constructed housing!

In addition to helping maintain relative affordability, infill housing helps to ease urban sprawl and reduces traffic and land-use problems as housing is placed closer to urban jobs.

TYPES OF FACTORY CONSTRUCTED HOMES

In California, the predominate types of factory constructed homes are “Manufactured Homes” and “Factory-built Homes” (see back page for definitions). In 2005, of these two types, manufactured homes accounted for 97% of the market with factory-built picking up the balance.

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

Development with factory constructed homes on infill lots is basically a two-step process.

Off-site, the home is constructed in a
factory to comply with its applicable building code. Once completed at the factory, the home is transported to the site for installation.

On-site work consists of grading and excavation, foundation and flat work, home installation, construction of the garage and landscaping.

This bifurcated process allows simultaneous construction of the home and foundation, which leads to quicker project completion and reduced carrying costs.

REGULATORY APPROVALS

In California, approximately 70% of new manufactured and nearly 100% of factory-built homes sold are sited on lots in urban, suburban or rural neighborhoods. Facilitating this opportunity for manufactured housing are state laws (Government Code Sections 65852.3 and 65852.4) which allow manufactured homes to be sited on any residential lot, providing the home meets specified local development standards.

Also covenants, conditions and restrictions adopted on or after January 1, 1988, cannot forbid the siting of a manufactured home on a residential lot, if the home can meet the same architectural standards as site-built homes in the neighborhood. (California Civil Code Section 714.5)

Health and Safety Code Section 19993 facilitates the installation of factory-built homes.

WHY FACTORY CONSTRUCTION?

Increased reliance on factory construction has resulted in major changes in the efficiency of housing construction. Site builders today routinely use prefabricated wall panels, trusses, cabinets, etc.

Advantages of factory construction include better control of building and financing costs, more efficient control of inventory and the ability to better control the quality and performance of products. These advantages increase value for homebuyers and make affordability more than just a dream! It’s a Win/Win!

As local governments race to meet the ever-growing need for affordable housing, speed to project completion is the key. Being the most complete form of factory constructed housing, manufactured and factory-built homes can get to the checkered flag faster than any other form of housing.

Vacant lots are transformed into income producing properties for local governments and, from entry level to move-up models, factory constructed housing on infill lots is a cost effective fast track for bringing high value
homeownership to any community.