If you’re in the market looking for a mobile home, then more likely you have encountered two common terms which are often used interchangeably. Manufactured homes are always mistaken the same as mobile homes. While these two types of abode are similar, they are distinct from each other. Their major differences lie in two major ways: the perceptions about them and date they are built. Knowing these distinctions will help you make an informed decision whenever you are ready to make the final choice.
The Way They Are Being Perceived
While it’s just a matter of perception, how people view each type of home matters a lot. Before 1976, a mobile home is perceived to be low in quality and is made only for the poor. This is why many find it offensive to take the term in referring to their manufactured homes.
What few people know is that mobile homes are now built with stringent building standards. They are even more functional and beautiful, making them comparable to regular site-built houses. This is where they’re being called by a different name to get away with its negative public perception. So, the industry introduced the term manufactured home.
The Time They Are Built
What makes it even more confusing is the fact that a mobile home shares a common history with manufactured home. It was back in the 1920s when “automobile” trailers were made for vacationers who always wanted to camp on the go. Ten years after, manufacturers started to make mass production of these trailers that became wider, bigger, and more elaborate in design.
People are becoming more interested in using them and they became quite more permanent even if they have wheels to be moved around. It was in 1976 when stricter building codes and standards were imposed for mobile homes, ensuring quality and safety for the residents.
So, knowing these key differences means being clarified of the misconceptions about how a mobile home differs from a manufactured home. Basically, it’s just a matter of calling them by different names but they’re actually one and the same in essence.