Do You Feel The Shaking? Have No Fear Your Manufactured Home Will Be Safe!

California is known for many hot topics, one of those hot topics being earthquakes. For a few years now, many have wondered when the next big earthquake will strike California. In recent weeks earthquakes having been striking and causing damage all over the world. These recent earthquakes have led many potential buyers to ponder how well a manufactured home will fair during one.

In an interview with Ara Sarkisian, a partner in Alliance Manufactured Homes, with an extensive background in engineering, architecture, and construction, addresses the safety features of manufactured homes.

What are some common misconceptions about the safety of manufactured homes?

“The biggest misconception is that manufactured homes are flimsy and fall apart easy. This is due to the videos we see on television about old mobile home parks in hurricanes. The fact of the matter is that the new manufactured homes are built as strong as or stronger than conventional homes.”

With the recent earthquakes hitting all over the world, how would manufactured homes fair in earthquakes?

“Manufactured homes fair very well during earthquakes. They are built with a high percentage of shear walls, which offers great structural support during any shaking or rattling from an earthquake.”

Do manufactured home parks have an emergency drill in place when earthquakes hit?

“Manufactured home parks have emergency procedures including evacuation procedures for any type of natural disaster. Here in the Bay Area, we would mostly be dealing with earthquakes, floods, or power outages. The manufactured home parks are required by the state of California to have on file Evacuation Procedures for their residents.”

 How big of a magnitude does an earthquake need to cause major damage to manufactured homes?

“The answer to that remains unknown. We had an earthquake in 1989, that was 7.9 magnitude and the manufactured homes made it through that shake just fine.”

What is the difference between manufactured homes in mobile home parks versus residential homes foundation wise?

“Manufactured homes in mobile home parks are constructed onto a non-permanent foundation. They are not installed on a concrete foundation like residential homes are. They are installed onto a series of steel support piers. These piers offer structural foundation support as well as seismic support for any lateral forces caused by earthquakes. In some cases, this is actually preferred over a rigid concrete foundation system.”

Can older manufactured homes withstand earthquakes? If not, how often are manufactured homes replaced or upgraded?

“The newer the home the greater the structural integrity. The new manufactured homes are built to upgraded codes and higher engineering standards. These new homes replace the old manufactured homes every day throughout the area.”

Is there any reason you can think of that would cause someone not buy a manufactured home due to the threat of an earthquake?

“No. My experience is these homes are completely safe.”

Hopefully the interview shed light on the stability of manufactured homes and how well they withstand natural disasters. The foundation that manufactured homes stand on is one of the positives in purchasing a home! Safety is always a concern so – Why COMPROMISE? If you want more safety information of our homes call (888) 874-8692 to speak with one of our field agents today!

What To Look for When Buying a Manufactured Home

As with any significant purchase, you should shop around for the manufactured home of your choice. Compare cost, floor plan design, and interior and exterior décor. When you are shopping for a manufactured home, don’t hesitate to find out the details, its construction methods and materials. At Alliance Manufactured Homes, we are more then happy to answer any of your questions and help you purchase your future home!

We are open 7 days a week! See you soon!

Modern Mobile Home Communities Are Not What You May Think!

What comes to mind when you first hear “mobile home community?” Do the words, “attractive”, “secure”, or “luxurious” come to mind? You may be surprised to find that today’s mobile home communities, especially in the Silicon Valley are not what you may think.

Lifestyle & Amenities

Modern mobile home communities offer a variety of services and sought after amenities suitable for every lifestyle. Some communities feature active adult and family activities, fitness centers, and organized social events. Clubhouses, pools, tennis courts, and walking trails are just a few of the wonderful amenities offered that many apartments and site built homes do not provide.  Take for instance, Sunset Estates Community, a peaceful and friendly senior community or Timber Cove, an all age community perfect for families as it’s located near award winning school districts and features a playground area.

Location

Some mobile home communities are conveniently located near schools, freeways, and shopping while others are closer to lakes, mountain resorts, and golf courses.  Enjoy the lavish landscape and scenic tree-lined streets areas at the luxurious Adobe Wells community or scenic tree-lined streets and lush landscaping at Mountain Shadows community. Such communities provide a secure living environment; neighbors look out for one another, therefore creating a full-time neighborhood watch. Professional community managers work hard to keep their communities clean and safe; some communities only allow residents and guests to enter. Depending on your lifestyle you can choose from the many communities in the Silicon Valley that best fit your location needs and desires.

There are many different communities to choose from all over the area. We are active in communities throughout Sunnyvale, San Jose, East Bay, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz. Whether you are looking for that perfect home or looking to sell, Alliance Homes is here for you! Call today to speak with an agent for more information on our manufactured homes or communities in your area!

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day—a day that commemorates United States soldiers who died while honoring, serving and fighting for our country. Observed this Monday, May 30th, it is a United States federal holiday. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, then it was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars. Memorial Day often marks the start of summer vacation season. Since it is an observed federal holiday, all federal buildings, libraries, public schools and banks are closed, a three day weekend many look forward to.

However, Alliance Manufactured Homes will be open to conveniently serve those that are interested in a New Home!  We will be holding many open houses throughout this weekend and as well as on Monday. We look forward to seeing you this Memorial Day Weekend!

Have a safe weekend from all of us at Alliance Manufactured Homes!

Meet Dave!

Dave Smith is a graduate of Westmont High School in Cambell, CA, with further education at West Valley and Cabrillo Colleges in Constructional Technology.

Dave is a journeyman carpenter, a licensed general carpenter, and a licensed Realtor.

He was introduced into customer service/warranty capacity of the manufactured housing industry in 1998, where he worked with new home buyers and became familiar with all of the different Mobile Home Manufacturers.

In 2010, Dave worked closely with the residents of Oakridge Mobile Home Park that lost their homes, along with the rest of their many belongings in the Sylmar Fire.  He was able to help them get their lives back with brand new custom designed homes.

Dave has called the Central Coast home since 1984.  He lives there with his wife and two children and manages the Alliance Manufactured Home office in Sunny Soquel.

To get to know Dave, or any one of our many friendly agents better, please click here.

Testimonial From Happy Customers!

I would highly recommend Alliance Manufactured Homes for the following reasons:

Sales staff are great to work with. They are very knowledgeable on all aspects of MFH’s and the various parks in the Bay Area.

The Installation of the home was on time and complete. Alliance has always been very responsive to all our needs along the way.

My wife and I are very happy living in our Karsten home. The home is well built and nice to look at. All our family and friends have made nice comments about it. Our utility bills are very low since home is very efficient.

Sincerely,

Dwight & Jessie Modrell

Another Definition of Manufactured Homes

The answer may surprise you.

A manufactured home is a single-family house constructed entirely in a controlled factory environment, built to the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards – better known as the HUD Code.

Check out Alliance Manufactured Homes for More Info!

Factory-Built Homes

Many types of structures are built in the factory and designed for long-term residential use. In the case of manufactured and modular homes, units are built in a factory, transported to the site and installed. In panelized and pre-cut homes, essentially flat subassemblies (factory-built panels or factory-cut building materials) are transported to the site and assembled. The different types of factory-built housing can be summarized as follows:

Manufactured Homes: These are homes built entirely in the factory under a federal building code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HUD Code went into effect June 15, 1976. Manufactured homes may be single- or multi-section and are transported to the site and installed. The federal standards regulate manufactured housing design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality. The HUD Code also sets performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal and electrical systems. It is the only federally-regulated national building code. On-site additions, such as garages, decks and porches, often add to the attractiveness of manufactured homes and must be built to local, state or regional building codes.

Modular Homes: These factory-built homes are built to the state, local or regional code where the home will be located. Modules are transported to the site and installed.

Panelized Homes: These are factory-built homes in which panels -a whole wall with windows, doors, wiring and outside siding – are transported to the site and assembled. The homes must meet state or local building codes where they are sited.

Pre-Cut Homes: This is the name for factory-built housing in which building materials are factory-cut to design specifications, transported to the site and assembled. Pre-cut homes include kit, log and dome homes. These homes must meet local, state or regional building codes.

Mobile Homes: This is the term used for manufactured homes produced prior to June 15, 1976, when the HUD Code went into effect. By 1970, these homes were built to voluntary industry standards that were eventually enforced by 45 of the 48 contiguous states.

Source: Manufactured Housing Institute

It is Possible to Get a Nice Home Even in this Tough Economy!

The current recession has been the worst one since the Great Depression and the housing market has been one of the hardest hit sectors. The Manufactured housing industry has not been immune to these market conditions and lower new home sales have caused factories to be shut down and companies to declare bankruptcy.

However, there are positive developments worth noting. The fact is that manufactured homes provide the greatest combination of quality of living and value of any type of residence on the market. As a manufactured home retailer, we have strongly performed this past year, and we are always striving to improve and we are very excited about our ability to serve your needs.

Click on the image to see open houses!

As a company, we look for the same things in our suppliers as you do: the best quality product, the best quality service, the best value, and stability moving forward. That is why we have partnered with Karsten Home and Skyline Homes to bring you the best homes available.

Additionally, times of economic turbulence tend to be times of innovation and you need to look no further than the Alliance Designer Series of homes for a prime example of the benefits such times can bring to the consumer. With features such as nine foot flat ceilings, crown molding throughout, extensive beech wood cabinetry, and granite or corian countertops, these homes are truly in a class of their own and represent the future of manufactured homes.

During the tough economic times, the cream rises to the top as people value their hard earned dollars more and do more research before making their purchasing decisions. Buying a house is the biggest purchasing decision of all, and we are happy to say that we are now the #1 retailer in Santa Clara County after opening our doors three years ago. The eight partners at Alliance Homes have a combined 146 years of experience in the manufactured housing industry, so it is safe to say that we have both seen and thrived in all sorts of markets and are here to stay.

What is a Manufactured Home?

Manufactured housing (also known as prefabricated housing) is a type of housing unit that is largely assembled in factories and then transported to sites of use.

In the United States, the term manufactured housing specifically refers to a house built entirely in a protected environment under a federal code set by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The term mobile home describes factory-built homes produced prior to the 1976 HUD Code enactment.

The original focus of this form of housing was its mobility. Units were initially marketed primarily to people whose lifestyle required mobility. However, beginning in the 1950s, these homes began to be marketed primarily as an inexpensive form of housing designed to be set up and left in a location for long periods of time, or even permanently installed with a masonry foundation. Previously, units had been eight feet or less in width, but in 1956, the 10-foot (3.0 m) wide home was introduced. This helped solidify the line between mobile and house/travel trailers, since the smaller units could be moved simply with an automobile, but the larger, wider units required the services of a professional trucking company. In the 1960s and ’70s, the homes became even longer and wider, making the mobility of the units more difficult. Today, when a factory-built home is moved to a location, it is usually kept there permanently.

Both types of homes – manufactured and modular – are commonly referred to as factory built housing, but they are not identical. Modular homes are transported on flatbed trucks rather than beingtowed, and lack axles and an automotive-type frame. However, some modular houses are towed behind a semi-truck or toter on a frame similar to that of a trailer. The house is usually in two pieces and is hauled by two separate trucks. Each frame has five or more axles, depending on the size of the house. Once the house has reached its location, the axles and the tongue of the frame are then removed, and the house is set on a concrete foundation by a large crane. Most modern modular homes, once fully assembled, are indistinguishable from site-built homes. Their roofs are usually transported as separate units, eradicating the telltale roof line of the factory built home.

Source: Wikipedia