Archdale Modular or Double Wide

My daughter and her husband were going to remodel the house they are in, but it may be more cost effective to sell and start over. They already have a piece of land they were going to eventually build on. Now they are looking other options. They are considering a modular house or a double wide. The land is zoned for pretty much anything.

They are considering the options and counting the costs. One consideration is the cost of set-up. A modular home has to have the same kind of foundation as any other house. It is much less expensive to set up a double-wide.

One company they are looking at is Champion Homes. We went out and looked at some of them at Titan Factory Direct near Asheville.

I did not think they would ever consider a trailer, but not all trailers are created the same. They had some on the lot that are what you think of, but they also have some that look like a regular home. They have 2×4 walls with drywall.

We looked at a lot of things, but she went out there to see the Archdale.

The Archdale is available as either a modular or a mobile home. They call a mobile home “on frame.” Although they are both called Archdale, they are not identical. The modular is 1986 Square Feet. The double-wide is 2046 Square Feet.

Here is a comparison of the floor plans:

They are similar, but not identical. The modular version is 1986 Square Feet. It is built to state building codes. The double-wide is bigger, 2046 Square Feet. It is built to the federal (HUD) building code for manufactured housing.

Archdale 3266-01
1986 Square Feet, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Multi-Section
This modular home is built to state building codes.

The Archdale
2046 Square Feet, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Double-Wide
This manufactured home is built to the federal (HUD) building code for manufactured housing.
The double-wide is available with three windows in the dining room or with a TV Credenza.

We went to see the Archdale, but when we got there, they were just setting it up.

The one on display is “on frame,” a double-wide, but it matches the floor plans they show on the Champion Home Builder website for the modular. ?

We looked at a lot of the other things they had on display and I took a lot of photos to share. Finally they got one section of the Archdale situated enough for us to see inside.  We really appreciated them letting us see it before they were finished, so pardon the dust.

She really wanted to see the kitchen.

One of the things she was concerned about is the fridge.  The plans show a Double Unit Refrigerator.  This is a Built-In All Refrigerator and All Freezer Combo. A giant unit with a freezer on the left and a fridge on the right. She’s only seen this kind of thing in a restaurant kitchen. She just really wanted to see what it looks like.

This is what it looks like. Big. But, the kitchen is big, so there is still plenty of room.

The appliances are available in Stainless Steel or Black.  I don’t think this fridge comes in black. Anyway, the man giving us the tour says the fridge is an option, so she could choose something different.

This is the layout of the kitchen to the living room and dining room. She really likes the way the kitchen is offset. So many of the floor plans have the front door walk straight in to a view of the dishes in the sink. It would even be possible to put some kind of door to the kitchen.

Other Options

There are a lot of options you can choose. Jessica likes all of the colors available. She likes grey. (I don’t.)

You can change some things in the framing, as well, but that is going to cost significantly more. It would be less expensive to find plans you can live with.