The manufactured housing industry has seen many great innovations over the last century. Since the first mobile home rolled off the assembly line we’ve seen homes get longer, wider, and more structurally sound.
New companies with better ideas, using modern materials and more efficient methods of building, have allowed factory-built homes to become the well-built, energy efficient family dwellings we have today. All it took was one company to lead the way and show the other builders that there was a better way to do things and prove that the idea was profitable and I think I’ve found one such company!
Related: Another new manufactured home concept: The Clayton’s Gen-Now Concept Home.
Evergreen Eco Homes: The Future of Manufactured Homes?
Evergreen Eco Homes is a home builder out of Florida that seems to be a doing a fine job of paving the way for new building techniques for manufactured homes.
(Note: I’m not affiliated with the company in any way and have not received any compensation for this article. I simply like what I see and wanted to share it with you.)
I found Evergreen Eco Homes on Twitter a few months ago and have been keeping tabs on them. From what I’ve read and seen, these homes have some really great benefits and are available for purchase today at a seemingly reasonable price considering the material used and benefits achieved from said material.
Evergreen Eco Homes Create Concrete Manufactured Home
The Evergreen Eco-concrete home is built in the company’s Florida factory using a special reinforced concrete called FLEXXOWALL.
One of the many benefits of FLEXXOWALL is that the material, combined with an intelligent floor-plan, allows the homes to have a panic room that can withstand tornado and hurricane force winds. That’s a feature you won’t see associated with factory-built homes often!
The company’s website shares the advantages of FLEXXOWALL:
Versatility
Fits any structural design and incorporates electrical and mechanical systems in the same formwork.The interior dividers are installed according to distance or separation requiring steel (rod) horizontalThe steel (rod) is vertically unobstructed by the separators, since they have a thickness of 1/8 inch and a spacing of 12 inches horizontally.Electrical boxes can be installed at the factory or in the field, screwed into the mold at the cement board panels.
Resistance
FLEXXOWALL mold systems withstand lateral pressures concrete during pouring, without the need for external reinforcement, (see installation manual).
Durability
Very good cement board, which meets all the parameters of degree and strength required by code. (See technical specifications Plycem).
High quality finishes
Due to the type of surface, traditional masonry is removed and the final finish is cement board.
The image below shows an employee pouring concrete into reinforced forms to create an Evergreen Eco Home:
Evergreen Eco Home Floor Plan Options
The Eco home is available in 2 and 3 bedroom models though rooms and wings can be attached to create a larger home.
It appears that these home’s prices start at $69,678.00. Since their 2 bedroom home has 591 square feet that equals out to around $117 per square foot – a little high compared to today’s manufactured home prices but keep in mind that these homes may have a greater ability to gain equity.
The 2 Bedroom Eco Home Layout
The 3 Bedroom Eco Home Layout
Visualization of an Evergreen Eco Home Being Installed
A Youtube video produced by Evergreen:
The Eco Home is Eligible for HUD’s Title 1 Loan Program
The company seems to have covered all the bases, making it as easy as possible to buy their homes. Their financing page states that the homes qualify for HUD manufactured home financing under the Title 1 program insured by the FHA. That’s an important aspect to remember because it looks like the company actually priced the homes in relation to the Title 1 maximum amounts. On their Financing pag,e it plainly states that prices for the homes start at $69,678.00 and that just happens to be the maximum amount one can borrow through the loan program.
Related: You can learn more about loans and grants for manufactured homes here.
The Title 1 loan can be used to purchase or refinance a manufactured home, a developed lot to place a manufactured home, or a combination of both home and lot. Below are the maximum amounts available:
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A manufactured home without land is eligible for up to $69,678.00 on a 20-year term.
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A manufactured home lot is eligible for up to $23,226.00 with a 15-year financing term.
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Both a manufactured home and developed lot is eligible for a maximum of $92,904.00 and a 25-year loan term.
8 Reasons to Consider the Evergreen Eco Home
The company has been very careful to create an energy efficient home with a pleasant modern aesthetic. It certainly appeals to my design tastes. Here are 8 reasons the company wants you to consider their home:
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Re-enforced concrete with insulation makes it an eco-friendly four seasons housing unit.
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Solar panels that can decrease both reliance and cost of your electricity bills.
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Water cistern gathers rainwater for gardening, automobile washing.
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Panic Room to protect families against tornadoes or hurricanes, up to category 5.
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Built with lite concrete providing durability, strength, and protection.
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Built using construction steel & aluminum forms making the structure monolithic for maximum strength.
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Leed lighting system to lower utility bills.
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100% financing for 20 years through the Title 1 Loan Program.
Summary
The Evergreen Eco Home is paving the road for concrete homes that can be easily transported. While it’s still early for the Evergreen Eco Home, it’s a pleasure to see companies trying new things in home design! If we can build a beautiful, environmentally friendly home such as the Eco Home for less then 100k now, imagine what we can do a few years down the road!
You can learn more about the Evergreen Eco Home here. All photos and videos property of Evergreen Eco Homes.
I applaud Evergreen for their home and hope to see many more great homes hit the market!
As always, thank you so much for reading Mobile Home Living!
Hi Crystal, I am Voting “NO.” These homes are a very bad idea, all around, just my opinion, but thankyou for the information.
I love this house! New innovative ideas are great for manufactured homes.We need more engineers willing to think outside the box. The green factor of the solar panels and water containment system is a wonderful step forward. I like the idea of the panic room in our crazy world! And of course, a horrific storm is one of the biggest downfalls to living in a MH , as are fires. I would think there wouldn’t be much that could burn in this ECO Home! They do need to figure out how to add a second bathroom for today’s lifestyles. Kudos to Evergreen Eco Homes!!
I love the whole concept ! My only concern would be that you don’t seem to offer a 2nd or even a 3rd bathroom since many of us will be caring for elderly parents in these trying times !