Clayton Modular Homes continues to manufacture high-value, affordable homes of superior quality for homebuyers across the nation.
Consistent innovation and performance coupled with a dedication to 100% customer satisfaction was recognized again by the Manufactured Housing Institute, naming Clayton Modular Homes "Manufacturer of the Year" for a sixth-straight year. This prestigious award from industry peers is a tribute to our team members' superior efforts and commitment to quality.
Our products truly represent the QUALITY, VALUE and SERVICE that has made Clayton Homes the "Best of the Best!"
Clayton modular homes are growing in popularity because of the increased value received for every housing dollar. CMH Manufacturing is a leader in building the home of your choice, in a controlled setting, with a skilled, fully trained workforce, protected from the weather every day thereby preventing any unforeseen delays.
A clayton modular home is built to the same stringent site built building codes and considered to be the same in the zoning and financing processes. In a controlled environment, our materials avoid being damaged and the construction process continues year round, regardless of weather. The materials are ordered in bulk leveraging our purchasing power, enabling us to pass substantial savings on to our customers.
’’The old box-style with a flat roof was dictated by the ability of manufacturers to move them down the production line,’’ Rolfes said. ’’But now we’re finding some consumers won’t accept that, so we’re adjusting our factories.’’
Robert N. West, president of the California Manufactured Housing Institute, a trade group, said consumers in his state have a new standard. ’’They don’t want the neighbors to be able to tell that their house is a factory-built,’’ he said. That’s important, he added, because most new mobile homes being sold in California aren’t in the so-called parks with similar housing, but in neighborhoods of mostly conventional houses.
Rick Boyd, a vice president of Clayton Modular Homes in Maryville, Tenn., said his company’s major sales potential is probably in its Oakwood Homes subsidiary, which offers manufactured houses in the $100,000 to $300,000 range. ’’The customer is looking for better carpet, upgraded countertops and real oak cabinets,’’ he said.
Barbara Potter, the retiree from Nashville, would agree. ’’Our house doesn’t look or feel like a mobile home in any way,’’ she said. ’’We have a breakfast island in the kitchen and a high archway between the den and the dining room.’’
The sea change occurring in the mobile home market has caught the attention of the billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett, whose company, Berkshire Hathaway, acquired Clayton Modular Homes for about $1.7 billion in 2003. Clayton, in turn, bought the Oakwood Homes Corp. for $373 million.
Many manufacturers are counting on high-end customers for a rebound. Rolfes of Holiday Homes points to his high-end segment, with prices ranging from $120,000 to $300,000. In 2002, that division’s first year, sales were $1 million; they rose to $5 million in 2004, and Rolfes projects $10 million in 2005. ’’While those aren’t huge numbers in terms of the industry, that seems to be where the growth is,’’ he said.
