Manufactured Housing makes it to Reality TV

Deltec Homes, an Asheville, North Carolina builder of panelized custom manufactured homes, will participate in an edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Deltec will be building a home, with the help of volunteers, in New Orleans from March 6th to March 13th.

Often, it comes up that manufacturing housing has as problem with how it is perceived by the public.  Even though HUD-code and subsequent innovations have meant that quality has improved, the industry still faces some challenges with getting the public on board with its products.

That is why this matters.  Sure, if you love Reality TV, then this could be valuable as entertainment.  But from the perspective of manufactured housing, this is the kind of “meet ‘em where they are” action that can make people think about a manufactured home in a new context.

Moreover, this is a good story for manufactured housing in a region of the country where it desperately needs its own “make-over.” With the furor over the formaldehyde in so many of the Katrina travel trailers, this is a respite in the Crescent City.

Deltec’s construction of high strength homes certainly fits the needs of residents in New Orleans. Deltec’s homes can easily be built on elevated platforms. They are also resistant to high winds. Many qualify for green building standards.

Deltec builds high quality homes. The price reflect that standard. Prices range from $85 per square foot to as high as $250 per square foot, according to the company. The range is so vast because owners have a lot of choices in upfitting the homes. They can choose to put in Corian countertops or unusual flooring, for example.

The Deltec home will be a LEED-certified home. That is a environmental standard for green home building, developed by the United States Green Building Council. The goal is to develop the built infrastructure into a sustainable system. Deltec Homes also meet the National Green Building standards set by the National Association of Home Builders.

Deltec can’t reveal the location of the home or the name of the family, in order to comply with the rules set by ABC. A spokesman could not confirm if the home would even be located in Orleans Parish.

“The family is kept in the dark,” says Joe Schlenk, director of sales and marketing at Deltec. ” The show gives the family the house, part of it is that has to be done in total secrecy.”

The family will have no tax liability, other than subsequent property taxes.