Mobile homes have come a long way.
Mobile homes have grown in popularity since 1940. According to the Census Bureau, the number of mobile homes increased 7 percent by the year 2000 to more than 8 million. Data for the same year shows California was home to more than half a million mobile units at the turn of the century. The state saw its largest increase in this housing type during the 1970s -- concurrently with the introduction of federal mobile home building standards.
History
In the 1920s, Americans used the original mobile homes, known as trailer coaches for vacation travel and temporary dwellings needs. By the Great Depression, travel trailers had increased in demand due to the affordability and mobility they offered as housing. Arthur G. Sherman mass produced them in Detroit, and sales hit record highs despite the economic crisis of the 1930s. Innovations to his trailers included the standard use of electric brakes, and a patented weatherproof exterior covering. After World War II, trailers became an affordable means of housing returning veterans and families and were built larger. In the following two decades, they were filled with more amenities and appliances, built larger -- more like stick-built-homes -- and yet still movable. They became known as mobile homes.
California Pioneers
In 1957, an industry group known as the Trailer Coach Association pioneered the first legislation to regulate trailer coach construction. The group made it illegal to sell or market trailers in California after Sept. 1, 1958, which failed to meet the Department of Industrial Relations' construction standards. The state's regulation is the predecessor to modern codes, such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development's National Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards Act, also known as HUD Code, implemented June 15, 1976. In 1980, HUD adopted the term "manufactured home" to refer to homes built in a factory, redefining mobile homes as buildings rather than vehicles.
Early Standards
The TCA formed in Los Angeles in 1936 to represent trailer manufacturers in the western part of the country. It first developed a set of construction standards for its members in 1951, but their use was optional. Whereas these early standards were prescriptive, HUD Code was enforceable in all states. Before it, there were no set standards for quality, durability and safety of materials used in building the homes. It introduced practical, affordable and uniform standards, which help keep manufactured housing affordable. Prior standards also did not protect mobile home residents from personal injury due to health and safety hazards in the home's construction.
Considerations
Before HUD Code, mobile home builders did not have to adhere to organizations' or state building codes and regulations of the construction process. The controlled factory settings are now inspected by HUD-approved agencies. HUD agencies also oversee the design of manufactured homes. Prior to HUD Code, there were no enforceable standards for the transportability, fire resistance or energy efficiency of the homes. HUD Code also implemented rules for heating, plumbing, air conditioning, and thermal and electrical systems.
