Mobile homes are also known as trailers or trailer houses. They are prefabricated homes, which means they are assembled in a factory and not on site. Although mobile homes are moved to the sites in which they are moved, they often are not moved again though they can be.Mobile homes began to be used during the invention of cars because of their mobility. They looked like camper trailers and were
. especially sought at by those who moved often. During the 1950s they were used for inexpensive housing, with sizes that expanded from eight feet to ten feet (ten-wide). As the sizes increased, mobile homes became less mobile. Single-wides could be transported as a whole unit, but double-wides twenty or more feet wide by ninety feet have to be transported as two units where they are then joined. Now, there are triple-wides, or more, though transportation for those mobile homes are more involved.Mobile homes provide choices for people who are either unwilling or unable to commit to a monthly mortgage payment but still want their own homes. Also, people trade up, from smaller to larger units or one to more units. Among these advantages, mobile homes provide fast, inexpensive shelter for disaster areas.As for the negative aspects of mobile homes, they do not stand up to severe weather very well. Although they must conform to standard housing codes, tornadoes, hurricanes and high winds can do major damage and even destroy these homes. Also, proper sewage disposal remains an issue which must be met in every mobile home park.Double-wide mobile homes, especially newer ones, are proving to be better made than smaller units with less depreciation. Also, mobile homes are now being built with sturdier materials, much like in traditional homes, which improve the possibility of holding up under high winds.
