Experts say the differences between the two are very narrow
MARQUETTE -- Take a look at the house in this video. To the untrained eye, it doesn't look any different than this one. That's because the difference lies in the speed of building this home. The first house is a manufactured structure.
"In a factory, we pre-assemble wall and floor sections, put them in a truck, bring them to the site and assemble it with a big crane," said Brian Pesola, owner of Pesola Custom Homes.
It takes roughly four to five days to assemble the frame on a manufactured home. Building it from scratch can take weeks.
At Pesola Custom Homes, they take the process even further with a 3-D computer system that generates a clear picture of what the inside will look like, eliminating the element of surprise.
But some say there's nothing like walking into a house and feeling the ambiance of a home.
"Even with the technology you have today, there's nothing like walking through a home being framed where they can really get a feel for it, and we're able to adapt very quickly and make changes and improvements for folks as we go," said L.R. Swadley, president of Sunrise Builders.
Some of our Facebook viewers have a piece of both worlds.
"We have a Dickinson home, which is stick built at their factory in Iron Mountain but transported to your lot in two halves or more," said Marlene Ombrello.
Swadley said more and more site-building incorporates pre-assembled components, but the labor is all completed by local workers.
"We're using local skill trades carpenters right from our area, being employed right here on site with our site-built homes," Swadley said.
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