said by tschmidt:In my experience with ours and those of our friends mobile home constriction is much lighter then stick built. 1/4" plywood walls rather then 1/2" Sheetrock. 2x3 rather then 2x4 studs. 1" dimensioned lumber in the roof truss rather then 2". I agree both stick build and factory built structures burn fast, but mobile homes becomes incompatible with life much quicker.
I know of what you speak and maybe its regional but I havent seen that type of construction since Andrew which by the way was the straw that broke the camels back dragging the manufactured housing industry down here kicking and screaming into the 20st century.
Nowadays most states having been prodded by the insurance industry now require trailers/MHs to be certified to be in compliance to HUD standards and HUD jacked up many of those standards (wind fire resistance electrical) post Andrew.
In Florida a pre-Andrew mobile cannot be re-sited and must be moved out of state or demolished.
I'm not a fan of residential sprinklers, or any active safety devices that have to remain idle for decades and then function correctly at a moments notice.
Sprinkler systems are an old technology and a simple technology that seldom fails and when one does it is usually cause by a human error.
I have one in my home and would never again have a home without one.
Wayne