Our Construction

The Construction Process

Factory-crafted construction: A better way to build
What exactly is a factory-crafted home? It may be hard to imagine building a home in a factory, but compared to building on site, there are some big advantages:

• Controlled environment - Homes built in a factory aren't exposed to the elements.
• Time - Electrical, plumbing and every other construction process is done at the factory, eliminating the scheduling hassles that slow down site-built construction. And we're not subject to the same weather delays you experience when everything happens on site.
• Cost - There is very little waste building a factory-crafted home - and, because we buy construction materials in large quantities, we can offer lower prices.
• Quality - Every Fleetwood home meets or exceeds the code requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is scrutinized by countless inspections.

Construction Highlights Seeing raw materials transformed into nearly complete homes is fascinating. For every home we build, skilled craftsmen execute thousands of tasks. Here are highlights of the process for most of our homes:

• Steel cross members and outriggers are welded to massive steel I-beams to form the base frame, which is engineered to support the weight of the structure and meet federal building codes.
• Floor joists are laid over the base frame. Insulation, heat ducts, and plumbing are installed.
• Flooring is fastened and glued to the floor joists.
• While the frame is constructed, walls are built. For extra strength and stability, sheetrock is both nailed and glued to wall studs.
• Once walls are installed, truss rafters are attached and high-grade insulation is put in.
• Roof sheathing and roofing paper is installed. This is sealed with tar three feet from the edge for extra protection. The roof is then shingled. This process varies by home type.
• All interior finish work is done including installation of custom cabinetry from Fleetwood's industry-leading cabinet shops.
• Siding is mounted and windows set.
• Multi-section homes are checked to ensure seams and patterns match, final inspection is conducted, and the home prepared for transportation.

Another carefully crafted Fleetwood home, ready for delivery, is completed in a few days instead of weeks or months.