Cavco Industries announces a new style of manufactured housing built first in Rocky Mount
Bill Boor, president and chief executive officer of Cavco Industries which owns and operates Fleetwood Homes in Rocky Mount, speaks at the unveiling of their new Anthem series of homes which they hope will help solve the housing crisis.
A artistic rendering of a street scene showcasing the different varieties of Anthem style, duplex homes announced by Cavco Industries on Tuesday.
National home manufacturing company Cavco Industries has announced an industry innovation it believes will be a significant advancement in affordable housing.
The first nationally available, manufactured duplex approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, named the “Anthem” was unveiled at a launch event held in Rocky Mount’s Harvester Performance Center on Tuesday. The new product was touted as an advancement in providing affordable housing, aligning with the federal government’s push for creative housing solutions to combat rising prices.
“It’s a win for the state of Virginia coming out with the first duplex-style home that is affordable, low cost, innovative and first to market,” said Jim Trepinski, general manager of Fleetwood Homes of Rocky Mount which is owned by Cavco Industries. “When I think of municipalities, building officials, counties, you’ve got a product now that you can use to help solve the crisis that we all have with affordable housing.”
The Anthem series of homes will initially be built locally at the Fleetwood Homes plant in Rocky Mount.
With the approval of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the new Anthem series is shown to meet federal standards governing the construction, safety and installation of manufactured homes. It assures the construction meets the necessary criteria for body and frame construction, thermal insulation, plumbing, electrical systems, fire safety and various other facets of the residence.
According to materials distributed at Tuesday’s event, the Anthem series of homes will “present a unique opportunity as the duplex-style design that is especially attractive due to the avenues for increased housing density and diversity. The versatility of multiple floorplans with two- and three-bedroom options with duplex and quadplex layouts allows owners and communities to double-down on their portfolio offerings.”
The Anthem series is two individual homes that will share a fire wall that completely separates them. Trepinski said the homes could be an attractive option for first time home buyers due to the lower costs. Home buyers could also live in one unit and rent out the other to offset mortgage payments.
The total fixed cost for one, 1,137-square-foot section is $64,809 with the two combined sections into one duplex is estimated at $129,618. Trepinski said variable costs such as land, permits, transportation and setup is expected to add an additional 40% to the cost. The total cost for the two-section duplex is estimated at $181,466.
“We think we’ve got something of great value,” Trepinski said to the crowd gathered at the Harvester Performance Center including several local leaders and developers. “We know that there are people in this room that can make decision that can help us overcome the housing crisis and we want to partner with you and make that happen.”
Ross Mueller, Cavco’s national director of business development, said they plan to take the Anthem series nationally in the first of the year where it will be built in other plants around the country. Currently, they estimate the time to build the homes will take five days at the plant with the goal to build 20 to 25 a month based on orders.
Bill Boor, president and chief executive officer of Cavco, made the journey from Phoenix, Arizona, for the announcement Tuesday. He thanked everyone involved in reaching this point in providing a unique product in manufactured housing.
“I think this is a breakthrough moment for the industry and it comes from a lot of people being open minded to the idea of trying something a little different,” Boor said.
Jason Dunovant (540) 981-3507
