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Read Excerpts From
The Grissim Ratings Guide
to Manufactured Homes
Introduction
How to use this guide
Index of brands
Construction features
Glossary of MH terms
Sample builder's listing
How to Get The Grissim
Manufactured Housing Guides
The MH Ratings Guide
The MH Buyers Guide
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Sample manufacturer’s listing
- Deer Valley Homes (privately held)
- 205 Carriage St, PO Box 310
- Guin, AL 35563
- Ph. 205/468-8400
- Fax 205/468-9060
Web site: www.deervalleyhb.com
Background: This start-up, founded in early 2004, may be the
newest HUD-code builder in the SE, but its eight investors represent both youth
and decades of MH experience. The company’s president, Joel Logan, the son of
Steve Logan, founder of Buccaneer Homes (which evolved into Cavalier), started
Pinnacle Homes at age 27, later selling that company to Patriot in 1998. The
sales manager previously ran two of four divisions of Southern Energy Homes.
Deer Valley’s business model: offer a single line of more heavily constructed
package homes (no customization allowed) featuring T&T dry wall w/ bull nose
corners throughout, heavier insulation (for Zone III) and 8-foot flat ceilings
as standard. The strategy worked from the outset—the builder showed two models
at the 2004 Tunica Home Show and took orders for 100 homes even before its
production line was up and running. As this goes to press, Deer Valley is
producing seven floors a day and has a 14 week back log. Plans are in the works
to add modular homes to the product offering.
States where sold: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK,
SC, TN, TX, IL
Principal market niche: Educated shoppers, established cash
buyers looking for a better constructed smaller affordable home in the mid-price
range
Retail price range before tax (includes transportation and
set-up): $59,000 to $129,000 (Deer Valley builds few triple-section
homes)
Competes against: Cavalier, Southern Energy, Liberty,
Franklin, Fleetwood
Construction rating: 6
Brands/series: Augustan, Blazer, Charleston — All virtually
the same, with minor variances in decor, appliance packages, and floor plan
offerings, at similar price points
Description of a popular model: DV 8008, 32x80, 2560 sq.
ft., 4BR, 2BA, two-section, 1600 sq. ft., 2x6 ext. walls 16” O.C., 2x6” top
& bottom plates, double-studded headers over windows/doors, 23/32” OSB floor
decking, R-30/19/11, full finished ” dry wall t/o, all windows dual-glazed, lg.
kitchen w/ island sink, post form countertops w/ rolled edges, dual handle
brushed nickel faucet, stainless sink, 16”-square hand-laid kitchen tiles (no
rolled lino), breakfast nook, 17 cu. ft. over/under refrigerator, 16 oz. carpet
w/ ” rebond pad, porcelain BA sinks/toilet, 60” tub/shower, elec. outlet boxes
secured w/ butterfly tabs, 40 gal. dual element water heater. Approx.
$76,000.
What distinguishes brand from its competition: Full-finished
dry wall t/o standard, heavier insulation, heavier construction, homes trimmed
out by factory techs, good quality control and warranty follow up service.
Number of dealerships — Company owned: none Independents:
89
Percentage of HUD homes sold of total homes produced:
100%
In-house financing? No
In-house Insurance? No
Warranty structure and length: 1 year, factory-dispatched
service techs, some regional contract work, service by dealers.
Web site rating: Unsatisfactory for informed home shoppers
but has potential. Pros: available in Spanish (very smart), good looking home
page, straightforward navigation, decent renderings of some exteriors, good
interior shots; Cons: no list of features/options, several broken links, no list
of dealers by state, a feeling of general incompleteness....
Comment: In a crowded SE market where T&T dry wall is
only just beginning to catch on, Deer Valley came up with a formula for offering
this (and other options) as standard features. The trade-off, to keep prices
competitive, is virtually no customization, smaller selection of floor plans and
few models over 2200 sq. ft. The formula has worked. Deer Valley homes’
exteriors reflect the boxy, unimaginative, unmistakable look of a mobile home
(because of the 8’ side wall height, the roof pitch is closer to 2.5/12) but the
look seems to fit comfortably with southern MH aesthetics. Likewise, some home
interiors, particularly the bathrooms with tubs on pedestals framed with
faux-Greek columns and avocado green walls, may strike some as pure Las Vegas
kitsch. But give Deer Valley credit for knowing its market and offering
something new and different. More important, this still-young company appears to
have its ducks lined up and its priorities straight, especially its program of
finish and trim-out by factory reps, and a commitment to good warranty service.
Deer Valley will be an interesting company to watch.
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