Manufacturer Fall Shows
Wow, I can’t believe fall is here already. Earlier this week we attended fall shows at three manufacturing facilities. This is an event that allows the manufacturers to present their new looks for the coming year. They introduce and build new floor plans. They also show new product offerings and color pallets. I want to tell you a bit about two of them.
The Colony factory had some great new floor plans. 
Two very reasonable priced floor plans featured large walk-in pantries. 
This floor plan featured a lot of nice built-in options, including the large entertainment center that could be viewed from both the kitchen and living area. The other nice feature that both of these floor plans took into account was a more defined foyer without losing a lot of space.
Thi
s layout was absolutely beautiful; however, it has a price tag to match. When you walk into this home you have no trace of a traditional marriage line. A marriage line is how the two halves come together. A lot of times in manufactured housing you can figure out 
where one box stops and the other starts. This house feel just like a stick built home with no indication where the pieces come together. The layout is almost perfect with a large living room, open kitchen and dining room. It also has a sun room off the kitchen all included in the typical two box configuration. They also added a built in entertainment center and some structural columns.
As for the Colony new product options, 
the one that stole the show was the vinyl log siding. Yes, you heard me correctly – vinyl log siding. It didn’t look bad even up close. Plus this type of siding doesn’t require the maintenance of a traditional log home… staining every few years. I should note that to install vinyl log siding on a 56’ home will run you upwards of $9,000 although, that is still less than half the cost of traditional wood siding.
One of my favorite products to finally be introduced into the PennWest product line was the free standing tub.
This is a modern version of the old cast iron claw foot tubs. I have seen this product in architectural magazines and on Houzz for the last several years but this is the first time a manufacturer has placed it in a display model. The problem is that they still didn’t get it right, in my opinion. This tub needs lots of space to move around it and show off its elegant freestanding form. When featured in architectural magazines, it is usually the center point of the room. In this design, the tub was tucked on the left hand side when you walked in the bathroom. It occupied a space barely big enough to fit it into, leaving the bathroom feeling cramped and not well organized.
The shower also featured a high end product choice with 
full body sprays. Again, the shower seemed small, especially with the sprays. The good news is that these products are being offered by manufacturers, now we just need to get the designs right to accommodate them.
All in all, we are very excited about the new offerings by our manufacturers and can’t wait to start bringing them to you over the next few months. If you have any questions about these or any other homes, please contact us and let us help you get just the home you are looking for!