Affordable Homes Cross Between House and Mobile Home

A typical home is built of wood or brick, different from a mobile home made of metal siding. Crossing the two however, produces a metal home and an item that could be slowly gaining in popularity. Like houses they`re built from the ground up, meaning they could be built anywhere and still meet housing requirements even though some say they look more like mobile homes. No matter what you call it, it feels like home to Chris Gillins. "Our electric bill has never been over $100. And the square footage, both kids have their own bedrooms," said Gillins. Even though the outside of his home, looks more like a mobile home. "It could stand some improvement. I don`t really mind the metal siding," he said. The Gillins live in a neighborhood on Jacksonville Cutoff Road with nine more just like it -- built of wood, and sided with metal. "They are metal, they`re constructed with metal siding," said city planner Jim von Tungeln, of Urban Planning Associates. He says because they`re built from the ground up, these buildings can meet building code requirements set by city governments. "They could be built anywhere in a city that doesn`t have private covenants that restrict them," he said. That means they could be built in neighborhoods with homes sided with the usual wood or brick. "It`s a concern to older neighborhoods where the designs are of a certain type and there`s pretty much harmony throughout the neighborhood," Tungeln explained. The builder of the Gillins` home says he saw a need for affordable housing, but wanted to provide something more efficient than a mobile home. But becuase of their potential to be popular, von Tungeln suggests city governments prepare to make room. These homes are not the same as steel frame houses. The companies that build them say those homes are low maintainence, safer during natural disasters, and sometimes more affordable. What`s more, many of them are designed to look just like regular houses.