Construction Benefit 2009/2010

U.S. Steel Frames. Quality structural steel I beam. Extruded I beam, no welded or corrugated beam. Custom made at factory no purchased chassis. Custom made chassis can be adjusted for heavy options (shingles, Hardie). Full length outriggers. C channel cross members Angle iron gussets.

Legacy uses extruded structural I-beam instead of a 3-piece welded I-beam or corrugated I-beam. An extruded 1-piece I-beam is much stronger than welded I-beams. Welded I-beams can have many inconsistencies in the welding process which can weaken the beam at these points. Extruded is also more expensive than other welded beams, but an extruded I-beam will support the house better while in transit and continue to support the structure throughout the life of the home. The C-channel cross members and angle iron gussets provide support for the I-beam to keep it vertical during transit. The cross members and gussets keep the I-beam from spreading and twisting during transit which can cause I-beam failure. Full length outriggers provide better support for the exterior of the home. Full length outriggers also provide more area to secure the chassis to the home. All of these items provide a strong base to start the construction of each Legacy home. Building a home with a strong base means peace of mind for the homeowner.

Camber is a curvature of the I-beam that is created by heat and pressure at the factory. This custom camber aids the I-beam in supporting the home in span areas between axles and hitch. The area behind the axles is also supported by camber in the I-beam. Custom Cambered to distribute weight over axles evenly. Camber of the I-beam allows home to travel down the road without sagging thus reducing road damage to the home. Camber is adjusted for options that add weight to home.

Legacy installs Spring Equalizers between each axle on the chassis. The Equalizers allow the axles an articulation point that provides a much smoother ride over bumps during transit while reducing stress on the home. By the Equalizers allowing the axles articulation reduces stress on the frame. As each axle approaches a large bump each axle will shift up and the equalizer will allow weight to be distributed to the other axles. Some manufacturers mount the axles independently with no articulation point. Independent axles do not distribute weight to other axles on large bumps. This places a majority of the weight of the home on one axle which can cause frame failure and damage to the home. Equalizer

Legacy builds every home with Detachable Hitches. Detachable hitches benefit the homeowner and the retailer. Eliminates the hassle of cutting off the hitch at setup, this reduces labor cost at setup and reduces accidents at setup. Benefits the homeowner by having a hitch that can be reused and easily installed back on the home if the home needs to be moved in the future.

Floors framed and decked in a Jig ensures straightness and squaring of the floor. Drain lines are strapped and blocked at this stage with correct slope for drainage. Waterlines are strapped in position here. This step minimizes leaks from a stray decking nail. Legacy frames floors with 16 on center floor joist for maximum support of floor decking in the home. Legacy doubles and triples floor joist at load bearing/shear wall locations. Grade blocks

Legacy uses tongue and groove floor decking. Tongue and grooved floors provide better support between floor joist. Tongue and groove floor decking reduces floor seam problems. Tongue and groove floor decking also reduces floor squeaks caused by floor seams shifting between floor joist when walked on. Tongue and groove OSB floor decking is standard, plywood floor decking is optional. Tongue and Groove

Legacy uses Alpha Glue to adhere floor decking to floor joist in addition to ring shank nails. Alpha glue is more expensive than PVA adhesives used by competitors. Alpha glue expands on contact with air and fills voids between the joist and floor decking. This reduces floor squeaks and spongy floors. By framing and decking floors in an overhead jig, this allows Legacy to locate missed fasteners and correct them at this stage in production. Most competitors manufacturing facilities do not have this capability. NailAlpha Glue

Legacy uses 5x 15 air ducts. The industry standard size is 4 x 12. The larger duct size allows more air flow which allows the furnace blower to move air more easily. Easier air movement allows the furnace to heat and cool more efficiently which results in reduced energy expenses for the homeowner.

Legacy grounds the air duct to the frame. The frame is grounded at home installation. By grounding the air duct, it greatly reduces static electricity buildup in the home during low humidity times of year or in low humidity areas. Most static electricity in a home is caused by air moving through the ductwork.

Legacy uses mastic to seal the ends and all connections of air ducts. Competitors use heat duct tape to seal these locations. Heat tape is easier to apply but will release and create leaks over time. Mastic is a site built application and it is more efficient and last longer. This is another area where Legacy saves the customer money over the life of the home due to a more efficient duct work. Mastic is a requirement for energy star homes and is standard on every Legacy home.

Legacy insulates the outside of the air ducts. Insulating the air ducts reduces condensation on the duct. When cooling a home, if outside air is allowed to contact the air duct condensation will form. If condensation is allowed to collect in the belly of the home it will cause warping floors and moisture to wick into the home. Insulating the air duct lowers the amount of homeowner maintenance. Insulating outside of air ducts provides better indoor air quality. Air ducts that are insulated on the inside can release particles into the home over time.

Legacy uses Pex water lines Pex water lines are rated to withstand -40 F degrees before rupture. Legacy uses ¾ runners and ½ risers to allow better flow to multiple fixtures at one time. Pex water lines eliminate toxic glue and debris in the water lines of new homes. New homes will not have glue taste or debris in the water, which is experienced with PVC water lines. Legacy pressure tests all water lines at 100 psi for 15 minutes at the factory prior to shipment. ¾ runner ½ riser

Legacy installs air infiltration tape under and over all exterior walls. Air infiltration tape reduces outside air to enter or inside air to escape. This small step helps reduce operating cost for the homeowner by making the home more efficient.

Legacy builds their sidewalls on a jig to ensure walls are straight and square. This method increases accuracy and uniform fit. Competitors will use the sheetrock to square the walls. This method will create out of square walls. Square exterior walls are the start of building a good square home without setup issues. Legacy uses full length 2x4 studs with 16oc construction. Sidewall Jig

Legacy sets it sidewalls with a hoist. The hoist allows the wall to be picked up evenly which will keep the wall square. At this stage in production it is crucial to have a square sidewall so that the roof will fit square and exterior/interior walls will align properly. This focus on squaring will minimize racking of the home at setup to get walls to align, thus minimizing damage to home.

Legacy uses block stands at the back of the home during wall and roof set. The block stands keep the house level and straight. By keeping the floor level and the frame straight will also ensure the home is being constructed square. This step helps with home alignment during installation. Another procedure that will give the homeowner a good fit and well finished home. Block Stands

Legacy brings the floors of each double wide together (married) to make sure wall locations are accurate and that is aligns across the marriage line. Legacy keeps the floors married until after the roof is set on the home. The house is virtually locked in when the roof is set and fastened down in place. This check and balance process produces a home that is square and built to exact specification before coming offline.

Uplift straps are used to add strength to each home. The uplift straps tie exterior walls to the floor. Each uplift strap has enough tensile strength to support a ton of weight (2,000 lbs.)in a straight line pull. Nail plates are used to protect house wiring from siding nails. If a nail penetrates the wiring it will cause a short that will not be detected until electrical testing. This minimizes unnecessary repair work, which results in a better home quality and reduce manufacturing costs. Uplift Strap Nail Plates

Legacy uses wire offset posts. Offsets hold the wire in the center of the wall cavity reducing the chance of a nail hitting the wire and causing a short. Offsets also hold the wire away from the stud which also reduce the risk of wire being hit by the sheetrock fasteners. These offsets also hold the wire in place which reduces wear on wire sheathing that may occur by shifting during transit. Wire Offset

In areas protected by GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) Legacy uses 12-2 wiring. Kitchen appliance areas get 12-2 wiring to handle the heavy load appliances can have on a circuit. The horizontal wall blocking is for cabinet installation. This minimizes guess work of trying to fasten cabinets to studs only. Competitors will skip this due to increased cost and will have fasteners that miss studs. This is usually not discovered until the home ships to the site wire Blocking

It is impossible to wire a home without running wires through wood framing. Legacy uses metal wire sleeves when a wire passes through wood framing in the home. The wire sleeve protects the wire from fasteners thus preventing shorts caused when a fastener contacts the wiring. This is another example of homeowner safety that Legacy puts in each home. Metal Sleeves

Items of importance at this stage of production: Continuous Ridge Beam. Engineered Roof Truss. Strong Back. Roof Jig. Insulation Charts. Roof Jigs

The Continuous Ridge Beam is the backbone of our houses. A continuous ridge beam is very expensive and most competitors have stopped using a continuous ridge beam due to cost of it. Most competitors use a ridge beam only where a roof has to span from wall to wall. A continuous ridge beam adds a massive amount of strength to a home which reduces transport stress. This allows our homes to transport and deliver to the homeowner with very little cracking and are appealing to customers on arrival. Legacy uses engineered roof trusses from Universal Forest Products. These rafters are engineered for a 20 lb roof load and are periodically tested by the manufacturer to withstand 2 ½ times their engineered support weight before rupture. The strong back serves two purposes. One purpose is a lifting point for the roof hoist. The other purpose is to keep the roof trusses in their strongest position which is perfectly vertical. If a rafter is allowed the slightest lean its maximum strength is sacrificed. Again most competitors see this as added cost, but for Legacy it is added strength. Insulation charts are installed at this point to ensure correct amount of insulation.

The Foam Seal is a two part expanding adhesive used to secure the ceiling sheetrock to the rafters. The Foam Seal eliminates the use of fasteners to secure the sheetrock to the rafters. Fasteners can work themselves loose during transit. The use of Foam Seal produces a ceiling that has a clean and strong finish. Strong Back

On standard light cups Legacy uses OSB backing instead of just the sheetrock for support. This again is added cost but a piece of mind for the homeowner. On the wire and brace where a ceiling fan is needed Legacy uses a metal light cup and fasten it to a 2x support block. The wire and brace supports are standard in the master bedroom and living room of every home. Metal wire & brace Standard cup with OSB

Legacy builds each home with Textured Ceilings standard. Most home builders in the industry start with a splined ceiling standard and then charge to upgrade to textured ceilings. Legacys approach is to provide a consistent product that looks good. This eliminates mistakes and oversights at time of order.

Legacy uses a blown in fiberglass insulation. Insulation charts are used to ensure correct depth is achieved for each home. This makes sure the home has the correct R rating. R21 is standard. R28 is an option on singlewides. R28 and R33 is offered on double wides. Fiberglass insulation is naturally fire retardant. Cellulose has added fire retardants that are not proven to last for life of product. Fiberglass insulation has a 2% settle rate, compared to 20% on cellulose. Settling will reduce the R rating of the roof insulation. Depth Chart

Fiberglass insulation can achieve more R rating with less product and a lot less weight. All roof insulation is exposed to humidity. Fiberglass insulation doesnt absorb humidity where Cellulose which is made of recycled paper will absorb humidity. The Fiberglass insulation industry recycled more than 18 billion pounds of consumer glass containers between 1992 and 2008, a little known fact since cellulose is a more prolific product affiliated with Green products. With the greater efficiency of fiberglass insulation per weight compared to cellulose and less energy (fossil fuels)used to heat and cool homes with fiberglass makes fiberglass an equivalent or better Earth friendly product than cellulose. Most Manufactured Housing producers use cellulose insulation.

Legacy adds a roll of blanket insulation over the roof trusses to single wides with a rolled metal roof. This roll of blanket insulation is placed between the rafters and roof metal. The added insulation acts as a buffer which reduces roof rumble that is common on rolled metal roofs and high winds. The blanket insulation is in addition to the blown insulation. This is a more expensive application but is an added benefit to the homeowner.

Legacy uses rolled form countertops. The rolled form countertops are preassembled by professionals. Legacy has purchased special saws and dado equipment to be able to splice these countertops. This approach provides the customer with a maintenance free countertop that has a built in backsplash. Legacys rolled formed countertops eliminate chipped edging, that is common with countertops built in-house.

Preassembled rolled form countertops are made with aggressive adhesives. The Formica is heated to create the rolled top. This process is next to impossible to produce in a manufactured housing facility. Legacy has the ability to make counters that are cosmetically appealing. Built in backsplashes seal the back of the counters and eliminate tile backsplash that is glued to sheetrock that can become detached during transit. There are several colors to choose from for the homeowner.