Which manufacturers build triple wide homes?
Ten manufacturers publish triple wide floor plans in retailer and manufacturer listings: Cavco, Deer Valley Homebuilders, Palm Harbor, Karsten, Champion Homes, Skyline Homes, Marlette, Jacobsen Homes, Franklin Homes and Live Oak Homes. Cavco and Deer Valley publish the most three-section plans.
| Manufacturer | Founded | Headquarters | Warranty | Plans | Sq ft range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavco | 1965 | Phoenix, Arizona | Not published | 12 | 1,968–3,116 |
| Deer Valley Homebuilders | 2004 | Guin, Alabama | Not published | 10 | 2,280–3,180 |
| Jacobsen Homes | 1959 | Safety Harbor, Florida | 10-year structural warranty via 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty (standard since 1 June 2018) | 8 | 1,600–2,560 |
| Palm Harbor | — | Addison, Texas | 5-year protection program: full 1-year warranty, then structure and systems covered years 2–5 at a $50 deductible | 6 | 2,250–2,810 |
| Skyline Homes | 1951 | Elkhart, Indiana | 12-month warranty program | 6 | 1,786–2,586 |
| Marlette (Clayton) | — | Regional plants (Tennessee, Oregon) | Not published | 5 | 1,920–2,761 |
| Karsten | 1965 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Not published | 4 | 2,534–2,762 |
| Franklin Homes | 1969 | Russellville, Alabama | 1-year full warranty + 10-year structural warranty | 3 | 2,136–2,850 |
| Live Oak Homes | — | Waycross, Georgia | Not published | 1 | 2,013–2,013 |
| Champion Homes | 1953 | Troy, Michigan | 7-year limited factory warranty ("Champion 7") | 1 | 2,617–2,617 |
How do triple wide warranties compare?
Published triple wide warranties range from a 12-month program to a 10-year structural warranty backed by a third party. Jacobsen Homes and Franklin Homes both back 10 years structurally; Champion backs 7 years; Skyline backs 12 months. The rest do not publish a specific term for their triple wide series.
A structural warranty and a full-coverage warranty are not the same thing. Jacobsen's 10-year term, backed by the third-party insurer 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty since June 2018, covers structural defects specifically. Palm Harbor's 5-year protection program is broader in year one, covering the full home, then narrows to structure and systems at a $50 deductible for years two through five. Read what each term actually covers, not just its length, before comparing two manufacturers on warranty alone.
Which manufacturer builds the largest triple wides?
Deer Valley Homebuilders publishes the largest triple wide plan in this database at 3,180 square feet. Deer Valley Homebuilders and Cavco both publish multiple plans above 3,000 square feet, the range where a triple wide starts to match an entry-level site-built house on floor area.
Which manufacturer publishes real pricing?
Palm Harbor, Cavco, Karsten and Champion homes sold through Homes Direct are the only triple wide listings in this database with an advertised base price. The other six manufacturers' triple wide plans are quoted on request through their retail network, which is the industry norm rather than an exception.
A published price is not automatically a lower price. It reflects a retailer's decision to advertise competitively in a specific local market, not a difference in what the factory charges. Use the floor plan database to filter for plans with a published price if a firm number before contacting a dealer matters to you, and treat every figure as a starting point for negotiation regardless.
How do you evaluate a manufacturer beyond the brand name?
Evaluate a triple wide manufacturer on the specific series and plant, not the parent company. Founding year and company size affect warranty backing and dealer network reach, but wall thickness, insulation package, and finish level are set at the series level and vary within a single manufacturer's own lineup.
- Confirm the actual builder. Karsten and Marlette are both Clayton-owned brands built at their own regional plants, sold under their own name. A "Clayton" home and a "Karsten" home are not interchangeable even though Clayton owns both.
- Ask which series a floor plan belongs to. Deer Valley's Signature Series and Franklin's Prefab Series carry different specification levels within the same manufacturer.
- Check the wind and thermal zone rating the specific plan is built to, since coastal and northern climates require different structural and insulation specifications from the same manufacturer.
- Request the manufacturer's warranty document directly rather than relying on a dealer's summary, since terms like Palm Harbor's deductible structure matter more than the headline year count.
Frequently asked questions about triple wide manufacturers
- Who makes the best triple wide manufactured homes?
- No single brand wins on every measure. Skyline Homes has built manufactured homes the longest (since 1951), Deer Valley Homebuilders publishes the largest triple wide plans in this database at up to 3,180 sq ft, and only 5 of the 10 manufacturers here publish a specific warranty term for buyers to compare.
- What warranty do triple wide manufacturers offer?
- Published triple wide warranties range from a 12-month program to a 10-year structural warranty backed by a third party. Jacobsen Homes and Franklin Homes both back a 10-year structural term; Champion Homes backs 7 years; Skyline backs 12 months.
- Does a bigger manufacturer mean a better built home?
- Not necessarily. Company size affects warranty backing, dealer network size and plant count, but construction quality is set at the plant and series level. Compare the specific floor plan and series, not just the parent company name.
- Are Karsten and Marlette the same as Clayton Homes?
- Karsten and Marlette are both manufacturing brands owned by Clayton Homes, built at their own regional plants rather than under the Clayton name directly. Their homes still carry Clayton’s ownership but are sold and warrantied as separate brands.
Sources: manufacturer warranty pages and press materials (Jacobsen Homes, Franklin Homes, Champion Homes, Skyline Homes, Palm Harbor Homes); Manufactured Housing Institute; company histories published by each manufacturer. Plan counts, square footage and pricing compiled from the retailer and manufacturer listings cited on our floor plan database.