Thesis (M.S.) -- Mississippi State University. College of Architecture, Art and Design. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Mobile homes, like other forms of factory-built housing are ideally adapted to the use of solar energy because of the materials and construction methods used in their manufacturing process. This thesis is written to examine those characteristics of mobile homes which can best be taken into consideration in the attempt to maximize solar efficiency and reduce energy waste. Design factors which effect the adaptation of solar energy to a typical MH unit include: solar access, types of of solar utilization, energy storage, lot orientation, general climatic relationships and MH park design. The paper will conclude with a case study involving the use of these factors in the design process of a MH project in Blacksburg, Virginia. / M.A.

This study examined the opinions of 552 residents of rural Virginia regarding acceptance of manufactured homes, formerly known as mobile homes, and their occupants. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent respondents' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, innovativeness, and perceptions of manufactured home characteristics, its occupants and neighborhood characteristics, predicted the acceptance of manufactured homes. Data were obtained from two mail surveys distributed among eight rural counties. One survey covered single-section manufactured homes (N = 274) and another covered double-section manufactured homes (N = 278). A proposed theoretical model was adapted from M. J. Dear and S. M. Taylor's (1982) model for community attitudes toward mental health care facilities. Hypotheses were tested through multiple regression analyses. The statistical model for the full sample included 13 independent variables. Six variables (perceived manufactured home occupant behavior, proportion of manufactured homes in the county, perceived manufactured home condition, manufactured home type, respondents’ gender, and manufactured home knowledge) emerged as significant predictors of manufactured home acceptance (R² = .3541). Separate regression models for the single- and double-section manufactured home subsamples were evaluated. In the single-section manufactured home subsample, perceived manufactured home occupants’ behavior, proportion of manufactured homes in the county, and perceived manufactured home condition were significant predictors of single-section manufactured home acceptance (R² = .2522). In the double-section manufactured home subsample, perceived manufactured home occupants’ behavior, perceived manufactured home condition, respondent's manufactured home knowledge, and neighborhood physical homogeneity were significant predictors of double-section manufactured home acceptance (R² = .3574). Results suggested respondents' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics were not important in predicting manufactured home acceptance. Instead, acceptance was mostly the result of perceptions about occupants’ behavior, a finding consistent with Dear and Taylor's (1982) study about acceptance of mental health facilities. In general, double-section models were more accepted than single-section models. / Ph. D.

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As the medium cost of conventional housing rises, many people unable to incur such an expense look for alternative forms of adequate housing. In rural areas surrounding Bowling Green, Kentucky, several families have utilized the mobile home as a base to expand, embellish, and personalize, creating a larger more conventional-looking home. Many of these altered homes possess gabled roofs, rock exterior walls, and expansive interior space. Of primary concern is: why have these families undertaken a project of this nature? As material culture scholars and folklorists examine our built environment, they find relationship between construction and the builders. What can the altered mobile home tell us about these individual builders? A contextual analysis examining the surrounding landscape, economic dilemmas, and personal aesthetics and values help elucidate each altered mobile home. Also, by examining the individual builder’s work technique, materials, and values associated with housing, one can understand how each mobile home is a direct reflection of its owner. Since the mobile home’s creation, the public’s conception of the form has led to claims that it is not a housing form, but rather an accessory for the automobile. Steadfast values associated with housing have not adhered to the image of the mobile home. Because of this ambiguity, the mobile home is an ideal form for individuals to mold and alter, thereby creating a form imbued with personal aesthetics and personal values concerning housing. These ideas are examined through analysis of four families.

The study focuses on social interaction networks in Vacation Village Estates mobile home community. Analysis involves relevant data from an eleven-item questionnaire obtaining demographic variables and results of fifty-seven participating families' mutual ratings on an Acquaintance Volume Scale, ranging from 5, "very close friend," to 1, "do not know." Specifically examined were two social interaction constellations, reciprocal choices, high-scoring families and isolates. Three hypotheses tested measured greater length of residence, greater similarity of occupations, and greater similarity of religious activity, as relevant to "the greater amount of social interaction." Hypothesis 1, "greater length of residence," tested with correlation coefficient and F score was retained at .05 level of significance. Remaining hypotheses were rejected not achieving significance.

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