The El Centro Manufactured House / ADU Combo: Where Smart Design Meets Affordable Ownership

A major trend in urban design today is the splitting of oversized suburban lots to make room for additional housing—most often in the form of single or duplex ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units). But while retrofitting existing neighborhoods presents challenges, new subdivisions are where this strategy can truly shine. That’s because early-stage design allows the planner to position both the main house and the ADU from the start - to optimize layout, ensure privacy, and maximize the use of outdoor space.

That’s exactly what’s happening in a forward-thinking new development in El Centro, where each 78-foot-deep by 65-foot-wide lot is being designed to support both a main home and a secondary ADU - each with its own private L-shaped courtyard.

The main home is a 26'8" by 40' doublewide featuring a king-sized master bedroom and two queen bedrooms. The L-shaped kitchen is anchored by a dining table that seats ten, while the living room doubles as a home theater with a large-format projection TV. The bath is cleverly configured as a combined laundry room, shower/dressing area, and double-vanity suite with two separate water closets allowing multiple users at once. The traditional master en suite bath has been deliberately omitted to preserve space and functionality in this compact layout.

Surrounding the main home is a long, narrow L-shaped private courtyard, which functions like an outdoor room. It includes space for multiple garden plantings, spa, lounges, dining table, bistro seating, and even an outdoor kitchen - offering residents the kind of private, cultivated outdoor life that most urban density projects can only dream of.

The ADU, a one-bath singlewide unit, is similarly well-appointed, with one king and two twin beds, and its own separate L-shaped courtyard outfitted with outdoor lounge space, kitchen, dining area, and multiple garden plantings.

But design isn’t the only innovation here - ownership structure is just as critical.

Both the main house and the ADU will be converted from personal to real property, allowing them to qualify for traditional mortgage financing. This is achieved by installing both structures on permanent foundations, removing their steel chassis, and legally recording them as part of the land parcel using an affidavit of affixture. Vehicle titles are surrendered to the state, and to visually signal permanence, the 18-inch portion of the foundation visible above grade is faced in attractive cultured stone. The result: the homes are legally and aesthetically indistinguishable from site-built housing—and treated as such by appraisers and lenders.

This conversion unlocks access to FHA, VA, and conventional mortgage loans, dramatically reducing interest rates and monthly payments compared to high-cost chattel loans. In doing so, the El Centro project is expanding access to homeownership for working families, without sacrificing design or quality of life.

Parking is thoughtfully integrated at the front of the lot, with space for four vehicles beneath solar-equipped carports—turning sun exposure into energy savings.

The El Centro Courtyard project is proof that with smart planning, manufactured housing can be both beautiful and bankable—a scalable model for dignified, affordable, and financeable infill development in communities across America.