Joseph Moore's American dream was pulled by a tractor-trailer to his 1 1/2-acre tract in rural Richmond County.

The 31-year-old father of three bought the manufactured home -- what some people refer to as a "mobile home" or "trailer" -- four months ago rather than hire a contractor to build a home from scratch.

As with many people who choose factory-built housing, Mr. Moore was motivated by price. The land and the 1,800-square-foot house he picked from a south Augusta dealership cost him about $65,000, 2 1/2 times less than what he estimates it would have cost to build a comparable home.

"Why build at 84 to 90 dollars a square foot when I can get the same thing for 35 to 40 dollars a square foot?" said Mr. Moore, an employee at the Augusta Newsprint paper mill.

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