PHOENIX, ARIZONA (Sept. 25, 2026) — Cavco Industries has introduced what it calls the first home built to federal manufactured housing standards without a permanent steel chassis, a change that could give builders more flexibility in how factory-built homes are designed and placed in neighborhoods.
The Phoenix-based company unveiled the Grande Arbor at the 2026 Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Cavco said a federal law enacted in July removed the requirement that homes built to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s manufactured housing code retain a permanent steel chassis. The frame has traditionally remained beneath a manufactured home after it is delivered and installed.
Removing that requirement allows a home to sit lower on its foundation, potentially giving it an appearance closer to a site-built house. Cavco says the change also creates more design options and could help manufactured homes fit into urban and suburban developments. Whether a particular home can be placed on a property will still depend on applicable local rules.
The Grande Arbor is designed for households that want separate living areas under one roof. Its floor plan places a primary suite at each end of the home, with a shared kitchen, dining area and living room between them. Cavco is positioning the design for multigenerational households, including families with aging parents or adult children living at home.
“Addressing the affordable housing crisis remains a top priority for our company,” Cavco President and CEO Bill Boor said in the announcement. He said the showcase gives policymakers and the public an opportunity to see how the company is adapting its homes to buyers’ needs.
The Grande Arbor was built by Cavco’s team in Rocky Mount, Virginia, and displayed in partnership with UMH Properties. The same Cavco operation introduced the Anthem in 2023, which the company described as the first nationally available manufactured duplex approved by HUD.
For the housing industry, the significance of the Grande Arbor extends beyond one floor plan. The removal of the permanent chassis requirement gives manufacturers another way to build homes under the federal HUD code while addressing a feature that has long distinguished manufactured housing from other residential construction. Cavco has not announced a price or a timetable for broader availability of the Grande Arbor.