Buying an affordable home and turning it into a true dream home is what Mobile Home Living is all about and this rustic cabin manufactured home remodel is a perfect example of that!
The McCormacks bought their 2002 Spirit manufactured home in 2009. The 2200 sq ft home has a great view – it sits on the water of Oklahoma’s Lake Tenkiller.
Rebecca has kindly allowed us full access to every room and shared lots of great advice for our own rustic cabin manufactured home remodeling dreams.
“Most people wouldn’t even consider throwing money into a mobile home, but we’re very happy with our remodel.”
Just like every manufactured home, it had potential and Rebecca was able to see it.
“It was traditional interior with dark green carpet and pink and green stripes and floral vinyl walls. It was terrible. So we began with replacing the carpet, and the bank account began to dwindle at that point.”
Before the Rustic Cabin Manufactured Home Remodel
The home started out in great condition. The front exterior had already been updated with shingled vinyl siding and a new deck but the couple had a more traditional log cabin vision and they absolutely nailed it!
Here’s what the back of the home looked like before the log cabin remodel.
During the siding remodel.
After the Rustic Cabin Manufactured Home Remodel
The exterior was completely wrapped in log siding, the deck was transformed into a covered porch, rock skirting was installed, a garage was added to the side of the home, and lots of beautiful landscaping was added.
It’s amazing!
A perfect lake house!
Rebecca’s husband did the landscaping. He installed a sprinkler system and laid river rock in the circle drives.
The log siding was trimmed in a darker wood that highlights the new windows. It’s a great look!
Porch fans and gorgeous seating areas complete the log cabin exterior remodel.
The back of the home is just as gorgeous as the front.
Looking for more inspiration to remodel the exterior of your manufactured home? Check out this complete double wide transformation.
Rustic cabin Manufactured Home Remodel – Interior
If you think the exterior remodel was amazing, just wait till you see the interior!
Here’s a photo of the kitchen before the McCormack’srustic cabin manufactured home remodel. It was a fine home but it wasn’t their style. That’s why manufactured homes are so great – you can actually afford to make changes to the home after you buy it!
Rebecca described her vision, “I wanted a rustic log home and the interior is done in wood paneling and lots of glazed walls in earth tones, which I did myself. Of course, we mud, taped and textured all the walls. Big tip: Be sure and seal the texture with Kilz.”
The kitchen was completely gutted and rebuilt. Updates included new engineered flooring, appliances, cabinets, countertops, and backsplash.
” My favorite room is probably the kitchen.”
– Rebecca McCormack
It’s important to incorporate your personal hobbies and passions into your home. While looking at pretty homes on Pinterest or even here on Mobile Home Living is important you make each space your own.
Related: A Farmhouse Inspired Manufactured Home Makeover for more home decor inspiration.
The McCormack’s home has a bear theme, a subject Rebecca is very passionate about. She lived with them in the mountains of New Mexico for years.
All interior and exterior doors were replaced and stained. All lighting fixtures were replaced.
The den is done in all wood.
They have covered the seams in the walls and ceiling with stained pine and boxed in the seam down the middle of the home.
A stone fireplace anchors the den and provides emergency heat.
Each bedroom was beautifully remodeled in a rustic log cabin theme.
Rebecca replaced all the white wire racks in the closets with wood stained shelves.
The bathroom got a complete overhaul too.
Dark wood trim frames the large mirrors (perfect for making a small room seem larger) and sets a stage for the soaking tub.
Stained wainscoting wraps the bathroom in warmth.
Rebecca gave us some figures on the remodel, “We didn’t keep exact figures on the total remodel, but we estimate between $60-70K. ”
She continued, “We have 166 acres of forest behind us, so the deer and all sorts of wildlife are in the yard every day. It’s a piece of paradise. No one is aware it’s a mobile and the few we have told are shocked. You have to look under the house to find out it’s a mobile home. Our local realtor said it’s a show home, and people who visit ask us what it would take to buy it, so I guess we did something right.”
Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing your beautiful rustic cabin manufactured home remodel with us! You have proven that anything is possible with a manufactured home and that dreams do come true!
Thank you for reading Mobile Home Living!
What is the color of the walls in the bathrooms?
You have quite the eye and right now I don’t mind saying I think my skin is turning green with envy! LOL! Kidding! What a BEAUTIFUL job, and thank you so much for sharing pics your home as well, the before and after is shocking! Not to mention you get to wake up, have coffee on a gorgeous rustic peace of heaven. I’m with must be worth everything you went thru during the remodel Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely gorgeous!! You have a beautiful home!
Rebecca, what an amazing transformation! The fact that you did so much of it yourselves is fantastic. Well done!
Wood wainscoting in the living room and hall bath are on my list. I see you removed the battens in your bathroom, but I hadn’t planned on it because of the extra work taping and mudding. Can I just cut the battens at the top of the wainscoting, or just leave them and nail the boards right over them? One more question: I can’t decide whether to attach the boards horizontally or vertically- what was your reasoning for horizontally, was it strictly esthetics or ease of application?
I just love what you’ve done. I sure wish I could snap my fingers and mine would be finished!
Thanks for any advice. It’s appreciated.
Hi Latisha,
It will depend on the type of siding. There are calculators at Lowe’s and Home Depot’s websites that help you add up the square foot, corners, etc and then gives you an estimate on each type of siding/brand.
Best of luck!
Has anyone gotten an estimate for just the siding alone for this remodel. We are looking at doing it to a 2000 ft home.
I believe the owner stated that they got them from a local supplier or mill and they are real.
I know this is an older post but I hope I can get an answer or two. The logs you used on the exterior are beautiful. Are they manufactured logs or real wood and where did you buy them?
Sorry I haven’t responded to this. I haven’t been on the website in a while. I’ll try and answer some of your questions.
All interior wood products were bought at our local town hardware store, just pine and knotty pine. We stained all the wood with Sherwin-Williams Chestnut and Fruitwood. A blend of 40% Chestnut mixed with 60% Fruitwood. Everything is done in that. Only the cabinet fronts in the kitchen were remade by a local cabinet maker and stained in the colors above.
We used local guys here at the lake for everything. We hired no contractors and I did a large part of the interior myself with painting and glazing. The paint is also all Sherwin-Williams. Leatherbound is the main color with accents of of Norman Brown on the ceilings.
We paid cash for the home so no mortgage and we paid for our renovation out of our pocket, so no loans at all. I couldn’t tell you what lenders might allow for a remodel like this on a manufactured home. Sorry.
It took about a year to complete in total. As far as the bear products, I ordered a lot of them over the internet, Cabelas, some art sites and I already had a lot of bear prints and paraphernalia I had collected over the years, so it’s just a hodgepodge of everything thrown together. There are many art web sites where you can find lots of prints and photos they will frame for you. Just pick the areas of interest, like bears and everything will pop up. That was kind of easy.
One existing garage was already here and we had it enlarged. We built another garage for about $5K. The porch itself to cover it and rock it was about $5K. I can’t remember for sure on that one.
I hope this helps a little. Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you. Your remodel may well be underway or finished already. Good luck to you. We love this place and so does everyone else! Thanks again.
Sorry I’m just now getting around to responding. I haven’t opened this site in quite sometime. We used all Sherwin-Williams products on the home. The interior stain on doors and trim is a blend of Chestnut and Fruitwood. The blend is about 40% Chestnut and 60% Fruitwood. The Chestnut is the darker stain and we did our master bath in that entirely. But we wanted to bump the color up just a little bit and it is a beautiful color. Very unique because of the mix.
We had only cabinet fronts remade in kitchen. The cabinets are the same stain of Sherwin-Williams Chestnut and Fruitwood. We had a local cabinet maker do the cabinet fronts for us and we kept the existing frames, sanded and restained those. I sanded and stained the original bathroom cabinet fronts myself and stained as well. Those are all the original cabinets. All of the doors and all woodwork is the Chestnut/Fruitwood blend.
I hope this helps and good luck!
Hi Karen!
Thanks so much for the kind words! I think a good porch makes a manufactured home. They make such a huge impact!
You will want to keep your porch or deck completely separate from your home (as far as footers go). It’s just ‘butted up’ against the home. It’s not hard at all.
Thanks again for the kind words. Hope you can share your new porch with us – I’m always looking for great projects!
Oh gosh.. I Love the porch on this house (as well as the remodel inside).. I’ve been looking at porches on your site for a couple of weeks now, keep thinking I’ve found the perfect one, then I find yet another great idea.. this one is really catching my eye, though, as we have the same kind of peak near the front door.. I just wish there were directions on how to actually build the porch and the best way to attach it (or build it independently). Thank you again for this site. I get so many great ideas from it and love that other people realize the value in mobile/manufactured homes!
This home is beautiful !! We are looking to remodel our manufactured home at the lake this is exactly what I would want. I would like to know stain colors on knotty pine and doors also what brand of cabinets in the kitchen.Beautiful!!!!
Hi Tammy,
I want to ask you how you like your Fleetwood home. I have a dealer near me and am trying to do my homework on manufacturers. What do like and not like about your home?
Thanks,
Kim
Hi Denise,
I don’t but maybe another reader may be able to help. I would contact a local wood mill or research it online or at a locally owned home improvement store.
Best of luck!
Do you know of any companies in Arizona (Show Low area) that do log siding? We have a home on 5 acres and would really like to do this on our home. Thank you.
Just curious, it says they purchased the home in 2009. So did it take them 6 years to finish all the renovations or did they do the entire $60k-$70k house remodel pretty quickly? Lovely home! My husband and I are actually in the process of looking for a large piece of land to do this exact same thing.
Hi Racheal,
Manufactured homes usually only have a 1 year warranty when bought new and no warranty when bought used –
just like a site-built home. Actually, manufactured homes usually have better warranties and homeowner protections than a site-built home.
Also, the majority of the beautiful homes featured here are older so there’s no worries about warranty. Thanks so much for reading MHL!
Hi. This house is beyond beautiful!!! This is my first time on this site though. Excuse me for sounding really dumb to ask this question though. I don’t know anyone that lives in a mobile home. I always wanted to buy one and be creative like this and do small things like adding a porch or sunroom- though this is light years beyond that. I always thought though that if you altered your mobile home in ANY WAY you automatically forfeited your home warranty. Is this true- and how do you get around this to do all the nice things I see on this website??? :)
My jaw is on the floor!
This is the most amazing home I think I’ve ever seen.
So happy to find a home that’s not all white trim, white
cabinets, white walls. Refreshing!
We too, have a wildlife theme in our current home, and
we will transfer it to our new home when we move in next
month/Sept. It’s a 2008 Fleetwood, and while we aren’t
doing much but floors and paint right now, I love getting
ideas, and you have given me PLENTY!
What color is the stain in the Kitchen on the wall behind the table? Also did you get new cabinets or did you glaze? Love your home its beautiful :o)
I wanna say your remodel is amazingly beautiful! Anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it♡ I am jealous!
Your re-model is simply beautiful! My husband and I have a single wide that we have re-model in a similar way. Replaced all trim in the house with cedar. Hardwood flooring throughout. Our bathroom looks similar, also. I really love the way you done both sides of the master bathtub with mirrors. We only done one side. May have to copy yours!! Used all cedar in the bathroom also. Your home is truly beautiful. Just shows what a person can do with a manufactured home if you use your imagination and a lot of hard work. Thank you for sharing your home.
Hi AJ!
I beat myself up all the time over projects that should be finished or need to be started. I really thought after 5 years our little single wide would be completely remodeled by now but it just didn’t happen. Life seems to always throw ya curve ball when you least expect it!
Don’t over stress yourself – I’m sure your home is gorgeous already! Thanks so much for reading MHL, I appreciate you taking the time to comment!
This is an amazing remodel and a great motivational story. We are trying to update and “cabinfy” our double wide. I was sitting here just yesterday and was kind of beating myself up on all the things that need to be done but seeing this lifted my spirits. My question is what are the stains that were used on the exterior and the stain on the inside. Colors and brands.
Hi Virginia!
It’s a fairly simple install and changeover. Nothing a typical handyman couldn’t handle. Here’s a couple of articles I found that may help you:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/pros-and-cons-of-a-tankless-water-heater-176538
http://www.homedepot.com/c/SV_HS_Water_Heater_FAQs#basic
Thanks so much for reading MHL!
I would like to change regular hot water heater to a tankless water heater. Anyone have any experience doing this? Any problems anyone is aware of?
Thanks for any thoughts!
Hi Gini!
I bet your home is gorgeous! I love log siding! I think Lowe’s has a product called Airstone and there’s also a website called fauxpanels.com where you can get some very realistic stone panels that can be used inside or out.
Would love to see photos of your home! Thanks so much for commenting – I hope to hear from you lots more!
This is the first time I’ve visited your site and I’m really enjoying it. It’s hard to find information and decorating ideas for mobile homes. We purchased a mobile home with the log siding back in 2001 and we love the rustic feel of the outside, but we weren’t sure how to add a porch on the front. This is an amazing home and this gives some great ideas on how to do ours. I’d love to know where to get the stone skirting, it looks so natural. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Toni!
The owner said it cost around $60-70,000. You’re absolutely right, banks don’t like to give loans but most will consider home equity loans if the home is permantly installed to the land. There’s also personal loans available. My husband and I spend a little bit each month (if possible) to repair or update whatever we can – we’re still saving up for the big projects though.
Thanks so much for reading MHL!
Curious about how much this renovation cost. We have a doublewide that is in need of repairs and updates. Lenders don’t want to loan much on a doublewide due to low home values. How can you go about getting your home done the way you want at a reasonable price?
My husband I have been wondering if we can do this. We love the look of log homes but would never be able to afford them in the size that our mobile is. Excited to show this to my husband when he gets home.
Hi Shirlee!
It’s always great to hear from you! I love this remodel too! It just goes to show that you can do anything with a manufactured home! Hope all is well with you and yours!
This is my favourite renovated mobile home you’ve showcased over the years. I absolutely love it! My dream home is a log home and it’s great that the couple saw the potential of turning a typical mobile home into their log home dream. Beautiful property.
Her photographs make me want to sit down and visit!
absolutely amazingly gorgeous! Love your style in this home. I would have horse and dog pictures around but that is the ONLY thing I would change up a bit. Love the warmth this home gives off.
This home is amazing!!! Just found your site and I love it!! My husband and I will be downsizing soon and this is the direction we’re going. In my area manufactured homes have higher standards than traditional ” stick built ” homes do. Try moving an on-site home down the street, haha.
We’ve always wanted a log cabin but knew it would be way out of budget. This home has covered it all and is wonderful to say the least! Thank you for sharing this with all of us! Two thumbs up!! Patti