Picking Up the Pieces After Hurricane Michael: 1999 Buccaneer Double Wide Remodel

Stephen and Michelle Deal had just finished remodeling their 1999 Buccaneer double wide in Panama City, Florida when Hurricane Michael made landfall in October 2018.

Hurricane Michael was so powerful it broke several records. It was the first Category 5 hurricane to hit the US since 1992 and the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in over 100 years (Wikipedia).  

Stephen and Michelle’s 1999 Buccaneer double wide manufactured home still stood after the Hurricane but wind and water destroyed the walls, ceiling, and flooring. Everything had to be gutted down to the studs to be rebuilt and that’s exactly what the Deals have been doing.

Over the last 16 months, the DIY power couple has completely gutted and transformed their manufactured home. Luckily for us, Michelle has been sharing their progress with her 8,000 followers on Instagram at @houseoftransformation. You should follow her too!

I think you’ll agree that this 1999 Buccaneer double wide remodel is nothing short of astonishing. Michelle let us interview her and she gave us a lot of great tips and advice.

Like so many other manufactured homeowners, the Deals couldn’t find a contractor to work on the home so they did most of the work themselves. Luckily, professionals were found to work on the drywall, rebuild the roof and front porch, and replace the AC unit.

The renovation was a complete gut job. They took the home down to the studs.

Living Room

Here you can see Michelle and Stephen’s living room before the hurricane ravaged the home:

Here’s the living room after the remodel. What a gorgeous room!

Michelle replaced all their standard mobile home interior doors with regular house doors and it made a huge difference as you can see in the living room.

I asked Michelle if they had found any favorite tools or products during their remodel. Her favorite paint is BEHR ultra paint and primer in one. She explains, “We have tried others and nothing compares. We went with the color Balboa Mist on the interior walls and absolutely love this neutral color. We used limousine leather for our interior and exterior doors.
We bought an airless paint sprayer from Harbor Freight and it was money well spent!”

Farmhouse Kitchen Remodel

Stephen and Michelle started from scratch with their kitchen.

First, they looked up the sizes of base cabinets from Lowe’s and created a layout that worked best for the space.

To give the kitchen a true farmhouse look Michelle and Stephen used standard brick paneling available at Lowe’s and Home Depot. Once the paneling was installed they painted it white.

“We did the faux brick paneling throughout the kitchen which really added a lot of character I think.”

$200 Countertops!?

Michelle was really impressed with the base cabinets available at Lowe’s. They are an inexpensive way to give your kitchen a completely new and updated look. If you purchase the unfinished cabinets at Lowe’s it’s very reasonable. They had no problem installing them.

The DIY powerhouse couple used fir boarding from Lowe’s as their countertops. They finished the wood with butcher block seal to protect it and give it a beautiful stained look.

Open shelving was installed on the wall with the sink and stove.

Dining Room Transformation

The dining room transformation is just as stunning as the kitchen. Here’s the dining room before:

Here’s the finished room. What a beautiful dining room!

Dreamy Master Bedroom

Stephen and Michelle completely renovated both bathrooms and all three bedrooms during their 1999 Buccaneer double wide remodel.

Their master bedroom is gorgeous!

Michelle told us that using barn doors in lieu of regular doors in the bedrooms gives you a lot more room in your bathrooms.

Beautiful Bathrooms

Michelle told us that the master bathroom remodel was the biggest challenge during their remodel. Rearranging the plumbing was a bit difficult as was tiling the showers. Luckily, it all turned out beautifully.

The couple was very impressed with Dreamline French Corner Shower kit. This is an ideal product for mobile homes as it saves so much space and is easy to install. It comes in various sizes. It’s available at Home Depot for $679.

Affordable Shiplap

For a true farmhouse look, you need shiplap. Shiplap is a great way to introduce texture and character to a room.

Shiplap can be expensive but Michelle found a way to get the look of shiplap without breaking the bank. She found that sanded plywood cut down into 6-inch strips works just as well as the expensive tongue and groove shiplap boards. Michelle explained, “We never use real shiplap. We’ve always used 1/2 inch sanded plywood ripped in 6-inch strips and it looks just as good. So much cheaper!”

They installed tiled showers and a soaking tub in the master bath.

Before and After Bathroom Remodel

It’s always fun to see before and after photos of a home remodel and luckily for us, Michelle had a couple of photos to share with us.

They used board and batten accent walls in both of their boy’s rooms. Here’s one of their rooms:

Exterior Transformation on 1999 Buccaneer Double Wide

The Deals installed a metal roof, we moved the AC unit to the outside to create more space in their laundry room.

“We replaced the vinyl siding with Hardie Board. We are in the process of finishing the exterior which is board and batten on the front and horizontal Hardie board around the rest of the home. We are painting the exterior white with black trim as we are going for the farmhouse look. “

Michelle advised that if you are wanting to upgrade from vinyl siding to Hardie board you will need to first install OSB siding to support the weight of the Hardie board. This will also provide better insulation for the home.

In these photos you can see the OSB has been installed and the front porch floor has been stained.

The 1999 Buccaneer double wide remodel has given this home a whole new look.

Deciding to rebuild from the studs was a huge undertaking but the Deals have done a beautiful job. They’ve completely rebuilt their home into a modern stylish farmhouse for less than $70,000. The didn’t let Hurricane Michael beat them!

Thank you, Michelle and Stephen, for letting me share your gorgeous home. You guys are so inspiring!

Don’t forget to follow Michelle on Instagram at @houseoftransformation. And as always, thank you for reading Mobile Home Living!