A mobile home remodeling project can seem overwhelming especially if you aren’t prepared. But, if you take the time to get your project plans in order before starting, it will make things much easier. Here are 5 helpful things to consider before you begin your next project.
Have a Vision
The first step to any successful mobile home remodeling project is to figure out exactly what you are trying to accomplish. Is this a whole home remodel or just one room? Are you tearing out and starting fresh or just updating the space? Try sites like Pinterest or one of the cool apps we found on Curbed to help you create the perfect finished product.
What’s the Budget?
When trying to set a budget for your mobile home remodeling project there are several things to consider. First, you need to know where the money for the project is coming from. Next, ballpark the cost (think around $100 to $200 per square foot depending on the project). Finally, factor in the cost of a contractor if you aren’t planning to do the work yourself. Once you have a figure in mind, add a little to it in order to give yourself a cushion for the unexpected.
Related: Quick Tips to remodel a mobile home on a budget.
Do You Need A Permit?
Permits are a tricky business when it comes to remodeling projects. We always suggest a call to your local permitting office if you are unsure if your project will require a permit. Of course, anything that has to do with an addition to your home will probably require a permit.
Should You Hire a Pro?
If you are trying to decide whether you can do your remodeling project you need to ask yourself these three questions.
- Does your project require a pro? Any electrical work should definitely be completed by a professional.
- Do you have the skills and tools to complete the project yourself?
- Do you have the time to commit to the project?
Once you ask yourself these questions you will know pretty quickly whether you should tackle the project yourself or start looking for a contractor to complete it for you.
Be Ready for the Unexpected
Remodeling projects can be full of surprises. Whether it’s unexpected expenses, not being completed in the time frame you hoped for, the mess that comes with remodeling, or the stress of having your home out of order, you and your family need to be prepared. Try to keep things in perspective, the mess and noise won’t last forever!
A mobile home remodeling project doesn’t have to turn your home and life upside down. If you do your homework before you start you can take a lot of the stress out of the project.
Have any tips or tricks you would like to share with our readers that you learned while completing your own mobile home remodeling project? Comment below, we would love to share it with our readers.
As always, thank you for reading Mobile Home Living®.
So . . . I bought a 1972 single wide Skyline. I love projects but had NO idea how deep this would get. The musty smell slowly showed up as I walked around in their cleaning and became utterly unbearable (I had not moved in yet). I bought the home in May and it’s August and I’m still renovating. So many hard lessons I’ve learned.
1. It’s so rural, there are NO contractors willing to help me. I end up doing EVERYTHING myself via you tubing, googling, and the help of one loyal friend who stepped in to help me.
2. The musty smell was old original 1972 insulation underneath that got wet and it permeated the subfloors and ALL flooring. Had to rip out ALL old linoleum, laminate and vinyl flooring, some areas 3 layers worth. Had to first test old linoleum (first original 1972 layer under newer vinyl) for asbestos. I used IRIS Environmental – awesome people with 24 hr turnaround). No asbestos thank goodness. The subfloors were high grade marine plywood so they were still perfect. I got rid of their mustiness by painting ALL SUB FLOORS with Zinsser mold KILLING primer. I also used that on one spot of black mold I found (use a respirator!!!). I also painted ALL wall wood paneling and other walls and ceilings with that mold killing primer. I wanted all my walls white anyway.
3. I pulled all old insulation out underneath and I’m letting the wood under there breathe and heal before I will replace insulation. IMPORTANT: I put 6 mil plastic all under mobile home with stakes, pins and bricks to stop mustiness in ground from wafting up into the subfloors again. The ground under mobile homes also carries its own musty smell.
4. IMPORTANT. Every mobile home owner should own an ozone machine and use it once a month. WOW. Kills mold, viruses, bugs, . . . What an air cleaner. Mustiness is gone overnight but remember – NOTE*** – you still have to remove SOURCES of mustiness and mold. AND*** – NEVER NEVER ozone while you are home. You must remove pets and plants and PEOPLE while ozoning. I bought the ozone machine recommended by a guy that owns mobile home parks – ONAMOR Ozone Generator 22000 mg/h – High Capacity Ozone $99 on Amazon.
My mobile home is slowly healing and it’s now ready for a final paint coating and new flooring, and new skirting. Some day I’ll replace the gypsum ceiling but that’s for down the road.
So, we bought a 1985 singlewide, 870 square feet, last July, sight unseen, except for the pix on the Realtors site in FLA. So, we buy, drive down, open the door, and ugh.. The smell was really really bad.. The place looked great, new flooring, etc.. but the smell! Why??? So, hubby, (being a contractor), said, “That is the smell of insulation that has gotten wet over time.” Bummer. But where? The seller had painted all the stains, etc… so, hard to tell. So, scrubbing the place did not work.. and I ended up taking a screwdriver and polking holes in the corners of the ceiling.. mushy.. Bummer. Then the floor was soft.. bummer.. but all the flooring was brand new! Looked great! BUT, turns out the subfloor had gotten really wet, never replaced, and NEW flooring covered it up.. Rascals! Anyway, a year later, and we have almost finished gutting the entire trailer, ripped up the flooring and the subfloor, replaced some joists, new insulation in the walls, ceiling, sheetrocked it, new plywood subfloor, new bathroom showers, etc.. SO the “small” remodel we thought we would have to do, based on the Seller Realtor info and what we saw online. .. ALL CHANGED, once we walked into the place.. It was obvious from the smell, it all had to be gutted., to do it right.. Or at least that is how we felt. We do not live in FLA yet, so we found a local contractor, great kid.. very detailed like us, who does all the hard work, like gutting, ripping up floors, etc.. install new sub floor, etc.. and Hubby drives down for two weeks at a time and does the more detailed like electric, plumbing, finish carpentry, etc.. It is still cheaper to fix up a trailer, than buy a new one, (good luck getting one in a year, we looked into that), or buying an older home.. Those are at a minimum 200k+ where we are… And would more than likely need work too. For us, its about simplifying our lives, living with less, in a rural part of FLA., etc.. We love the town we purchased in, and the people are wonderful… so we don’t mind taking the time to slowly get it done.. and know we will be there eventually.. And honestly, slowing down to do it right makes the most sense. A mobile home is a different beast, but well worth getting to know! I feel so blessed we found our diamond in the rough…