Cedar siding on manufactured homes is a popular trend. Today, we’re going to feature a great manufactured home makeover project using reclaimed cedar siding at a cost of less than $500.00. You’re gonna love it! We’ll share some helpful tips and links about cedar siding, too.

Using Reclaimed Cedar Siding on Manufactured Homes

Roland and Lori Hopkins dreamed of living a simple life in a rustic country cabin. After they both retired they had the time to start making that dream a reality for their 1990 Redman Rancharo double wide:

Home Before the $500 Cedar Siding Installation

Cedar was an easy choice to replace the siding on the Hopkins’ double wide. It would allow them to give their home’s exterior a rustic log cabin style they had always wanted. Since they live in Oregon, red cedar was easy to find.

Cedar can be a fairly expensive siding option but the Hopkins’ were able to re-side their entire home at a fraction of the cost by using reclaimed cedar siding and refinishing each piece by hand.

It took a lot of work but the end result is amazing!

The Hopkins’ were able to transform their home into the rustic country home they had dreamed about for $500!

The couple faced challenges during their cedar siding installation but they didn’t let anything stop them.

Roland worked as a timber faller for 30 years. Lori worked as well and soon after retiring they both needed to have back surgery. That didn’t stop either one of them though! Shortly after their surgeries, they began working on their cedar siding project. Together they would measure, cut, plane, sand, and paint all the boards while sitting.

After a short time, they started installing the cedar one side at a time. Fortunately, the siding went up quickly and without any major issues.

Reusing and recycling is great for the environment and the wallet. Lori advises that salvage and resale stores, as well as online sites like Craigslist, are great places to find building materials that are affordable, some even free.  Lumber, fixtures, and paint are common items you can find.

“Having our neighbors, both young and old, come by with encouragement and praise for the remarkable improvements we have made.”

When I asked Lori what her proudest DIY moment has been as a manufactured homeowner she replied, “Having our neighbors, both young and old, come by with encouragement and praise for the remarkable improvements we have made. We have even been told by some neighbors that our home is now the best one in the park. Even with new homes being brought in.”

Lori gave me a few words of wisdom. She says that mobile homeowners should not be afraid to mess up, “You can always take it down and try something else if it doesn’t work out the way you want it.”

Lori firmly believes a manufactured home is a smart option to home ownership and encourages potential buyers to look for an older mobile home that’s been well-maintained and has ‘good bones.’  An older mobile home with amazing potential can often be bought for only a few thousand dollars. If you are willing to invest the time and money into updates you can live happily debt-free in a short time.

Learn More About Cedar Siding

This Hopkins’ home is a beautiful example of the amazing potential of a manufactured home. You can transform them into any style you want!

We’ve featured a few beautiful manufactured homes with cedar siding in the past here on Mobile Home Living. The Whim was a great single wide exterior remodel and we were fortunate enough to get to follow along with the entire transformation. You can read more about the home here and here.

Another great example of cedar siding on manufactured homes is this gorgeous rustic cabin manufactured home remodel. The home is a  2002 Spirit double wide that has been completely transformed into a rustic lakeside dream home:

Advantages of Using Cedar Siding

Cedar is a popular siding choice and there are several advantages of using cedar siding on manufactured homes. Cedar resists rot and pests. Cedar, like most wood, has a long lifespan and can last several decades with the proper upkeep.

Here’s what Bobvilla.com has to say about cedar siding:

Cedar siding is known for its grain and its rot resistance. It is straight and resists splitting. Cedar takes a stain well and reveals a rich character. It is commonly used in shakes and shingles because it is dimensionally stable, resists swelling, and has less cupping and splitting. Cedar clapboards are popular, too, but clear grade A cedar can be costly. 

Disadvantages of Using Cedar Siding 

As with any building material, cedar has some issues homeowners need to consider before choosing it as siding. Upkeep and maintenance will be needed regularly unless you keep the cedar completely natural (no stain or paint). Woodpeckers are attracted to wood siding and have been known to create holes which can allow pests or water to get behind the wood.

Cedar Siding Prices 

Cedar is graded based on appearance and quality and these grades impact the price you’ll pay. The location will also affect the price. SidingPriceGuides.com provides these figures:

… “B” grade cedar, expect to pay $2.75-$3.75 per square foot ($275-$350 per square if sold in 100 sq. ft. bundles). For top-grade cedar and redwood siding, your price will be $4-$6.50 per square foot or $400-$650 per square.

Inspectapedia.com provides the following cedar siding grade information:

The highest grades of cedar:

• Clear VG (vertical grain)
• Heart and
• Clear Heart

Premium grades for other western woods:

• C Select,
• D Select,
• Superior, and
• Prime

Cedar Siding Style Options

There are many beautiful options available for cedar siding on manufactured homes. The most popular style is the shingle or shake. They can have rounded edges, staggered, or straight.

There are many other shapes available, like diamond or triangle, but they aren’t as popular as the straight and rounded.

Source: Renocompare.com

Cedar boards are available in several different cuts through the board and batten, bevel, tongue and groove, and channels are the most popular. If a true log cabin look is what you are going for you’ll need to use what they call logs or half logs.

Source: Renocompare.com

An old-fashioned cedar plank style is making a huge comeback in modern home siding design. The living edge, or wavy-edged bevel, is a great way to add texture and additional depth to a home’s exterior.

Staining and Painting Cedar Siding

Cedar doesn’t have to be stained or painted. Left in its natural state, white cedar gets a weathered silver patina that many people find appealing.

Source: Northeastremodelinggroupinc.com

If possible, you should coat the wood and maintain it with stain or paint every 3-5 years. Bobvilla.com states, “All woods must be sealed and stained or painted to resist moisture, damage, and decay.”

It’s smart to stain or paint your cedar siding before you install it onto your home. This ensures all of the edges are protected.

More Great Resources About Cedar Siding

There are a lot of great resources about cedar siding online!

Inspectapedia.com is one of my all-time favorite resources for just about any building question you may have. It’s not the prettiest website but it is the most informative!

Inspectapedia’s Guide to Installing Wood Wall Siding Products is an informative article. Another helpful article is their Guide to Wood Siding: Choices, Installation, Maintenance.

RenoCompare.com has a great article titled Cedar Siding – Pros & Cons, Options, Maintenance and Manufacturer Reviews that you may find helpful.

The last article that I recommend is Cedar Siding vs Fiber Cement: Pros & Cons by Northeastremodelinggroupinc.com.

This was a great example of cedar siding on manufactured homes! A huge thank you to Roland and Lori Hopkins for sharing their $500 reclaimed cedar siding project. It’s a gorgeous transformation and I would have never believed you were able to do that on such a small budget!

As always, thank you for reading Mobile Home Living!