Mobile Home Living

Category: Double Wides

Beautiful remodeling and decorating ideas for double wides, regardless of age or builder.

Double wide manufactured homes are great homes for families of all sizes. We’ve featured dozens of beautiful double wide mobile homes that have been beautifully remodeled and decorated over the last 15 years.

Bright and Modern Manufactured Home Kitchen Remodel
When Rich and Sue decided to retire to the California Coast they did it in style. Their modern manufactured home kitchen remodel is gorgeous!

Originally from Iowa, the couple dreamed of warm sandy beaches on the California Coast. Unfortunately, the housing prices in California can put the brakes on many people’s dream. Rich and Sue did what millions of people are doing all across the country, they opted for a lower-priced manufactured home in sunny San Marcos.

Choosing a manufactured home at half the cost per square foot of a site-built home allowed the couple an opportunity to create a retirement home of their dreams.

Experts Help Create Modern Manufactured Home Kitchen Remodel

The kitchen in Rich and Sue’s California manufactured home had bright purple walls, original cabinets, and a circular layout so they brought Home Remodeling Center aboard to design and implement their modern manufactured home kitchen remodel.

Here is the kitchen before the remodel:

The Kitchen Before The Modern Manufactured Home Remodel.

Oftentimes, it’s more cost efficient to hire a designer to help plan a new kitchen. Experience and contractor connections can reduce remodeling issues and make the process easier for homeowners in a new town. Larger remodeling contractors often have professional designers on staff to help homeowners design their dream kitchens because it reduces homeowner stress and makes the process easier for the contractors, too.

While we are huge fans of DIY mobile home remodeling, we realize that hiring experts can make a project easier and less stressful, especially for people that are moving to a whole new state. Kitchen remodels are especially tricky as no one wants to deal without a functioning kitchen for long.

Modern Manufactured Home Kitchen Remodel: Unique Lighting Creates Awesome Light Show

Having an open and airy kitchen was important for the couple. The first things to go during demolition were a half wall that separated the kitchen from the living room and an oddly shaped peninsula that boxed in the kitchen.

Related: Removing Walls in a Mobile Home

With the half-wall removed they could install a large island. The rich gray island has ample room for prep work in and an overhang large enough for four bar stools. It is topped with a quartz with some enticing movement to create a great focal point for the space.

Related: 10 Kitchen Decor Ideas for Your Mobile Home Rental

The perimeter cabinets are white to keep the kitchen light and bright. The glass and stone backsplash blends the gray and white cabinets with the quartz.

The gorgeous pendants cast an unexpected light show on the ceiling.

Related: 25 Beautiful Living Room Ideas for Your Manufactured Home

The various gray tones are gorgeous! Gray is a versatile color for walls, ceilings, floors, and cabinetry. It can both lighten a room and darken a room depending on what tone you choose.

Modern Manufactured Home Kitchen Remodel Designer Notes

Barbara Preston, the professional designer of this modern manufactured home kitchen remodel was kind enough to share this project and answer a few questions for us.
1. Name: Designed by Home Remodeling Center
2. Location: San Marcos, CA
3. Total cost of project: $40,000
4. Any tips or tricks you can offer homeowners during large remodels? Stay calm!
5. Biggest challenge: This was a very smooth remodel. The selection of products went smoothly and the installation sailed along right on schedule.
Hope you enjoyed this great manufactured home remodel! Check out a beautiful modern mountain chic single wide here!

Side Note…

We weren’t paid to share this awesome modern manufactured home kitchen remodel or to mention the company. Barbara Preston, the proud designer, was simply kind enough to contact us about the project and we loved it. Of course, we wanted to share it with our readers!

Contractors and other professionals are more than welcome to share their projects with us – the more manufactured home inspiration we can share the better! We have a long way to go to catch up to all the great inspiration and ideas that site-built homes have available online.

As always, thank you for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living (Mobile Home Living, for short). We appreciate your support!
June 25, 2017
Double Wide Gets an Awesome DIY Rustic Cabin Makeover

If you like the popular primitive country style you are going to love this double wide’s DIY rustic cabin makeover!

When George and Donna first purchased their 1990 Horton double wide they had plans to flip it and then buy a traditional site-built home with the proceeds. That plan changed after they realized the homes being built in their area were poorly constructed and that their manufactured home would make a better foundation for their rustic style dream home.

The results of their hard work and creativity are absolutely amazing!

Stone fireplaces are a perfect feature for a rustic cabin style.

It All Had To Go

When we spoke to George and Donna they jokingly told us that it would be easier to tell us what they didn’t change rather than what they did! They have replaced decking, roof, HVAC, light fixtures, plumbing, textured wall treatment, rearranged doors and windows, and laid new flooring. They used salvaged materials to keep costs down.

Rustic style home office is amazing! I wouldn’t even mind paying bills here!

DIY Rustic Cabin Makeover – Kitchen and Dining Room

Donna had already done a quick fix on the kitchen right after they moved in by replacing the upper cabinets, counter tops and giving the floors a paint job. She continued her DIY rustic cabin makeover by adding stainless steel appliances.

The kitchen has tons of storage and style!

As with any remodeling project, there is always something else to do. Donna and George have plans to build lower cabinets out of oak pallet boards, install wood counter tops, and lay new laminate flooring in the kitchen. The new cabinets will create a rustic oak look that is similar to the bedroom doors in the master bedroom.

Mix rustic country with modern appliances for a stylish, yet functional, kitchen.

Related: Another Great Rustic Cabin Mobile Home Kitchen Makeover

The Beginning

George and Donna are high school sweethearts that both love carpentry, decorating and re-purposing. They also enjoy the challenge that comes from working within a budget.

Donna is a trained artist that happens to come from a long line of carpenters; George has a natural gift for engineering and re-purposing. What a great duo!

This DIY rustic cabin makeover was a perfect project for the talented couple. They knocked this one out of the park!

DIY Rustic Cabin Makeover – Master Bedroom

This rustic style bedroom looks so cozy!

DIY Rustic Cabin Makeover – The Challenges

While George and Donna are amazingly talented, they knew they would need help with some of the projects. One of the major challenges of the project was finding experienced and reasonably priced contractors. Thankfully, they eventually found someone.

The contractor’s first project was the front porch. It needed to be releveled but was in good enough shape to remain. They used salvaged wood to give the porch that welcoming rustic cabin charm.

Related: Cedar Siding on Manufactured Homes: $500 Reclaimed Siding Remodel

The bathrooms were a totally different type of challenge. It wasn’t easy finding a plumber willing to work on a manufactured home (it’s a common problem throughout the nation).

They finally found a plumber to do a basic rough-in got the dual showers in both bathrooms and George and Donna were able to complete the rest of the project on their own.

This shower is awesome!

The bathroom’s sink and counter are equally cool!

Make your home unique and personal with your favorite decor.

Unique Doors Creates DIY Rustic Cabin Makeover Magic

Most people don’t give their doors a second thought during a home makeover project but George and Donna aren’t most people. They paid special attention to their doors throughout their home.

Sliding interior doors are all the rage in interior design. They added one in a bathroom so they could take advantage of the space behind the door.

These unique saloon doors add a great rustic vibe to the room.

Another unique door in the rustic style.

Using salvaged palettes, they were able to give their doors a perfect rustic style.

Related: The Beginner’s Guide to Pallet Projects

DIY Rustic Cabin Makeover – Exterior Projects

Since they are in the South having a place to grill is important. George and Donna used salvaged materials and a whole lot of creativity to build this awesome covered deck.

I need this in my life!

In Closing

George and Donna learned a lot from their projects so far. She told us that researching and taking the time to get multiple estimates from the contractors are very important to get the best work at the best price.

She also reminded us to remember that all good thing take time and to enjoy the memories that you are making while creating your dream home.

Have a home remodel you would like to share with our readers? We would love to feature it, just email us and let’s get started!

Thank you for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!

See another gorgeous rustic cabin manufactured home remodel here.

June 4, 2017
1960 Double Wide Kitchen Before and After

California real estate being what it is (expensive), Barbara’s client computed the value of the house they were living in; after a bit of math, they decided to sell, pay cash for a manufactured home, and live a little on the rest of their money. They decided on 1960 double wide in a 55+ community Escondido, CA. All it needed was a bit of sprucing up before they moved in.

The kitchen sink and counters before the kitchen makeover:

The 1960 double wide had been updated but wasn’t exactly what the newly retiring couple wanted.

Although the husband is handy, they wanted to travel and enjoy their retirement so they put their home in the hands of Barbara at Home Remodeling Center. The budget was fairly high on the entire project and the clients opted for high-quality materials and construction that included moving walls and adding luxury storage cabinets.

Related: Is a Manufactured Home Right for You?

The wife wanted a more traditional, formal kitchen so she selected a maple cabinet with raised panel and dark glazed detailing. The light pearl quartz countertop was a perfect balance to the darker cabinetry.

The 1960 double wide kitchen after the remodel:

The random glass backsplash tied the two together and helped bounce more light into the kitchen. After demolishing walls, the kitchen became lighter and opened up the whole floor plan of the kitchen, dining room, and living room. It also created a larger kitchen with room for an island and counter with an overhang that allowed for bar stools.

Every Job Has Its Challenges

One of the biggest challenges during remodels is not knowing what to expect. There are always some hiccups that weren’t planned. Barbara told us that she always expects to find water damage in every remodel and there is usually some wiring that looks iffy and needs to be brought up to code. Additionally, there are usually pipes and wires in walls where you wouldn’t expect them and they need to be moved. All of these things happened in this remodel!

Playing Favorites

The kitchen has become the favorite room in the house for the clients. They are happy with their community and the home they remodeled. Retirement is a big change and this couple made it in style.

Thank you for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!

A big thank you to Barbara Preston of Home Remodeling Center in San Marcos, CA.

RESOURCE LIST

Cabinets: Concord Sienna/Envoy

Counter: Qortstone/Pearl

Backsplash: Infinite/Emser

Flooring: Fitch/Happy Floors

Paint: Sherwin Williams/Agreeable Gray

May 2, 2017
Living in Style in a Fully Remodeled Manufactured Home

I found this fully remodeled manufactured home on a real estate site a few months ago and it caught my eye immediately. I couldn’t help but wonder why it was so expensive. It didn’t take much to find out!

San Jose Has Crazy Expensive Housing Prices

San Jose, CA is known for many things but being the center of Silicon Valley’s tech hub is probably its greatest claim to fame.

As Silicon Valley became the base for the major technology companies and startups, real estate prices began to skyrocket.

You can expect to pay around $537 per square foot for a traditional home in the San Jose area. To put that in context for you, Ohio’s average price per square foot is just $85. San Jose’s median home value is $845,900.

This Fully Remodeled Manufactured Home for $184,900 is a Great Deal for the Area

If a site-built home is a bit out of your price range in San Jose, you can buy this fully remodeled manufactured home for $184,900.

With 1536 square feet of beautiful living space, the cost per square foot averages to only $120.

Related: 30 Tips for Buying and Financing A Manufactured Home

This fully remodeled manufactured home sits in an attractive 55+ park called Millpond. The park has 361 spaces nestled against rolling hills in Willow Glen, an upscale neighborhood in San Jose.

This fully remodeled manufactured home sold a few days after it was listed.

The market is hot in San Jose!

Related: What You Need to Know Before You Buy a Mobile Home

Here’s the realtor’s listing:

New Flooring – New Paint – New Kitchen – New Island – New Counter – New Subway Tile Backsplash – New Appliances – New Windows – New French Doors out onto the large porch – New Vanities in the bathrooms – New Toilets – New Lighting and the list goes on!

This is a spacious home. Two bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room, laundry room, family room, and the kitchen is open to the family room. Great for entertaining.

Located in the highly desirable mobile home community, Millpond Mobile Home Community. Great location. Close to downtown Willow Glen and The Plant Shopping Center.

Related: remodeled double wides here!

Money, Money, Money

Zillow estimates the mortgage payment for this manufactured home to be around $994 with 10% down. Insurance and taxes not included.

The lot rent is $983 which puts the manufactured home’s total monthly cost at around $2000 per month.

Related: Buying a Mobile Home: They Can and DO Appreciate!

Why Manufactured Homes?

Many families are turning to manufactured homes in well-manicured communities or on their own private land. You get comparable living of a site-built home at a much more affordable price per square foot.

A manufactured home is a great starter home for young families, retirees ready to enjoy their golden years, and everyone in between.

For a lot of people, taking the fully remodeled manufactured home over an older site-built home is an easy choice. You get a larger home that’s been updated for a few hundred less per month. No remodeling needed!

Do you have a comment?

Has a manufactured home saved you a lot of money? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Thank you for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!

March 2, 2017
Cool Double Wide Decor in Arizona: You Will Love This Kitchen!

Sylvia and her husband are loving life in their new-to-them 1972 Skyline manufactured home with some cool double wide decor in Tucson, Arizona.

Sylvia has a passion for making things beautiful and she certainly did that with her 1972 Skyline double wide manufactured home. The home’s dimensions are 20′ x 52′ which is a perfect size for a couple looking to downsize and simplify their post-retirement lifestyle.

Remodeling with a Real Budget

After extensive research, Sylvia used a very reasonable budget of $19,000 to completely remodel the 1972 Skyline double wide. Projects included installing new cabinetry and appliances, laying new floor covering down throughout the home, replacing all the light fixtures with 52-inch ceiling fans in the living room and bedrooms, painting all the walls, as well as completing many other odd and end projects. And thanks to Sylvia’s several DIY projects, she was able to stretch that remodeling budget even further.

Custom Kitchen Cabinets without the Custom Cabinet Cost

Sylvia and her husband were able to save a lot of time and money by buying kitchen cabinets already in-stock at Lowe’s. They learned that you don’t need to order custom cabinetry to get a custom cabinetry look.

Related: 6 Great Mobile Home Kitchen Makeovers

Sylvia admits the kitchen was their most difficult project. They made a lot of trips to custom cabinet shops for ideas but she ended up using stock cabinets found at her local Lowe’s home improvement store for most of the kitchen. The only custom cabinetry used in the home sits between the refrigerator and stove.

A gorgeous new granite counter top was installed along with a stainless steel sink and a stylish industrial style faucet. The kitchen walls were painted a light beige and they went with stainless steel appliances to compliment the dark cabinets and counter tops.

By saving money on the cabinetry, Sylvia was able to complete the kitchen remodel with a glass tile backsplash. The glass tile was a splurge at $15 per square foot but it gave the room a polished finish, making the total cost of $400 worth it.

Using materials available at your local home improvement store or resale shop is a great way to save money and complete a home remodel faster since you don’t have to special order anything.

The kitchen is absolutely stunning and the glass tile backsplash pulls the whole room together perfectly.

Related: Cool Coastal Double Wide

Double Wide Dining Room

Once the kitchen was remodeled the rest of the 1972 double wide decor came together quickly.

Sylvia used the dining room’s built-in cabinetry as a focal point. She painted the cabinets white and let the goldenrod yellow cabinet door inserts that are so indicative of the seventies make a statement in the space.

The darker flooring creates a warm and inviting space.

Simple Bedroom Decor

By painting both the walls and ceiling a crisp white and making the bed the centerpiece of the room, Sylvia was able to make the room appear larger.

The hardwood floors and dark furniture really accent the crisp white and give the room a simple but elegant look.

Oddly Placed Mobile Home Windows

Sylvia encountered a common mobile home issue: odd window placement.

Mobile home designers had a tendency to put windows in rather odd places. Oftentimes, a single window would be placed completely off-centered on a wall.

There was a single window on the only wall Sylvia had to put the bed and it was not in the center of the wall. It was a rather large window (62″ x 30″) so she had to get creative to make the bed appear centered in the room. She solved the dilemma by installing a blind that was wider than the window. This made the window appear more centered over the bed and equalize the space.

Vintage Double Wide Decor (but not too vintage)

Mid-century modern, or vintage, is a hot home decorating trend and Sylvia wanted her new home to have vintage look, but not too vintage.

Related: Mobile Home Bathroom Guide

The original double wide decor was a seventies time capsule, the only thing missing was a disco ball! The sinks and bathtub were especially telling of the home’s age so Sylvia made the surrounding double wide decor match the original vintage features.

Related: Mid-Century Modern Mobile Home Decor Ideas

Creating an Outdoor Living Space

Living in Arizona gave Sylvia a unique double wide decor dilemma to solve. She needed to create an outdoor living space that wouldn’t get too hot in the Tucson sun. She solved the dilemma by setting up an oasis on the one end of the home that received some shade with chairs, grill, and a fireplace.

Related: 45 Great Manufactured Home Porch Designs

Like many do-it-yourself remodels, keeping the cost down was a top priority. Sylvia researched every detail of the remodel. She spent hours pouring over Pinterest for ideas to help give their home a custom look without a custom price and the result is Pinterest worthy itself!

Summary

This cool double wide decor home was all achieved for less than $15,000.

Having a lower cost of living and remodeling are the best things about manufactured homes. Regardless of the age of the home, or your budget, you can absolutely have a great home that will allow you to retire in simplicity or save for your dream home.

Thanks so much for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!

February 20, 2017
Million Dollar Mobile Home: Enchanting Pink Beach Cottage

This million dollar mobile home is enchanting!

Located in the most expensive mobile home park in the world, Paradise Cove in Malibu, California, the pink siding fits right into the quirky neighborhood.

The cool cottage home is for sale. Realtor.com has the home listed at a cool $880,000. You can read all about it here.

Unique Pink Exterior Sets Million Dollar Mobile Home Apart

The moment this mobile home comes into view you know it’s going to be awesome. The light pink siding certainly makes a statement!

The designer opted to go with traditional banisters and trim, perhaps countering the unique siding color. The front porch, beautifully decorated with small plants, is a great space to enjoy the outdoors.

Minimalist Living Room

The living room of this beautiful home has many great features. The stylish French doors lead out to a great outdoor space letting lots of natural light bounce around the crisp white walls and ceilings.

The great room with rustic, wood burning stove leads to the cook’s kitchen and dining area. (realtor.com)

Cool Cook’s Kitchen

This minimalist cook’s kitchen is simple yet sophisticated.

A new trend that seems to be catching on is to forego upper cabinetry in kitchens. This design can help make a kitchen feel larger.

A bay window allows lots of light and plenty of room for a herb garden. The dining room table sits under large windows creating a perfect spot to watch the sunrise while enjoying a cup of coffee.

Related: Paradise Cove Mobile Home Sold for $2 Million

Beautiful Bathroom in Million Dollar Mobile Home

One of my favorite features of this million dollar mobile home is the bathroom. Crisp, clean marble takes center-stage in the space.

Tip: Designers often go with more expensive materials in small spaces. It provides a high impact on a smaller budget.

Related: Modern Malibu Mobile Home Makeover

Windows, Windows, Windows

One of the biggest challenges that mobile home owners face is small bedrooms but one of the best weapons against that problem is light. The more windows you have in a room, the larger that room is going to feel. Mirrored closet doors are another smart design to help a small bedroom appear larger. The mirrors act as a window and lets light bounce around.

The master suite has vaulted ceilings, clerestory windows and french doors leading to a secluded creekside deck. The second bedroom features high ceilings, skylights, and a separate entrance/sliding glass door to a secluded seating area. (realtor.com)

Related: Malibu Mobile Home with Lots of Great Mobile Home Decorating Ideas

The home’s natural simplicity, sea breezes, and close proximity to the ocean creates a tranquil, magical beachside retreat. (realtor.com)

This million dollar mobile home has all the features that make for a great house. The location, the open floor plan, and the many windows all combine to make this a great example of the potential that all manufactured homes have.

We’ve featured a few great homes in Paradise Cove. Here’s a couple that you may want to check out:
Thank you for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!

January 13, 2017
Cedar Siding on Manufactured Homes: $500 Reclaimed Siding Remodel
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.

The Whim

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:

Gorgeous Rustic Cabin Manufactured Home Remodel

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 and Manufactured Home Living!
November 10, 2016
Manufactured Home Interior Design Masterpiece

Chris Curcuru and Ron Kvale have created a manufactured home interior design masterpiece with a 1988 Skyline double wide!

Two Design Experts and a Manufactured Home

Chris and Ron have been in real estate for over 26 years. Chris started out as an agent and quickly developed a talent for staging homes. A well staged home will sell faster and at a higher price. A decade ago, they united and formed Color Me Sold Staging, now one of the largest home staging companies in Los Angeles.

Check out Color Me Sold’s amazing decor on their Facebook page here!

The couple wanted a place to unwind and recharge on the weekends so they set out to find a vacation home near the beach.

They chose the 1988 Skyline double wide because of the great location and price. The home sits in a popular beach side community in Carpinteria, California. The double wide was 100% factory original when they purchased it in July 2015.

The 1988 Skyline Double Wide Before the Remodel:

[column size=one_half position=first ][/column]

[column size=one_half position=last ][/column]

After only 6 months, Chris and Ron completely transformed their manufactured home. It’s an amazing example of the potential in manufactured home interior design.

Tearing Down Walls (and Stigmas)

Ron and Chris focused their attention on the shell of the home first.

Factory-built homes have limited ceiling height due to transporting restrictions. Most 1988 model manufactured homes offered only eight foot side walls often paired with cathedral ceilings in the living, dining and kitchen areas.

Look past the stigma and concentrate on the “bones” of the home.

The couple remedied the lower ceilings and enclosed layout by removing the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. The single wall opened up the living and dining areas as well as the kitchen.

Once the ceiling was raised and the island was installed the couple updated the surfaces of the kitchen. They opted to break from the traditional materials used in manufactured homes and used real Italia Carrera marble counter tops and subway tile for the back splash.

Just to give you an idea of the immense transformation, here is what the kitchen looked like when Chris and Ron first bought the home:

The dining area:

Living Room

They also stripped the paneled fireplace and resurfaced it in stacked stone.

The fireplace and living room before the amazing manufactured home remodel:

Master Bedroom

The master bedroom before:

Master Bathroom

The master bathroom is an impressive space, especially if you see the before and after photos together. Here is what the room looked like before:

and after:

They used an over-sized tile in the master shower to pump up the sophistication level (OXO LINE BLANCO PV 12″X35″).

Guest Bedroom

The headboard made of colorful oars is awesome!

The guest bedroom before:

Guest Bathroom

The guest bathroom is perfect!

The guest bathroom before:

As long as you have the vision, you can create a multi-million dollar look!

Manufactured Home Interior Design Tricks the Pros Use

We can learn a lot from interior design and staging professionals like Chris and Ron. When professional designers tackle a manufactured home interior design project we need to pay special attention.

Chris and Ron focused their efforts on creating an open floor plan that was light and airy. We asked Chris what his favorite home decor and design tips were and he answered, “Keep your home light and bright. Do not paint your walls dark colors. Have as many windows as possible.”

Light and Bright

Chris’s first tip for manufactured home interior design is to keep your home light and bright. Sunlight paired with light neutral wall colors are a perfect marriage in just about any space. The pairing is a well-known design application and works perfectly in manufactured home interior design projects to make the home feel larger.

Be Careful When Choosing Dark Colors in Small Spaces

When choosing a wall color be attentive to the way light interacts with it. Make sure to test it out throughout the day so that you can see how the sunlight affects the color. Dark colors tend to absorb light and that can make a small space seem even smaller.

Related: Choosing Colors for a Small Room

Windows for the Win!

Chris’s last manufactured home interior design tip evolves around light. Windows can absolutely change a space. Installing a window adds an ever-changing visual element that baths a room in sunlight.

Updating a Manufactured Home’s Exterior

The new deck is one of Chris’s favorite areas of the home.

When we asked Chris what his favorite DIY project he said it was the outdoor surfboard shower, “Living so close to the beach with two beautiful fluffy dogs, the shower really comes in handy to rinse off the sand.”

Manufactured home remodels are rarely featured in main stream media so it’s important that we document these beautiful transformations. A huge thank you to Chris and Ron for letting us see this amazing manufactured home remodel!

Thank you for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!

Photographer: Thom Hartwick / Hartwick Home Imaging / (818) 720-0866

October 22, 2016
Melodie’s Magnificient Modern Manufactured Home Makeover

Melodie just completed her second modern manufactured home makeover and it’s as gorgeous as the first! Last year we featured a beautiful double wide that was expertly decorated by Melodie Palencia and her husband. It continues to be one of Mobile Home Living’s most popular featured homes.

Melodie and her husband sold their first manufactured home and bought themselves another. Of course, Melodie made the new home all her own with a trendy modern manufactured home makeover. The home was originally shared on one of my all-time favorite blogs called My Heart’s Song. Geneva is a fellow manufactured homeowner and talented decorator – her home is amazing! Visit the My Heart’s Song blog by clicking here!

Melodie’s previous home was a perfect mix of a shabby chic and modern farmhouse style. Her trademark white walls and colorful furniture pieces mixed with warm neutral elements creates a space that is perfect for easy living.

Modern Manufactured Home Makeover

Melodie has a significant style that she has used in both of her modern manufacture home makeovers. First, she paints the walls and ceiling white. This creates a fresh canvas ready for expertly chosen and paired layers of furniture, textures, and colorful elements. This layering technique creates depth and visual appeal.

Living Room

The living room is a wonderful mixture of welcoming and stylish. A great mix of contemporary and vintage inspired pieces are paired perfectly. You can read more about the living room on My Heart’s Song blog.

Melodie’s living room has all the modern trends!

Wainscoting adds a great textural element to the wall. It’s important that you use the rule of thirds in a manufactured home since our sidewalls are often lower than a site-built home. My Heart’s Song shares more detail about the project:

Plywood painted white serves as the floor covering on this modern manufactured home makeover. Geneva, of My Heart’s Song blog, asked Melodie about the choice:

Melodie and her hubby also used plywood cut into strips to add the trendy shiplap pattern to a few walls throughout the home.

This image above shows the wood stove in the living room without the natural shiplap wall treatment. The image below is after shiplap was installed:

Kitchen

The kitchen is just as fabulous as the living room!

Using a neutral wall color is perfect for manufactured homes as it allows light to bounce around and makes rooms appear larger.

Black countertops and home decor elements are used throughout the kitchen to ground the space. You can never go wrong with black and white in a kitchen.

While black and white takes center stage, Melodie uses a single art piece in the kitchen for a great splash of color. (I think I saw that awesome cow canvas at Ross’s for around $29.95.)

Using open shelving instead of cabinets is a great way to add more visual impact to a kitchen. Apothecary Jars, natural wood, and white ceramics are all popular decor choices for modern kitchen makeovers.

You can read more about the kitchen here.

The Kitchen Before

Here is the kitchen before the couple completed their second modern manufactured home makeover. The transformation is amazing!

Transformation Take 2

Melodie’s modern manufactured home makeover evolved over a short period. One of the coolest transformations occurred in the informal dining area.

The space was originally used as a backdoor mud room but Melodie decided an informal eating nook would be a smarter use of the space.

She had originally set up the mudroom like this:

My Heart’s Song created a great visual board of the process:

Read all about the project on My Heart’s Song here.

The result is amazing:

Formal Dining Room

Having a formal dining room is important for the family and they sure know how to make the space beautiful and functional!

Read more about the dinning room (and see more photos) here.

Master Bedroom

The master bedroom is so cute!

Bathrooms

There are two bathrooms in this double wide and they are both awesome!

The master bathroom is farmhouse fabulous:

The second bathroom is smaller but it has all the great decorating features that Melodie is so known for:

Guest Bedroom and Craft Room

Of course Melonie needs a space to create! The guest bedroom also works as her craft and sewing room. The gift-wrapping station alone is envy inducing but the sewing table is just a crafty girl’s dream!

Read more about this amazing room here.

No doubt about it, Melodie’s second modern manufactured home makeover is amazing! I adore both homes and would LOVE to call either one of the home.

Melodie has proved, once again, that manufactured homes can be as beautiful and functional as any site-built home.

All images belong to My Heart’s Song blog. If you love manufactured homes you HAVE to see Geneva’s single wide remodel and all the great crafts and graphics that she shares.

Thank you so much for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!

October 19, 2016
2016’s Best New Manufactured Home Design Winner

In this article we’re taking a look at 2016’s best new manufactured home design winner, The Hillcrest IV from Champion Homes.

We’ve also interviewed an industry insider about new manufactured home construction methods, helpful buying tips, and trends we can expect to see in the future.

Why You Should Consider a New Manufactured Home

New manufactured homes rival site-built homes in design, structure, and energy efficiency and are offered at prices that no site-home builder can match.

New manufactured homes use the exact same materials as a site-built home. They cost less because their construction process is so tightly controlled. The homes are build using an assembly line method within a covered building so they are not subject to weather delays, improper material management, or poor quality control.

From nails to shingles, inventory is tightly managed down to the smallest detail. All these controls create such high building efficiency that new manufactured home prices typically run 10-20% less than a site-built home of similar size using the exact same building materials.

Meet The Hillcrest IV

The Hillcrest IV is a gorgeous home! The contemporary style combined with a smart floor plan has created a home that fits the modern family perfectly.

The Hillcrest IV is built in Athens, Texas, and is displayed and distributed by Titan Factory Direct in Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

National Congress and Expo for Manufactured and Modular Housing

Every year in Las Vegas, the manufactured housing industry comes together for its annual National Congress and Expo for Manufactured and Modular Housing. During this 3 day expo awards are given for the year’s winners in categories such as best home design, retails sales center of the year, and manufactured home community operator of the year.

2016’s Best New Manufactured Home Design Winner: The Hillcrest IV

The kitchen in the Hillcrest IV features several modern amenities. Glass cabinet doors, stainless steel appliances, a white subway tile back splash, and an island/breakfast bar combo are today’s most popular kitchen design elements.

Like other new manufactured home models, the Hillcrest IV offers several options for buyers.

The Hilcrest IV also offers a kitchen package that is gorgeous!

The dining room includes modern built-in hutches and a bar area. Natural lighting pours through the large windows and sliding glass door.

This is a gorgeous manufactured home and an obvious winner for 2016’s Best New Manufactured Home Design.

Industry Insider Interview

Courtney King of Titan Factory Direct, the Texas manufactured home dealer that offers the Hillcrest IV, was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

I tried to ask questions that cover a wide range of manufactured home topics; the building process, buying tips, construction restrictions, and trends we can expect to see in the future.

What sets Champion Homes apart from other builders?

From my experience I haven’t seen much of a difference in the actual construction of the homes. The building materials for manufactured homes come from the same companies and for the most part the designs are very similar. Having said that, one thing I will say for Champion is that the energy efficiency is very important to them.

I think a lot of people confuse the difference in dealerships with the difference in builders. Titan really strives to build relationships with our customers the sale way a real estate agent would with their clients. We are, after all, helping them to choose a place to house their family! It’s a huge decision and commitment, whether it is a $30,000 house or a $500,000 house, we like to leave at the end of the day knowing that we provided our customers with the best possible home buying experience!

The following video shows the building process for Champion Homes:

What would you like us to know about Titan Factory Direct and your salespeople? What sets you apart from other dealers?

Our senior management team has a total of 70 years of experience in the retail side of the manufactured home industry. They came together to build their own company because they saw things they didn’t like and wanted to run a smoother, more personalized process. I think it is because of this integrity at the top that our management and salespeople continue to be so passionate about getting families into homes.

We are always looking for ways to give back and to improve as a company. We recently decided to begin volunteering as a team with Habitat for Humanity, which we are very excited about!

Click here to visit Titan’s Factory Direct Website.

I read that Champion Homes was the first builder to receive the Energy Star Certification. What were the features of that first Energy Start Certified home? What new energy efficient features can we expect to see in the future from Champion Homes? What features does The Hillcrest IV have?

A lot of the changes sound small, but create huge differences in the long run. The main change that helped win the certification was upgrading the insulation! Champion focused on creating a tighter house, which would result in less air loss, thus lowering electricity bills. Increasing the wall insulation from R-11 to R-13 and the blown insulation in the ceilings from R-19 to R-30 and creating better sealing for the windows and doors is what we would attribute the certification to.

One of our most recent changes was adding LED lighting, which puts off less heat. Each light bulb saves $0.25 per month, which adds up over time!

I think the next big change is going to be home automation, which will improve energy efficiency even more.

I love the trey ceiling in the living room. Low ceilings are a popular complaint about manufactured homes. Are there engineering or architectural issues that prohibit higher ceilings in modern manufactured homes?

The main reason behind low ceilings in a manufactured home is the building material used by the factory. Because it is a lot cheaper, most companies use a 7 ft. side wall, which results in seeming small.

Our standard is 8 ft. side walls, which can be upgraded to a “site built” 9 ft. All our homes come with the options of a vault or flat interior ceiling, which I also think makes a huge difference in the overall look of the home!

Even with creative engineers there are still limits. There is a cap on the height a home can be for transportation, which is why you don’t see two story homes going down the highway! They would have to be delivered in sections and stacked on site, which would increase cost and manufactured homes would no longer be the affordable solution to site built homes anymore.

What would you like potential home buyers to know about manufactured homes before they set foot on a lot? Any particular topics that home buyers should research most?

I think the two biggest factors we wish our customers would research and consider before coming in would be first, where they want to place their home. So much goes into this decision like, school districts, building codes, whether or not they want to be in a manufactured home community, that It is almost impossible to make in even a single day.

Secondly, whether or not they want to finance the home. We sit down to work out a budget analysis with the customer, but coming in with a firm idea of what your family can afford is a huge advantage for them, because then we know where to start! Also, as I’m sure you’re aware, some financing options are only available with modular homes.

What are the steps or stages that architects/designers use to develop a new model? Do you take changes or upgrades made by buyers into account? How are the models named?

The models come to us as just letters and numbers, the Titan marketing department gives each home a name. We felt that the homes felt a lot more personalized that way, and it’s fun to think up new names as the homes come in! It is a lot easier to remember that you really liked the kitchen in the Trinity versus the Ruger than the R-1234 versus the R-1987!

We like to give them names that our customers will recognize and enjoy. A lot of them are named after Texas cities, rivers and counties, although one of our employees is a Florida State fan and snuck in a model named after the gators!

What do you think sets The Hillcrest IV apart from all the others? Why is it 2016’s Best New Manufactured Home Design Winner?

I think the floor plan itself is very similar to others we have, but I think the new features are what is setting it apart from the rest. Barn doors, LED lighting, pot filler faucets, a farmhouse sink and shakers cabinets all give the feel of a modern home, which I think a lot of our customers appreciate.

I think that the manufactured housing industry has really stepped up their game as far as what goes inside the house to make it feel just as good as any site built home.

Learn How to Find the Best Manufactured Home Floor Plan Here.

I know the manufactured housing industry leads the way for trends in site-built housing. What are your most popular upgrades in the last year? Any particular trends we can expect to see?

I would have to say our most popular upgrades last year would be the barn doors, electric fireplaces, LED lighting, pot filling faucets, and under counter lighting. I think the biggest trends right now are anything that looks modern!

The open floor plans, white and grey options on cabinets, and the chef designed kitchens are all things we’re very excited about here at Titan! This year we plan to roll out some very exciting new features, I can’t spoil the surprise, but I will hint at more energy efficient and site built appearance options and home automation!

The Hilcrest IV family room:

Summary for 2016’s Best New Manufactured Home Design Winner

The Hillcrest IV is a beautiful home! There’s no doubt it is 2016’s Best New Manufactured Home Design award winner.

This model proves the entire manufactured housing industry is working hard to offer homes featuring popular design trends and great energy efficiency at affordable prices.

Thank you for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!

Please note: We were not paid for this article and we do not have a personal opinion about Champion Homes or Titan Factory Direct. We simply wanted to share 2016’s Best New Manufactured Home Design Winner with you and provide information that can be helpful to current manufactured homeowners and potential buyers. Thank you!

September 6, 2016