Today’s featured homeowner created his own gourmet mobile home kitchen upgrade for close to half the national average. He has all the top quality appliances, custom cabinetry, and sleek counters but he spent less than $16k. On average, homeowners spend $22,885.
Chuck has been a wood crafter and cabinet maker hobbyist for the past 45 years and that’s how he was able to create a fully-equipped, expertly organized gourmet kitchen for only $16k. Yes, that’s still a lot of money but the appliances alone cost over a third of the total and materials used in this amazing mobile home kitchen upgrade are all top-of-the-line. For us regular folk, this mobile home kitchen upgrade would have cost double or triple that price.
Chuck’s DIY mobile home kitchen upgrade uses every inch of space in his 1985 Palm Harbor double wide to its best advantage. He planned his kitchen remodel down to the centimeter with schematics and computer-aided designers.
The mobile home kitchen upgrade started with stripping the walls and gutting the entire kitchen.
Here’s a look at the kitchen before the remodel:
We have included a drawing that Chuck did to outline the project. As we have mentioned before, planning is one of the most important steps in a successful remodeling. Chuck also sent us a drawing of what he hoped the finished kitchen would look like. He definitely nailed it!
Chuck also created a 3D plan for his mobile home kitchen upgrade:
Related: Smart Storage Solutions for Small Homes.
The amazing results of all of Chuck’s hard work and planning:
The drawers and cabinets were expertly designed.
Canned goods are organized and easy to reach:
See another awesome mobile home kitchen.
Chuck’s Interview:
Chuck was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.
Tell us a little about yourself: I have been a wood crafter and cabinet maker hobbyist for the past 45 years.
About your home: We bought it as our retirement home and realized everything was old and outdated and needed to be replaced.
Total Cost of the project: $16,000
Tools and materials used: Pretty much every tool I have accumulated over the years (and a few that I borrowed).
Proudest DIY moment: When the granite installers came to install the countertops and have them tell me that the cabinet installation was one of the best they had ever seen.
Favorite room: For now, definitely the kitchen. However, every part of the updated mobile home is special!
Biggest Challenge: Removing the wall that separated the kitchen and living room, and leveling the replacement floor. Also, this project was right after Hurricane Irma, so supplies were sometimes hard to come by.
Any advice you would like to share: If you are thinking about buying a mobile home, be sure to check the “bones” of the home before buying. If the structure is sound, and you plan on remodeling it make an offer lower than the asking price. Be prepared for problems that you might not have seen at first. Issues may be hiding behind the walls or under the flooring.
Future Plans: Currently working on a Florida room (screened in porch). Next, we will be installing a complete murphy bed unit for the guest bedroom.
As you can see from the finished product, Chuck was able to see the vision of his mobile home kitchen update through to the end. It is gorgeous!
From the granite countertops, the state of the art appliances, down to the gorgeous floor this kitchen remodel is fantastic.
We want to thank Chuck for sharing his mobile home kitchen upgrade with us. We look forward to seeing more of his mobile home projects in the future.
Thanks for reading Mobile Home Living.
Wow, this kitchen is beautiful! Love everything you did!
Chuck,
Thanks for sharing your amazing makeover! It’s just beautiful! I wish you could help me with my home in NJ. I need help from someone who knows what they’re doing. I hope that you and your family enjoy your home for many years to come.
Jacob
Hi Crystal, love reading all your articles , so much info and ideas! Lisa @ Sweet Tea N’ Salty Air
Thank you, Lisa! I will forever appreciate you letting me feature your gorgeous home!
Chuck,
Wow, that looks fantastic! I am just amazed at the before and after pictures. Your before picture reminds me of what mine and a lot of the other homes where I live look like and to see such a beautiful kitchen come out of it is remarkable. Love the granite also good pick!
Thank you for your kind words about my kitchen. If NJ was not so far away I would consider helping you at your place. Almost all of the work on the renovation was fun and I enjoyed the entire experience. This is our retirement home and my wife is already planning every special meal and celebration to revolve around eating at the new island.
Those are very nice words from you. WOW, that is what my wife still tells me about the project every time she cooks a meal. Is still say – I can not believe I did it all myself.
I appreciate your kind words !! Your neighbors sound like our community – all placed here in the mid- 1980’s most from the same manufacture – so many of our friends have the same kitchen layout at when I started our renovation.
I am happy that my wife took so many pictures of this project because I forget what it started looking like – until I visit a friend’s home. I learned many things during this project and few of them saved me money. Because it took 6 months from start to finish ( many factors lengthen the time ) we had time to shop around and look for the best price and bargains.
We could have never could have afforded the granite if we did not shop around. The granite guy called after we first stopped in and told us that he had 2 slabs the he order for a client and they cancelled. He wanted to unload it so he made us a GREAT offer. The trick is to shop around.
Chuck, your makeover looks beautiful! It’s encouraging to see, since we just bought a “vintage” aka “old” double wide in Florida also and plan to renovate. We’ve always renovated our homes from drab to fab, and I expect the same with the mobile home! I’m sure it will be more challenging, but thanks to seeing yours, I have greater vision!