Homesteading is best described as a movement of self-sufficiency. It’s about living off the land, reusing materials, and being less dependent on modern conveniences. While homesteading is often associated with simplicity it is far from being an easy lifestyle to live. Even with modern technology, such as manufactured homes, homesteading is hard work.
Growing up in the hollows of Southern West Virginia was a great lesson in homesteading for me though I didn’t realize there was a word for it. We hunted, gardened, dried, and canned. Livestock was everywhere. We had wood or coal stoves and made beautiful homemade quilts to keep warm in the winter. If something broke we fixed it ourselves or bartered with friends that could. It was self-sufficiency at its finest because there was no other way. We were an hour from modern civilization!
Homesteading is an art of frugality too. It’s perfect for those wanting to live debt-free or opt out of society completely on a lone piece of land in the middle of nowhere and live completely off the land.
Modern Homesteading is often associated with trailers and manufactured homes because they are so affordable and easily transportable. You can have a complete home transported and setup quickly on land that would be otherwise uninhabitable.
Related: Read about trailersteading.
We’ve published a few articles about mobile homeowners and their journeys to self-sufficiency. Today we’re going to visit another family that has transformed a double wide into a beautiful homesteading paradise.
Related: See another great manufactured homestead here.
Kendra from the popular blog New Life on a Homestead is an expert in homesteading. She has hundreds of great articles on every subject pertaining to homesteading on her blog. Whatever you want to learn about the subject, I guarantee there’s and article for it!
Kendra and her husband purchased their double wide in February 2008. It was a foreclosure and they paid around $22,000 for the home. Kendra explains:
We bought it Feb ’08 as a foreclosure. It is a 2200 sq. ft. modular, and it came on a little piece of land. It was severely trashed when we got it. The whole place was splattered with mud, grease from a motorcycle, and who knows what else from ceiling to floor (literally)! And the smell was horrible! It wreaked of wet dog and cigarette smoke. There were holes in the doors, walls, and cabinets. The bathrooms and kitchen were beyond disgusting. And windows were broken. We all had to thoroughly sanitize our hands every time we visited the house. Little Jada nicknamed it “The Dirty House”.
As Kendra stated, the double wide had been mistreated a bit but it was mostly cosmetic damage. The home was structurally sound, even if there was a motorcycle stored in the living room!
The result of Kendra’s makeover is inspiring. They live in a great home that meets their needs and provides them plenty of comfort and style.
Read all about the transformation here.
Kendra was able to completely makeover the space without spending a dime! Read all about it here.
The family is almost completely self-sufficient now. They’ve built a greenhouse onto their home in order to grow food year round and are close to going off the grid.
Going off the grid has allowed Kendra to remove the dishwasher and gain valuable storage space:
Gardening is a very important step toward self-sufficiency and manufactured homesteading. Kendra has lots of raised beds as well as the greenhouse.
Kendra and her family are so inspiring – they have a gorgeous family, a beautiful home, and live exactly how they want. It’s an honorable and commendable way of life!
It’s great to see people living their dream of homesteading.
A big thank you to Kendra for sharing her knowledge and allowing me to feature her beautiful home on MHL.
All images property of New Life on a Homestead.
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View Comments
Did anyone notice the mini blind cords are within reach of the baby crib?
Very nice remodel!
Great post! I am in the process of renovating a 1978 single wide on a beautiful piece of land in the mountains. It was the perfect choice for an affordable homestead! I am so happy to have found your blog and the like minded community who understand how underrated mobile homes are. Thank you!
Thank you Jen! I appreciate you stopping by!
Wow! She did an amazing job. I love how roomy their home is. Very beautifully done! And they got a great deal for $22,000.. awesome post.. thanks.. very inspiring
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you ever beenn running a blog for?
you made blogging glance easy. The full look of your site is great, as smartly
as the content material!
I have to totally agree!
Thank you!
MHL started in 2011 after we bought a 1978 single wide. I tried to find remodeling ideas online but didn't find much and I figured if I was looking others were as well so I researched how to start a blog. I'm learning new things everyday about blogging - there's just so much to it!
I appreciate you reading MHL and taking the time to comment - thank you so much!
Inspiring!!!