Traditional Southwest Mobile Home Decor – A Complete Mobile Home Remodel
This New Mexico single wide will amaze you with its authentic Southwest mobile home decor!
Beautiful craftsmanship and traditional Southwestern building techniques merge together to create a mobile home that is unlike any you will ever see.
Related: Another Awesome Manufactured Home Decorating Idea-Modern Cottage Style.
Marty, the resident of this southwest style mobile home, believes it may be a mid-1960′s model. She has lived in the home for more than 7 years. The entire structure, both inside and out, was transformed into a magnificent Southwest style mobile home decor using basic materials such as stone and logs in a traditional, authentic manner indicative of the region.
This Southwestern mobile home decor was achieved using traditional Pueblo and Adobe style architecture consisting of stone, or adobe brick and tile. Interior elements such as vigas, stone flooring, and traditional adobe walls complete the home. The entire property is a testament to the style of the region and the owner’s talent in craftsmanship and dedication. The time and energy it must have taken to complete this mobile home decor remodel are inspiring and humbling.
There are many advantages to building or remodeling a mobile home in the Southwest style using stone. Stone is naturally beautiful and provides a unique, natural and rustic appearance, unlike any other material. It is 100% environmentally friendly, and recyclable, and holds up to weather. Stone is not bothered by insects, rot or even fire (though it may change the color of the stone), so its perfect if you are trying to achieve the popular Southwest style.
Authentic Southwest Style Mobile Home Decor
An authentic dry stacked stone fence stands tall along the parameter of the property. An arch gateway with friendly yellow gates designed in the traditional southwest style greets visitors. Talk about curb appeal!
Here you can see a closeup of the fence that surrounds the courtyard.
Stone steps, retaining walls, and pathways are situated along the back of the property.
Southwest Style Mobile Home Entrance
The entryway of the mobile home includes traditional Adobe clay, tile, and brick.
Southwest Mobile Home Decor
This authentic Southwest mobile home decor was achieved with extensive home remodeling and renovations. Below you can see the post and beam system, or vigas added to the mobile home ceiling. Vigas are defined as large, peeled logs used as ceiling beams in Adobe architecture. They are placed across the entire width of the home and are best recognized as the posts that stick out the side of a Southwest style home.
The Su Casa Visual Dictionary provides additional information about vigas:
In traditional Southwestern architecture, the exposed interior vigas, along with latillas, decking, or even plaster, form a strong design element at the ceiling. A classic feature of Santa Fe style, they often are exposed outside, too, protruding through the exterior walls.
You can see a closeup of the mobile homes’ ceiling below. The walls are traditional Adobe style, too.
Stone columns are featured throughout the home, adding wonderful textural elements.
Tin cabinet inserts and handmade tiling complete the Southwest styling in this mobile home remodel.
This home has a great Southwestern style kitchen. Much like the primitive home decor style, the Southwestern style is most known and loved for its use of abundant natural materials and earthy colors.
In the image below, you can see the transition from wooden ceiling to rolling plaster, along with the traditional tiled flooring.
Even the interior doors in this mobile home are of the Southwestern style. A stone floor leading into the master bedroom can be seen, as well.
The guest room, above and below, is a soothing space with its own window box – a perfect place for cacti.
The bathroom continues the Southwestern home decor style from the kitchen, with tin cabinet inserts and brightly colored handmade tile.
This Southwestern mobile home decor is awesome and is one of the most unique mobile home remodels I’ve ever seen. I absolutely adore it!
Related: Shabby Chic Decor Ideas for Mobile Homes
Imagine the time and energy it took to secure the rock needed, and then to place each piece by hand in order to wrap an entire mobile home, build the fences, pathways, and steps. Then, carry on the remodel into the interior of the home. This was a very labor intensive remodel but the finished product is truly amazing!
This is American ingenuity and craftsmanship at its finest and I am honored to get to share this beautiful Southwestern mobile home with you. A big thank you to Marty Chaney Reger for sharing it with us!
As always, thank you for reading Mobile Home Living!
8 Comments
Thank you so much for the article on New Mexico mobile homes! That’s where I live!
Hi!
My husband and I are the happy renters in this great home in Santa Fe! We’ve been here 10 years now, and love living in suck a cosy environment. Although the landlord who did all the work hasn’t indicated the cost or time the remodel took him, he worked with several building companies who sold excess materials at low cost, or donated their excess supplies.
Empty lots on either side, a hill behind the home, and the Santa Fe River out our front door offer a great place to live.You wrote a great article!
Hi Marty!
Thanks so much for the compliment. It is such a unique home, I love it!!
Who would I contact to see if my home could be transformed like this? Thansk.
Hi Jacqueline! I would bet money that you’re home could absolutely be transformed into something similar (if I were betting person..lol). This particula home was an older home and while you may not be able to get the exact same things done (the owner was obviously very talented), you should be able to find someone that can get close.
if you want to send me a photo or two along with exactly what you’re goal is I’d be happy to give you some ideas. Thanks so much for reading MHL!
Hi Sandy!
It is an unique home! I’ll try to answer as many questions as possible, in order. Marty is a tenant, her landlord did all the stone work years ago, all by himself. This was done quite a while ago (exact dates unknown, as is the exact date of the home) and there probably wasn’t inspections and permits like there are now.
It is recommended to update aluminum wiring, and I would say with such an extensive reno that the home was rewired to accommodate the building technique that was used – you can’t easily re-enter Adobe walls as they are solid – not sheet-rocked (assuming true Adobe building techniques were used and this looks pretty authentic). That, along with the stone exterior most likely has the wiring in the top corner or ceiling (just a guess though). Re-wiring a home isn’t that difficult if you are already renovating. The breaker box is probably in a closet and switch boxes were most likely attached to the frames with some type of extender box so the wider walls wouldn’t be an issue.
It is always a good idea to make improvements and/or modifications to any age mobile home. Modernizing a mobile home will most certainly increase the value of the home – at least for resell, though usually not on ‘paper’ or tax appraisals. If the home was in fact remodeled more than a couple of decades ago, there’s a chance that this home is actually listed and taxed as real property instead of personal property (a lot of variables are in play, but I’ve seen it happen).
Banks do loan for mobile homes, especially one of this nature – assuming it has a permanent foundation. Perhaps not every bank finances mobile homes, but plenty do, especially if they meet HUD loan qualifications. If the home is permanently tied to the land it would be pretty easy to get financing – at the least a personal loan would be available.
I have heard that some people do have issues finding insurance for mobile homes, but there’s a couple of national companies that will insure a mobile home of any age and more companies are decreasing their requirements, so it’s much easier to obtain it these days – competition didn’t hurt any, either :)
If you have any more questions just let me know. Thanks!
Did the owner have any idea what the investment was in materials? Did she do this work herself and over all 7 years? Was it totally rewired? (pre ’73 trailers are supposedly a wiring fire hazard) or how were electric boxes made to accommodate extra wall/ceiling thicknesses? Were conventional building permits issued and inspections performed? Is it wise for owners to make this type investment in a 50 year old trailer? Maybe it doesn’t matter, when its time to sell , next inhabitant just takes their chances, as banks don’t come into play with used trailer sales. Can it still be insured? Lots of questions here!
This is an awesome remodel!! Thank you for sharing!