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Ready to be inspired?
Elizabeth Phillips, a fairly new blogger, has already shared some great DIY manufactured home remodel ideas on her blog and I’m honored to introduce you to her today!
A 1987 Bonnell single wide manufactured home sits in Sealy, TX with a great tale of transformation to tell. Its owners, Elizabeth and Dale Phillips, are writing the story themselves and so far it’s shaping up to be a classic.
Over a span of five years, the creative homeowners have both lived in and completed several DIY manufactured home remodel projects on their single wide as time and finances allowed.
They’ve mixed in large remodeling projects, such as sub-floor replacement and exterior house painting, with smaller projects and Elizabeth has been sharing their DIY manufactured home remodeling projects on her blog,
Phillip’s Place Renovation.
Manufactured homeowners that blog about their mobile home remodels and updates are a rare treat indeed and we’re thankful for their help and inspiration. Here’s a small glimpse into Elizabeth’s beautiful home, so far, along with some great advice she shares for your own DIY manufactured home remodels.
Elizabeth’s Interview
Elizabeth was kind enough to answer a few questions for us. Getting your hands dirty in DIY manufactured home remodeling projects is the best way to gain knowledge on the subject so getting some insight from those that have ‘been there and done that’ can prove invaluable for those of us just beginning our own projects.
Elizabeth started our interview with a quick statement that probably best describes the benefits of buying a used manufactured home and remodeling it to your specifications and budget:
“Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need.”
– Sarah Ban Breathnach
Elizabeth also stated that she and her husband find themselves saying, “It’s the little things that matter,” often. As with most things in life, the smallest details can often make the biggest impact and that’s especially true when doing your own manufactured home remodels.
What’s your favorite tools and materials to use on DIY manufactured home remodel projects?
The couple’s essential tool list includes a cordless drill, skill saw, table saw and jigsaw. Dale warns that even experienced professionals should be careful and never get complacent with power tools. Safety first always!
What’s your proudest DIY manufactured home remodel moment so far?
Our proudest DIY moment was when we installed a 5 x 12 ft. Formica sheet over our
kitchen island, we successfully did it all in one piece, no seems.
What has been your biggest challenge so far?
Our biggest challenge was
replacing the manufactured home sub-floors. We were on a time crunch! Our lease was about to end, we had 4 weeks to finish but we ended up extending our lease and we were done with the floors in 5 weeks. Pressure!
What’s your favorite room in your home?
Our favorite room so far is our kitchen! I will be blogging about our kitchen soon!
What advice would you give someone that is considering a manufactured home for the first time?
My advice to anyone considering moving into a mobile home is that you can do anything in a mobile as you could in a home that is on a foundation.
Make it your own by adding upgrades such as light fixtures, faucets, lighting, and painting your walls! I could go on and on!
I use to think living in a mobile home you were restricted on what you could do! The moment my husband said, ” I am going to make the doors bigger” and “I am moving this wall,” I became a believer that you can do anything in a mobile home. This is one of the reasons why I started blogging about or renovation experience! It amazes me when I look at my home and see what our home has become.
New Bathroom Remodel
Porch Getting an Update
Is there anything you wished you’d have done differently during your DIY manufactured home remodel?
Looking back, yes! When we first moved in we painted the kitchen cabinets and replaced the pull handles. The pull handles were set at the center’s edge, we believe they were installed that way by the manufacturer. We didn’t realize until much later the handles were not in a good place. We could have lowered the pull handles to the lower edge. There are plans to fix it later, but for now on to other projects!
What has been your favorite manufactured home improvement project so far?
Our favorite project was covering our outdoor shed. Dale found free 6 inch reclaimed fence board and we used it to reside the shed. It was one of the easiest projects!
The last advice that Elizabeth gave us was to hide your mistakes with trim and if you find yourself getting burnt out while completing an interior DIY manufactured home remodel project to go find an outdoor project to do, it will rejuvenate you and give you a fresh outlook.
Make sure to bookmark Elizabeth’s blog, she updates it quite often and every project has been a beautiful success!
Thank you so much for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!