Converting a Single Wide Classroom into a Home

browningthree · Sat Nov 24, 2012 2:52 pm

We have found a 14x80 classroom trailer for sale that is in excellent shape but it needs to be converted into a home. Is this a crazy idea or can it actually be done??

Greg · Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:06 pm

One of the great things about Mobiles are their versatility. The outside walls are the load bearing walls, so you can do about anything you want inside. Add a wall, take down a wall, structurally it really makes no difference.

The issues you may have will be plumbing & electrical. I think if it were me I would PLAN on doing a total renovation, that way the walls would be open to do any utility work.

So YES it can be done, is it going to be worth the cost - you have to do some figuring and decide for yourself.

Greg

browningthree · Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:37 pm

That is what we are trying to decide. The classroom has two rooms and a bathroom with a sink and toliet. It also has a sink in the open classroom part. It has no washer and dryer hookups. The price of the trailer is a little more than what we want to pay, however it does have the AC vents in the ceiling and it has tall ceilings for being a trailer. We are undecided right now.

bobfather99 · Sat Nov 24, 2012 9:20 pm

One thing to consider is budgeting the classroom/renovation cost compared to a used mobile that needs TLC. "Deals" pop up all the time, so take a good look around.

browningthree · Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:04 pm

We have looked and are continuing to look but the we haven't been able to find anything but a 12'x56' and that is just too small for our family. We are thinking about this long and hard before we make a decision because we want to stay within a certain budget...we want to be debt free within 5 years...so it is going to have to be a great deal!

Greg · Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:40 am

As far as the actual work goes, Are you planning on doing that yourselves of hiring it out? If you are doing it work, the material prices I would put at between $5-10,000 (using prices here in the Northeast) . If you are hiring the work out, triple that.

Greg

browningthree · Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:44 pm

Greg we would be doing all the work ourselves. That is what I was figuring it would cost. The cost of the classroom is about $10,000 also. We are still looking and hoping to find something that will work for us.

Greg · Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:49 pm

Is that with the land under it or the class room alone? Here $10K will buy a very livable home in a park.

Greg

bobfather99 · Sun Nov 25, 2012 3:05 pm

Take a drive through local parks that you might want to live in. Ask the park manager or maintenance crew if they know of anyone who is selling, or may be a little behind on their lot rent. Craigslist around here usually has a few homes for sale, too. $10k around here would get you a very nice used home as well.

browningthree · Sun Nov 25, 2012 5:29 pm

It is for the home only. We plan to move it to a park to pay off the small loan we would have to get and then find land to put it on. We have been able to find a few homes already in a park but they are above 20k. We are still continuing to search though.