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The plan:

Purchase three singlewides and place together on a foundation. Remodel inside to suit.

Tie frames together by welding in the necessary gusset and tie plates. Raise ceiling levels by two feet with a stub wall. Use 42 foot trusses for the roof. Cover with metal roofing.

The frame:

Weld in the gusset and tie plates between each frame extension using 1/4 to 3/8 steel. I have a current AWS structural welding certification.

The ceiling:

Raise the ceiling height two feet using a stub wall. Stub wall will be bolted to existing wall using 1/2 inch bolts with 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" plate washers 1/4" thick,top and bottom. Outside will be covered with 1/2" 4 ply plywood with a 2" overlap on both the stub wall and the existing wall.

The roof:

42' roof trusses covered with a metal roof. Possibly a plywood and shingle roof if time and money available.

The interior:

Remodeled to suit the boss (wife). 5/8 inch fire rated drywall throughout. All wiring is THHN run in conduit.

The basement:

Hoping to have only one row of support posts under the I beams running down center since all frames welded together.

Anybody ever try anything even close to this? Could use some input here. The only reason I am even thinking about this is I've seen teo single wides put together so why not three. And the fact that I can get each one for about $1000.

I think two widths is as much of a span as you could do without support. We were ok without but just barely.

Mike, I'm not saying this will not work, but it seems like a lot of work to go through for a home that size.
The concern that I have is weight. If you have 5/8 rock, trusses, and a full roof on top of everything I would question the support factor. Unless you can somehow tie the frames into each other width wise and support the rim joists you will have support problems before you say go. What size are the interior studs? will they support 5/8 rock?
Make very sure of you load figures before you start. Greg

I tear down structures by hand. Here is my take on Extreme Home Makeover...

If you HAVE THEIR Budget do it like on the show
If you are ON A Budget dont do it like that

When you tear down the single wide houses... there will be LOTS of trash. Be sure to keep it out of the weather. If the insulation gets wet you cant pick it up in one piece. I dont know enough about being a carpenter to validate your project. Just be sure you have the room to store the materials and manage the mess.

LOL...

They built a house right down the street from my old job. I bet you the concrete foundation was wet for at least a month.
The foundation has multiple cracks in it, We were there for a water loss (hot water tank blew).
As you walk around the house you can see alot of cut corners and crooked floor tiles. It's a wonderful idea they have...but building a house in 7 days has drawbacks.

Hi Mike in AZ,

Although these homes are free or cheap the job you want to do is not. With all that you mentioned I am thinking it would be cheaper to just buy a used triplewide or build a small home.

To do as you are mentioning will require an engineers report.

Folks lets bring this back to the topic, this post is not about the show an Extreme Makeover.

Thanks Yanita

Why not just get 3-4 40' shipping containers and put them together for a house. They provide a great stout framework and are pretty cheap. I have seen some beautiful homes built with these...