Complete remodel

[Nightobrn]

I sure hope I can get some advice. My father has given my husband and me a small piece of land with a 25-30 year old doublewide mobile home on it. He lived in it until a couple of years ago. We would like to live there but is a complete remodel even possible on a MH this old. I know the plumbing, roof and floor will need to be replaced. Would it be crazy to try and live there and renovate small areas individually over time? We can't afford to do it all at once. We're torn between trying to save and replace it or fix it. We are both experienced DIYers, just never tackled anything on this scale before. Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated!

[hhb]

Just my amateur $0.02; 25 to 30 years doesn't seem that old, that makes it a 1982 to 1987 model. You can have a 30 year old MH in perfect shape if it was sitting far enough off the ground, the skirting was well ventilated, the caulking was kept up and leaks were mitigated asap. Or you could have a 15 year old MH that is now total crap because of moisture and mold. Age is not the determining factor; maintenance is.

Does the roof need to be replaced because it's leaking badly? If so, you have additional repairs like replacing roof insulation, rotten trusses, ceilings. If it needs to be replaced as preventative, then no problem. Do you have to replace the flooring or are the floors actually rotten? If the floors are rotten, that means joists, insulation, underbelly, sheathing, flooring. Lotsa work and $$'s. Replacing plumbing; what and why?

For me, if I had to replace a badly leaking roof, rotted out floor and all the plumbing, that will also mean new flooring, walls, ceiling, trusses, insulation, etc., etc. I wouldn't do a thing except get rid of it and look for another one. You can find deals on MH's that "must be moved", that's what we just did, got a bank repo fairly cheap that needs a few cosmetics and that's it.

[Greg]

Hi & welcome. First there is one factor that may or may not be a determining fact, ZONING. Check to see if you even could replace with another Mobile, in many towns older homes are Grandfathered in, but once they are removed a new one may not be allowed.

That said, as long as the home is structurally sound a rehab IS doable. Many of us here have done them, Just do it right the first time don't cut corners you will pay for it later.

Greg

[MobileMike]

We live in our Mobile and we are still renovating. We did the bathroom and the plumbing first. Then insulated the skirting. Being in Northern Canada heat retention was #1

[dedou]

Wow, you lucky dogs - I wish someone would have given my husband and me some land and a doublewide! I know just enough to be dangerous, but we don't have an option. We have to fix up our 1988 Astro and it needs a lot of fixing up, now that we've lived in it almost a year. Our home and finances are kind of showing us what needs doing and when. It looks good, but when you go underneath it's a different story. We're in VT, and land is very hard to afford, so we were happy to find this in a decent park. You have gotten good advice about thinking twice about rot and roof - hope you can fix it and enjoy a great gift from your dad!

[Nightobrn]

Thanks everyone for the words of wisdom. I really am lucky to have received such a gift! I think we are going to just jump in there and "do it to it" The roof only has 2 leaks along one external wall where the porch is attached. The floor, on the other hand, is really sagging (rotting?) in several places. I'm not sure about window sills yet or plumbing. Dad said there was a leak somewhere when he moved out and the water has been off at the meter since that time, so not sure the extent. I'm so excited to be embarking on this adventure! I'm sure I'll have a lot of questions as we go along. Will keep you posted!

[Spydrweb1977]

I posted a thread on re piping my plumbing supply lines. I am going to post some more pics soon as I am just about done. If yours has polybutalene, usually grey pipes, then I would suggest doing a re pipe. If they are not leaking yet, it is only a matter of time with that stuff. You should be able to re pipe a double wide for well under $1000, probably even closer to $500. Mine started spring leaks here and there at the fittings, and I had enough with stop gap measures.

[Nightobrn]

Thanks Spydrweb1977. From what I've been hearing, that's the way to go. I'll definitely check out your posts.

[Greg]

Feel free to ask all the questions you want, that's why we're here.

Greg

[Nightobrn]

Thanks Greg!

[hhb]

From your description, the very first thing I'd want to investigate is why the floor is sagging badly in spots, before spending money on anything else. If the roof isn't the culprit, then you really want to find out what's happened. Could be the proverbial can of worms.

[Greg]

I personally would not sweat the floors too much, at the age group they most likely Partical board (that needs to be checked & verified). ANY water leak usually turns it to mush board once it dries out it turns to dried sawdust.

It sounds to me like you need to PLAN on taking the home down to the studs. Floors, walls & ceiling and building from there. That makes it very easy to update the Plumbing & Electrical systems.

I know this may sound like a lot of work. Make no mistake - it is But it is worth it when you weigh the cost of a new home, plus you KNOW the home inside & out.

Greg

[bobfather99]

The good news is that if you were given the home/land, you have ZERO dollars invested in it, so ANYTHING you do to the home would be an improvement. Id say if the structure isnt too badly damaged, go for it. This way you can remodel as you and your budget see fit. Its also a great opportunity to shop around for good deals on materials.

[Spydrweb1977]

I agree with Greg, best bet is to take it down to the studs and build it back up from there. Get it done right the first time, and you won't have to worry for a long time.

[Nightobrn]

We've been living in the double wide for a year. We've only done minor repairs to make it livable. We're finally ready to start the renovation. We'll have to live here, so the plan is to do one room at a time. The floors will be replaced with plywood. There's sagging from the particle board getting wet at some point. Some of the roof trusses feel "boggy" when walked on. We plan to put a new roof on. We're expecting some rot in the walls. The electrical wiring seems to have no rhyme or reason. For instance, on one breaker there are 2 outlets (out of 4) in one bedroom, the light in the 1/2 bath and 2 outlets (out of 7) in the living room. What's up with that? Because we can only do this in small projects, we're at a loss as to where to start. Do we start with the floor and work up, or start with a new roof and work down? Any advice appreciated