Incredibly good idea! I didn't ever think such a thing was available, but it probably is. And it would be an excellent way to verify construction is up to your personal standards. A person could fix a lot of things before they ever had a chance to become issues. Heck, this sounds fantastic! Thanks for the idea.If a hurricane was to destroy my home or any other reason for loss, I would definitely purchase another doublewide...completely stripped on the inside. I would go for all structural items...floor joist, rafters, plywood floors,studs, roof over hang, shingles, gutters, insulation, upgraded plumbing, doors, windows... etc! I would not even have them hang the sheetrock.
I also agree that these homes were intended to be inexpensive.. I guess I figured the level of craftsmanship would be a little better. It is possible for stuff to be inexpensive but not crappy, and I guess that's what I'd been hoping for. Oh well.
Mobile homes do have some advantages. I really do like the fact that I'm not paying $1500/mo for my home, and even having to pay a contractor here and there to fix stuff is a lot cheaper than the mortgage on a McMansion. Best of all, if this particular month is a bit short on cash, I can just wait and try again next month. That sure doesn't work when you owe the bank $250,000. I've seen some friends in that predicament, and I don't envy them. If I can stay in the MH and remain employed, debt-freedom isn't that far away.
I wish I could take our MH apart down to the frame and do a lot of rebuilding.. Heck, that might be the answer to some of the problems - serious, widespread rebuild. Tear it down to the joists, remove the insulation, fix any underbelly issues. Replace the plumbing, ductwork, and any bad joists. Use better stuff to do it with. Insulate better. Replace the subfloor with plywood.
Has anyone ever attempted "extreme makeovers" with a MH? Say, going from metal siding to vinyl, and replacing a metal roof with a shingle roof? I'm thinking in the current economy, I might do better to spend $10,000 and repair and seriously fix up the place I have than to consider something new, or a "regular" house. The current laundry list of what's wrong isn't THAT long, though some things are gonna be expensive.
Tim
