Turning and resetting home

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Teatime
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:21 am
Location: Abilene TX

On a few threads, I've mentioned how bummed I am that the end of my home instead of the front of my home faces the street. It's not just an aesthetic thing with me -- turning it around would protect the home from the most damaging winds and the home would stay cooler in the summer because the afternoon sun would no longer be beating down on the front windows. The end that would bear the brunt of the afternoon sun only a tiny bathroom window!

Anyhoo, I'm wondering if any of y'all have changed the location of your homes on your property. Is there some law or zoning thing that could prevent it? (We own our land in my neighborhood.) My home is a doublewide and has a covered front porch and a small, uncovered deck on the end. The lot is absolutely wide enough to accommodate the house facing the street. And, while the crazy winds we get have tore shingles off my roof repeatedly, I've noticed that the homes facing the street do NOT have this problem.

The contractor I hired to install metal skirting does the lion's share of the transportation and setups around here and I asked him why they would site my home as they did. He said he remembers delivering a single-wide to this property many years ago and he thinks that when the next property owners had the double-wide set here, whoever did it for them utilized the concrete piers for the single-wide in their setup. That makes sense.

I'm figuring the cost of doing this probably would be prohibitive but you never know! Since I'm planning to stay here long-term, it just might be a good thing to save for and do. Can anyone give me an idea of what all would be involved and the cost? I've got city water and sewer, if that helps at all. No septic tank or leach field involved. Thanks!

Julie
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Yanita
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Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi Julie,

I am going to move this to Off Topic as it is not about repairs, more like gathering info.

Good luck with your endeavor.

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
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Harry
Posts: 1249
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:45 pm
Location: Citrus county Florida

Hi

To get it done correctly the bill will probably be shocking.

Get some estimates from licensed movers and let us know what you find out please.

Harry
Aside from the roof leak, soft floors, rats, mice and bursted plumbing ........ how do you like it?
Teatime
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:21 am
Location: Abilene TX

Thanks, Yanita.

Harry, I think you're right but I'm curious. If I could get it done for around $5K, it might actually be worthwhile to take out a loan and do it. As I said, I'm here for the long-term and the money I'd save in cooling costs and roof damage over time would be worth it. But I doubt I could do it for $5K.

I may call the MH contractor I've used in the past for releveling and skirting at some point just to see what he says. Since he's worked on my house, he'd know what's involved and could probably give me a quick, ballpark estimate. I was just hoping someone here may have had some experience related to this and could offer some info.

Julie
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Yanita
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Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi Julie,

Some of things that come to mind real quick are service entrances...electrical, plumbing etc.

Thankfully my home is not set in backwards, but I sure do hate where the previous owners had the garage built. It is behind the house. not so bad I suppose but there is minimal space to get past the car port to drive a vehicle into the garage if needed. Also interferes with landscaping projects.

Basically the garage is to the left of the house and the driveway is to the right.

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
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Dean3
Posts: 419
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 4:32 pm
Location: NE IA

Oh jeeez,,where to start?;; 1st You need a place to live while Your house is dismantled back to factory sections,then a crane to move the sections out of the way(got room for that?),cranes around here can cost $250 - $500 per hour depending on lift capacity and charge from the time they leave their biz till they return to their biz..Carpenters to dismantle the marriage wall and re-install after reset,repainting,etc. Somewhere to store Your furniture and such to reduce stresses of lifting.

It's possible I spose,with good measurements and planning,to auger and pour piers ahead of time and *maybe* re-use some of the existing piers in the process,that way only 1 section would have to be set aside and lifted twice,the other section could be spun and set right back down on the new pier configuration. This would not be easy IMO,nor would it be done for $5000. Now if You did decide to do it anyway,maybe the old unused piers could be used to support a deck or an addition like a sunroom or even a greenhouse.

It might be easier/cheaper to install a steel roof to withstand the wind and use other methods to reflect the hot sun in summer. Remember that same sun is Your friend in winter if in a cooler climate.

I'm sure I missed some aspects,both pros and cons.

Dean
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Dean3
Posts: 419
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 4:32 pm
Location: NE IA

Addendum;; There are companies that move entire structures and they could probably lift and spin Your house 1/4 turn,I don't know if lifting an entire manufactured home would have special considerations or not. If the house movers were working closely with Your trusted MH contractor *maybe* it could work. Again tho,I doubt $5000 is gonna cover it.

Dean

The cure for boredom is curiousity. There is no cure for curiousity.
Teatime
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:21 am
Location: Abilene TX

Dean,
Thanks for the info! Yeah, I was thinking of lifting the house intact rather than dismantling it. There is a totally empty double lot next to me and I know the lady who owns it well. I'm sure she'd have no problem with my house resting there while the site and foundation were prepared.

This is more of a "wish list" thing than something I'm definitely planning to do. I have a new roof on the house, done in January, and went with architectural laminated shingles. I just wish my home was facing the correct way and didn't have to be "attacked" by strong winds all of the time.

My neighbor across the street (her single-wide is set facing the same way as mine) has had BIG problems with the wind -- it took down her enclosed porch and mangled her metal roof last year. So, I consider myself blessed to have only lost a few sections of shingles. All of the other double-wides and many of the single-wides around here face the street and there was obviously a reason beyond aesthetics for that!
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