Needing lots of repairs. Too many?

[Windrider6]

I'm new to this forum & website. I'm sorry if this post is too long. There is a lot to say/complain about with respect to my mobile home. I need advice.

Five years ago, I moved back to my small town hometown (Hardisty, Alberta, Canada), buying a mobile home and lot. This is the first time I've owned a home, and I like the privacy. I don't have to worry about walking lightly or keeping the TV sound low late at night. I was sick of living in apartments.

The mobile home was new in 1974 and has always been in this location. I'm aware of many things/repairs that need to be done, but it all seems overwhelming. Maybe there's too much to be done. The trailer doesn't look too bad, but looks can be deceiving.

The biggest problem (unoriginal problem), is that I'm poor.

Things that I know need to be addressed/fixed:

1) The roof leaks at particular temperatures. I figure that the water is seeping in between the metal roof joins at the melting/freezing point of water. The result being dripping leaks, and ceiling tile discoloration everywhere. There is clear water damage in some of the walls.

2) The outside edges of the trailer are bowing down more and more. Two years after moving in, I had to replace two of the big front windows on the outside because the stress of the settling broke them. During very cold in the winter, the whole house will suddenly give a very loud BANG as the house settles.

3) The electric water heater is on it's last legs. Our water is very hard, and the first time I flushed the heater out, it took all day to get all the minerals/scale out. I think that the lower heating element is burned out because it had been completely submerged by all the scale. Also, the floor under the heater is water damaged.

4) The skirting looks terrible. It's old chip board plywood that is flaking. I know that I can put vinyl siding on top of what's there, but I priced it out at around $300-$400, which seems like a lot.

5) Mold. I can see it in a couple of places where drapes touch the wall. I also assume that there is mold inside the walls and ceiling, because of the roof leaks, and the high humidity I need for health reasons. The air in Alberta during the winters is very dry, and I keep a couple of humidifiers going to keep the humidity around 60%. From watching TV, it looks like the only way to get rid the mold is to completely strip the walls down to the studs, and spray. Then rebuild the walls with new insulation and paneling.

6) Windows. All the windows are double sliding windows, but during the wintertime, even with plastic covering them, there is lots of condensation & frost on them and the plastic during the winter.

7) Heating. The old, original, natural gas furnace seems to be working well. No matter how cold it gets outside, I'm warm. I'm very aware, though, that this old furnace is not very efficient. I know also know that the ducts need cleaning, which seems to cost $200.

8) Cooling. During summertime days, my trailer is always hotter than the outside temperature. It occasionally gets very hot here in the summer, and I don't do well in the heat. I bought a window air conditioner for my bedroom which is only able to cool that room. During heat waves, I'm stuck in the bedroom, which means sleeping during the day, and only being active during the night. Air conditioners seem to cost too much.

9) Then there is a relatively minor thing. I need to replace the two small, broken bi-fold closet doors for my bedroom closet with large sliding doors. It will require a lot of work because the top shelf needs to be re-supported, and I'll need to cut out the whole inner wall between the bedroom and the closet.

My father and I built a new roof (wood and shingles), a few years ago over my brother's even older trailer. It was a lot of work, and cost around $2500. Now, neither of us is up to the task physically or financially to do that for my trailer.

I'm stuck. It seems like the whole trailer needs rebuilding, and whether I do it myself or not, will cost too much. But then, I can't afford a new home, and have a credit rating lower than my sewer lines.

Oh, by the way, I'm a pessimist and I have problems with depression, anxiety & stress. I'm unable to work for more than a couple of hours before getting too stressed out. I'm on disability, though am able to do a little work fixing computers to make a little extra money.

[Greg]

Bruce, Hi & welcome. It sounds like you have your hands full. You are the only one that can make the decision on what to do.
There IS a sequence that the repairs shoud be done in. First the home needs to be releveled, and it sounds like parimiter blocking is needed. After the home is level, then get it water tight.
With out doing those two things first all repairs will be off or waterdamaged.
Looks you can live with, I would go after the Mold issue next, if the home is watertight, half of the problem is solved. It will be a matter of replacing damaged sheetrock.
Next I would look at the window situation. The aluminum "trailer" windows are about junk, you may be able to find some good used double hung windows or find some on sale.
Hot water heater elements are not that expensive so you may be able to clean it out & replace the elements an get a few years out of it. Greg

[Arlo]

I would not go to all that trouble to install sliding closet doors! People who have them hate them because they shut off access to at least half the closet at all times. One easy solution would be to take down your broken doors and get an adjustable spring loaded shower rod ( $5.00 at Big Lots), curtain rings ( $1-$5) and an attractive fabric shower curtain ( $5-$25.00). This would allow access to the entire closet and would be much cheaper than reframing your closet opening. Conquering one easy project might lift your spirits!

[Windrider6]

The inside of the closet runs the full length of the room, but only has the two small broken bifold closet doors. Most of the closet space is only accessible if I crawl in.

I want to remove the wall between the two bifold doors, and the walls on either side of the bifold doors, so I can easily access the whole closet. That will leave a 9 foot wide section to put closet doors or curtains.

The wall between the bifold doors is where the top shelf is supported. It's almost impossible to find the one inch studs behind the back wall, but I'll have to find them to put shelf supports in.

Everything will all have to wait, though, until I can get the trailer re-leveled and perimeter blocked. That, of course, has to wait until the ground thaws (maybe June here).