I recently purchased a Redman Homes Brighton 1996 model 5613, which is 16 x 64, and has 2 beds, 2 baths, living, kitchen/dining and a washer area inside the back door. On the whole, the home is in good condition, but I'm working through it bit by bit (and living in it) and finding some little (and not so little) things that need attention.
I have replaced several window blinds that had aged to the point that they no longer worked, and I have one window where the counterbalance drive is shot on one side. I have located two places in the home, one on the north side of the east bedroom and one on the north side in the center of the living room where the floor creaks when I walk on it. Could this be a problem caused by levelling? Suggestions appreciated!
I tore out the carpets in the west bedroom and replaced them with wood flooring (laminate) for use as an office. It actually worked out nicely since I can stare past the monitors at the passing people! The problem I hit is that all of the power sockets in this room are on the same daisy-chained 15 amp fuse in the breaker box near the back door. The panel has some empty plates in it, so I will probably run a second circit (and maybe a 3rd) to feed my hungry brood of computers. With this in mind, are the cables typically run under the trailer and branch to lead up to each socket, or do they make a single entry and then daisy chain from one to the next? Any ideas before I have to start crawling underneath and tearing walls open?
Whilst messing around under the trailer, I'd like to find a way to cancel out the bath drain the the west bathroom (office end). Having lived previously in a 2 bed apartment, I found I had to set reminders to myself to go into the 2nd bath once every 2 weeks and run some water to fill the water trap in the bath (This is Phoenix, AZ, water tends to evaporate fairly quickly). It there a way I can block up the drain, without making it permanent, but that would prevent the sewer smells from coming back up? I'd like to leave the bath installed in case it may be needed at a later date, so any changes need to be easily reversible. One idea was to pour some water soluble chemical into the drain, such that it would not evaporate, but simply sit there and block the drain. Using the bath would dissolve it and return the drain to useable state. Suggestions?
The hot water heater (this home is all-electric) is located in the west bedroom closet. Given that the kitchen is next to the east bedroom, that's a bit dumb since the water has to travel almost 40' to its most common point of use, but never mind! Another home in the park (same make and model, but possibly a different year) has an outside door to the heater. Is there an advantage to retrofitting this door - how often do these heaters wear out? I plan on fitting a time switch to the heater to cut out its peak rate useage, but other than that I dont plan on changing it too much (just yet). Anyone have any experiences to offer on this one?
One of the biggest questions I have: I have been considering getting solar panels (leased) to cut down on the power bills. I'm not sure about the strength of the roof to support such an array - according to the handbook for the home, the wind factor is set for zone 1 (15psf), the load zone is South (20psf) and the climatic zone is 2. If I read that correctly, the load is set for 20 lb per square foot, which means it will easily support the weight of a man walking on it (8lb/sq.ft standing, up to double that walking). Any experiences would be welcome!
Sorry this post is so long, I've only been living in this home for just over a week and already I'm seeing possibilities and potential changes. I'm a systems engineer by trade, a fairly good mechanic, a competent electrician, I have a lot of experience in civil engineering and I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty. I plan to run all these little projects through, but have some other up my sleeve for later!
One brainwave I had was to modify the street end of the home. This one is definately back burner for now, but I may have a go at it some time in the future. Looking down the street in the park (55+ community), all the homes are perfectly lined up on both sides. I plan to use the almost 5' setback from the road to add the prow of a boat to the end of the home - complete with navigation lights and a small mast, and the name on the side "dun movin" with a couple of chains and anchors embedded in the ground. If nothing else, it will be differnt from the garden gnomes and cactii that the others have
Not sure how the management will take it, but it'll be fun!!
always liked the sea and shore my self. raised in seaside,nj