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Best tips for Living in a Mobile Home

Written by Posted On Tuesday, 29 October 2019 10:33
Best tips for Living in a Mobile Home Best tips for Living in a Mobile Home Google

Purchase the property before the home, and don't purchase a mobile home on rented property.

I must disagree with those who've commented about mobile homes being made of metal, as this hasn't been how they're typically finished for many years- they're generally now finished with vinyl siding. Those which were built with ugly metal siding can be (and frequently are) re-sided with vinly siding.

Really investigate and understand and compare accurately the cost differences between a mobile home and a conventionally built home, because there are hidden expenses which can make mobile homes much more expensive than site built homes, and I'll list the major ones.

Site built homes always include the cost of the land, and the foundation and site work, water, sewer or septic and electrical hookups. Porches, stairs, handrails and decks are present and included, as is the cost of moving the materials to the site.

THESE ITEMS ARE GENERALLY NOT INCLUDED WITH A MOBILE HOME PURCHASE, AND THEY'RE EXPENSIVE.

While I don't recall the exact amounts I paid around ten years ago, (prices have risin), I know I paid $3500 (great deal!), for all of the site work which included carving out a driveway, forming a level base, pouring 32 concrete pads, installation and connection to a septic system, and installation of and connection to the water line from the meter. This didn't include landscaping, leveling, topsoil and lawn seeding or sod.

I paid an additional $6000 to have the house moved and set up and anchored, and afterward learned I needed to install a vapor barrier on the ground underneath, which required crawling underneath, spreading thick plastic and taping it securely, another $400 in materials. I had to construct front and back porches, stairs and railings, pouring concrete footings and purchasing a lot of lumber and screws, which cost several thousands of dollars more. I also needed “underpinning”, (similar to but not as sturdy as actual foundation walls), to enclose the foundation. I wrapped the water pipes with additional insulation, just to make sure they didn't freeze and burst in the future. The connections to the city water and electrical service were around $1500 each.

Getting everything done so I could actually move in took about two months, and we (myself, partner, son), did most of the work ourselves. Oh yeah, I had to purchase and have gutters installed, which was a few hundred dollars additional.

The bathrooms had large mirrors glued to the walls, but no medicine cabinets (a builders way to save money), so we purchased and installed medicine cabinets. Three of the four bedrooms and the dining room had ceiling lights but no fans, so we purchased and installed ceiling fans- a trickier installation process because of the ceiling construction. We added cabinets in the laundry room, because you always need additional storage, and without a basement mobile homes have limited storage space.

About a year later, I had the house re-leveled, and it needs to be done again. When shopping for and purchasing mobile homes, (like most things), it was for me a learn as you go experience. When I hired the moving company, and was quoted a price of $6000 for moving and set up, I wasn't informed about the vapor barrier requirement, or that it wasn't included. What was really most frightening, after paying $18,000 cash for my used 28 x 56 mobile home, was discovering afterwards that I couldn't obtain homeowners insurance until after it was transported and set up. There were additionally several permits I needed to purchase, and inspections prior to being allowed occupancy. These permits and inspections are generally completed prior to the sale of conventionally built homes, and their cost is included in the price you pay; they aren't “unexpected” extra expenses.

As for ongoing maintenance and expenses, homeowners insurance is more expensive, every year. Replacing things that wear out, doors etc, is more expensive because they are not standard sized doors. My water heater is located behind the wall panel (which is screwed in place) in the walk in closet in the master bedroom. Replacement cost was more than it would have been in a conventional home. I've replaced the shingle roof with metal, as it began to leak at around 12 years, sooner than a roof would be expected to fail in a conventional home. As for office space like for digital marketing agency you can also opt for such kind of mobile homes.

I've always had forced air heat, but in conventionally built homes the vents were in the walls. Mine are in the floor, so dust and dirt get in them more easily, and the dust is blown around more, making cleaning more of a chore. Also, the floor vents are inconveniently located, because, well, they're in the floor!

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Mukesh Bhardwaj

itechhacks.com/
More in this category: > Is It Worth It to Pay Your Debt with Your Home Equity? Got a Good Credit Score and Still Got Rejected for a Home Equity Loan?
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