How far can one go with a mobile home renovation? Normally when a unit has reached the end of its life, it is pulled, a new is put in its place.
My issue is that designs that the new ones come in are extremely conventional in design. Intrestingly enough, the prefab market, where you place a pre built house on a foundation, has a good representation of very modern design.
My question is, can you demo an old unit, keep the steel undercarriage in place and build a new unit on top of that? I am going for something that looks like a prefab in Dwell magazine.
Replies
I asked the same thing a year ago
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages/?msg=123749.1
Just moved here to New Mex August 14th so nothing happening yet, but still thinking about it.
Joe H
Your link is not from last year nor about mobile homes.
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
Neither is this one.
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=123806.1Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
"If Brains was lard, you couldn't grease much of a pan"Jed Clampitt
View Image
ummmmmm...... what? :-)
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
Yo! Sphere,I have noticed before that the address up in the address bar doesn't always reflect the thread I'm on. I have to copy the little thread number to get a link right. Do you know what gives with that?
Yupper, that's what I did.
But annyway, same ? a year ago.
Still thinking about it, but lots to do here before I get to that project.
Joe H
nor this one,
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=34122.44
but it is a personal favorite of mine.
and that was funny, thanks for the chuckle!
by the way, in addition to the original post I should add that when I am framing I get a huge callous on the last digit of my little finger on my right hand (I'm right handed), and that tells me I'm doing everything right!
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=106249.1
Guess I screwed that one up.
Joe H
question is, can you demo an old unit, keep the steel undercarriage in place and build a new unit on top of that? >>>>>>>>>>>>>
My answer is why not?
The thing to keep in mind if it was pre 1976 it has less than full 2x4 studs. The reason I bring it up is the weight. What you tear down, is basically the same type of construction to rebuild.
Am I making sense.
By the way, the pre 1976 were not under HUD rules as far as construction and would be built as poorly as a manufacturer could!
The unit I looked at was built in 1972. I will have to locate a model built after 1976.
It would be better and stronger!
Yes you could totally rebuild a mobile home.
The real question is: Why would you?
Am I missing some hole in the zoning regs you hope to slip through?
is it a single wide or a double wide?
when the current unit has reached the end of its life it can be pulled and replaced by a used unit at a fraction of the cost of rebuilding. it doesn't have to be a new unit, then you can "decorate" to suit.
if what your after is better than new move the old unit and build a house there, in the same size as a mobile if thats what you want.
I have often thought of using three single wides to build a classic "rancho" style home, with two parallel and one perpendicular on the north end with a big wrap around porch and courtyard in the middle etc. but it just makes more sense to just start pouring concrete slabs and building on that.
after quickly perusing dwells website I have concluded what you need is to remove the trailerhouse and bring in some shipping containers, stack/arrange them in an obscure way, and finish the inside to match.
it could be really cool and strong cheap construction. where are you located/proposing this "remodel"
That was funny. It is amazing to me that no one makes a modern design mobile home. Clayton Homes has a website for something called an "ihouse", but the website seems to be abandoned.
I had intended to inject some humor into the post, but I have seen something built with seavans, forget if it was on web or in magazine but my wife and I were both talking about it (she's seen it too).
It did look pretty cool although it was clearly a "modern" design not unlike some of the stuff you would see in dwell. The one we saw had some interesting cantilevered overhangs in the design, and it did not look difficult to construct. Like a giant modern architecture treefort.
There is a lot of strength in the corrugations that make up the panels in those seavans, and it would be very quick to erect/stack and stitch weld to establish the shell of a structure.
For the most part, you really can't do much with a mobile home, besides maybe put drapes in the windows.
Follow me on this .... Since the 70's, mobile homes have been regulated by HUD. Nearly everywhere, regulations are in place that say only HUD-certified homes can be used; remodel, and you can kiss that HUD certificate good-by.
Following through on this, ordinary contractors are often not allowed to work on mobile homes; to do that, they must get an additional license from a different bureaucracy.
At least, that's according to the rulebook.
Following through on this, ordinary contractors are often not allowed to work on mobile homes; to do that, they must get an additional license from a different bureaucracy>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Cal rules??
TYhis makes very little sense. Typical overreaching state gov.!
I don't know about California .... (side note: isn't it interesting that whenever we hear of a goofy rule "California" is the first thing that comes to mind?)
I do know of such rules - fairly new - in Nevada and Indiana.