[Michael L]

I can completely relate to some of the issues you have faced. My brother in law is in end stage renal failure requiring dialysis three times per week while awaiting a kidney transplant. He was living on the west coast by himself, which didn't work, so he was living with us for eight months.
My wife still had an old mobile home about 25 minutes from our home that she had purchased a number of years ago as a vacation place. It had been empty for a little over three years and needed a lot of work.
We hired a contractor to do the heavy lifting which resulted in an almost total internal gut of the place. He put in new wood flooring throughout, updated the electrical and installed new kitchen cabinets. The rest my wife and I have done.
This project is what brought me to this site. Through necessity I began doing some minor woodwork (new cabinet doors, drawers, replacement trim, etc) and discovered that I really enjoy it!
The interesting thing about working on a mobile home is that NOTHING is square or true!?!?
Trying to get things to line up often resulted in having to take more stuff apart and replace it.
But, after about six months of work, and more money then I even want to know about, it is finished and my BIL has moved in!
I can truly appreciate what you have done and congratulate you!

 

[Michael L]

Have you done any outside painting yet? That's our next project...

 

[TrailerParadise]

Thanks for the responses, guys, i really appreciate the interest. Sorry ive been MIA, we had a problem we had to deal with.

@Michael L: You found the same thing we did. I thought with a trailer being manufactured in a facility and made of pre-made parts just nailed together, it would be square. But its not. Almost every surface in the place except the floor is crooked. Have you posted any pics of your project? I'd love to see the before and after. As for outside painting, we painted the back wall with rubber sealer and exterior paint, its made such a difference. When it warms back up we intend to paint the front and sides as well. Hopefully soon we will be getting the roof repairs made and get the roof sealed as well.

@Jagger: I think you have a great idea, and one that will provide security for you as well. Just make sure to check your laws though, here in east texas, if three mobile homes sit on the same plot of land, it automatically gets classified as a trailer park and your taxes skyrocket. Check into that before spending that kind of money right away. Im hoping to get out there this weekend and finish up what we started last weekend so i can get some pics posted for you guys.

 

[Michael L]

I have some before photos, but I will have to get some time to resize them before attempting to post them. We found that with the mobile having been on the lot since 1974 it has settled quite a bit. In one location we found that some wooden shims used for leveling had broken; we were able to replace them with some metal pieces that seem to have leveled the area (showed up with the wood floor installation).

Additional, a previous owner considered himself a "handy man," but took short cuts with everything he did.

In the back bedroom, after moving the bed, I notice a raised spot under the carpet. After removing the carpet I found a piece of board 1/4" about 12" X 18" screwed over the subfloor. I removed the four screws (which BTW were each different, a slot head, a phillips head, a machine screw and another kind that I couldn't identify) and found that he had moved an air conditioner vent. He simply added a three foot section of duct work and moved the vent over to get it from under the bed. Where the vent had previously been he had covered it with cardboard and duck tape. Well, the tape had of course deteriorated over the years and now there was a huge open hole in the AC duct work under the floor. The wife said that the room was always hot! Well, no wonder!

We fixed it correctly and the electric bill dripped considerably!! We also found a number of other holes in the flooring which were allowing the cool air to escape!! The whole place was full of ridiculous "fixes" like this!

 

[TrailerParadise]

@Michael L: Dont you just love amateur fixes? We had a few of them here too, i think most of them are documented within this thread, like the master closet being ripped out, five holes drilled for piping under the bathroom sink (although that might have been factory), the bathtub not being attached to anything but the pipes. So much fun to fix previous owner mistakes!

Anyhow, on to what we did this weekend. My dad (who still owns the land, but not the trailer) laid down the law and said that he will be charging lot rent once the trailer is inhabited. No mention of this before. I told my grandma that they would be responsible for the lot rent since #1 i cant afford it, and #2 they're not paying rent. She got mad, said a few things i never thought i would hear her say, and hung up. So, im not sure what is going to happen now, if they are still moving in down here or if theyre gonna stay up north. Guess we'll see what happens when they return.
For the last two weekends we have been working on getting the trailer cleaned up and cleaned out so we have space to work, because right now the living room and bedroom are full of grandma's stuff. Trailer is level again, no problems there. We pulled out all of the wood pieces and stored them in my mom's workshop, and cleaned up all the dust, trash, and odds and ends that were laying around the place. Now we cant really do anything further to the hallway until the roof is fixed, because the leak is not completely gone, although it has slowed down tremendously, so if we close in the wall now, itll just get wet and ruined.
i told my mom the plans i had and what i wanted to do by the end of the month but momma doesnt like my plans. So, i guess we're starting with the easiest of the rooms, the dressing room/2nd bedroom. Of course it is very simple to finish this, just 4 squares of insulation, some drywall, paint, and carpet. We can finish that in like three days. After that we have no other choice but to do the kitchen, because the only other room left is the living room and its full of stuff right now. So i guess ill keep you posted on how this stuff goes down... If you're still reading this thread at this point, you are to be commended for your patience. Ill try to get some pics tomorrow of what we did the past two weeks. Thanks for reading

 

[TrailerParadise]

ANYONE READY FOR SOME PICTURES?

lol yay now you guys wont hate me so much for talking without posting pictures! i finally got some pics. :thumbup::thumbup:

Ill try to explain some things as i go because some of the pics are at a weird angle. Enjoy!

First up: The little bedroom, also known as the closet.
The majority of what electric is left, is in this room. Ive got a picture of the window corner, thats all old insulation that needs replaced. Shower plumbing is on the right side of this corner. The big blackish square in the pic is the backside of the giant mirror i plan to hang on the wall.
I included a pic of the light switch box, which needs hooked up, and the light fixture box, which also needs hooked up. We removed the closet door to allow for the shelving i want, and you can see the door, leaning against the wall inside the closet. I hoped to get to drywall this weekend but i forgot what a pain in the rear it is pulling staples out of the studs. Took most the day on saturday just doing that.

 

[TrailerParadise]

Second up, the bathroom. Here you can see what we still have to do in here, the showerhead, vanity, and we have to bolt the toilet down properly. Sorry about the bucket, i forgot to remove it before taking pics. The sink was a gift from a friend, he remodeled his bathroom and didnt need it, and i liked it better than the stainless steel one.

 

[TrailerParadise]

Ok and the last set of pics. Here i have a pic of the receptacle that is still leaking, i have to cut out a section of siding to fix this. hoping my handyman can do it for a nice price. I also got a couple of pics of the kitchen, i really didnt want to share any right now since it was so close to being finished, but now that we have been forced to go back a few steps and it will be a while before we finish it, i figure i will let you all see where we are at. What do you think of the new countertops? Pretty snazzy, huh?

 

[RHeat]

looks like it is coming along nicely

 

[TrailerParadise]

Thanks, RHeat. My mom and sister have started working out there during the week while im working, so it should start moving along at a faster speed. Ive already bought 95 percent of the stuff we need to finish it.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

What year is this manufactured home? Our is a 1980's redman. We are currently remodeling the kitchen. I found surface mold under the linoleum. I pulled it out and replaced the subfloor. I am trying to decide what to do with the subfloor. Paint it with Kilz primer mold resistant or lay a physical barrier before piecing the laminate wood floor.
What do you think of the electrical in the home? Interesting hey? Some didnt even have boxes. That had to be added later by the previous owner and could be a fire hazard.

 

[TrailerParadise]

What year is this manufactured home? Our is a 1980's redman. We are currently remodeling the kitchen. I found surface mold under the linoleum. I pulled it out and replaced the subfloor. I am trying to decide what to do with the subfloor. Paint it with Kilz primer mold resistant or lay a physical barrier before piecing the laminate wood floor.
What do you think of the electrical in the home? Interesting hey? Some didnt even have boxes. That had to be added later by the previous owner and could be a fire hazard.

1980 Oak Creek, i believe. At least, thats what the previous owner said. We found mold in the wall of the kitchen behind the sink. We cleaned up all of the mold, and painted it with mold and mildew resistant primer, Kilz brand. For laminate planks you should have a physical barrier underlayment regardless of the state of your subfloor. You can go with a cheap plastic barrier or go all out and get the one that cushions your floor, either way you need some kind of barrier between the laminate and subfloor. Of course you could always do both and double up on protection.
As for electrical, ours had all of their boxes and everything but the wires were all bitten and chewed by mice so we had to rip it all out and start over. We kept most of the boxes, but replaced the ones that were rusted and bent and lopsided. Thats why all of the lighting is on the walls, because i wasnt touching the ceiling, it was in good shape. We're just patching the holes from the lights.

 

[TrailerParadise]

Before i forget, i found these pics on my phone, i took them a few weeks ago and never posted them. Close up of the kitchen cabinets and counters.

 

[RHeat]

Its really starting to not look like a mobile home. nice job

 

[ron45]

Looking really good.
Just in case.
For the counter top exposed edges they make laminate strips that look just like the counter top. They are simple to install, just trim to fit and iron on.?

 

[TrailerParadise]

@Rheat: thanks, im really proud of how its turning out

@ron45: thanks! And i know, im planning to get some of those, i also have to get the pieces that go at the end against the wall, i just havent bought them yet. Only reason i have the countertops now is because they were on sale for a price i just couldnt turn down.

 

[TrailerParadise]

OK i have a small update for you guys. We worked all day Saturday, cleaning up the last of the staples and brads, and got most of the new drywall up in place in the small bedroom. We still have one whole wall, and the small area around the window and shower plumbing. Then i made a trip to lowes and got the light fixtures for the little bedroom (single bulb light sconce) and the laundry/hallway (three-bulb bar light) and we got one that is shaped like a half moon, that is pretty flat against the wall and uses LED bulbs instead of light bulbs so we are going to replace the light fixture above the fridge with this one, so that if the renters need a larger fridge, they can use one. We're gonna take the fixture that is in this spot now, and move it to the living room.
About my grandma - she said some things that my dad couldnt accept, so they arent allowed to move here anymore. They're coming down in March to get their stuff and are moving back up north. So that leaves me with an empty trailer that is nearly finished, and really no clue what to do with it. Guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Ill try to get pics for y'all later this week. Thanks for reading!

 

[ica171]

Sorry about your grandma. It sucks that she's acting that way, but maybe you can rent it to a stranger for more money. And of course you'll have to take your dad's lot rent amount into consideration now, too.

 

[TrailerParadise]

thanks. If i rent it out myself to a stranger, itll go into a park somewhere, it wont be on my dad's land. Im highly considering just selling it. I dont know yet. Right now im just focused on getting it finished, and quickly. Im spending my half of our tax return on finishing the trailer.

 

[TrailerParadise]

We didnt really get much work done this weekend, but we did buy the flooring for the living room, we got luxury vinyl planks in a gunstock oak color. I also bought most of what i will need to finish the plumbing. And the handyman finally got to come back out and finish the roof repairs and final coat of sealer. Now the entire roof is bright white, there is a nice vent cover on the main vent stack, and its all waterproof. Now we just have to wait for monday to see if it holds up against the rain. If it does, thats great, we can go ahead and close in the walls.