This question, when asked in an online mobile home repair forum, received 161 responses in four hours. Below, I summarize what the respondents said. Affordability was the universal answer, but the reasons less expensive was important come in many flavors. Commitment to a mortgage free life. Several posters made it clear they WOULD NOT sign…
Your mobile home was built to HUD standards. That means it was built to meet, but not exceed, the minimum required. Do NOT expect there to be any reserve capacity above the minimum! You should not expect it to stand up to sustained maximum electrical loads! During cold weather, people buy small electrical heaters for…
Stop is plumber speak for a valve that shuts off the water to an appliance or fixture. Stops are universal in site-built homes, but often not installed in Manufactured homes as part of their efforts to keep prices down. This is unfortunate. Stops let you turn off the water to an individual appliance Without a…
Remodeling a mobile home is a great idea if you see yourself in any of these statements. You have or are you willing to learn basic Do It Yourself skills. You want the most living space for the least money. You and your spouse/partner have a shared vision. You are able to find/negotiate a purchase…
You winterize mobile home windows by stopping air leaks and increasing the insulation (R-factor). Use caulk and foam insulation tape to seal every place you can feel cold air coming in. Caulk around the windows both inside and outside until you can no longer find drafts. Use spray foam to fill larger gaps. Use foam…
You prevent manufactured home pipes from freezing with insulation and heat tape. Insulation alone will be enough in parts of the country without periods of sustained freezing temperatures. For rare nights when you fear insulation may not be enough, let water slowly drip overnight & open cabinet doors where pipes are on outside walls. In…
Mobile home ceilings provide a serious repair challenge because of the way they are constructed at the factory. At the factory, they have an enormous platform on which they lay out the ceiling and glue it all together. A crane then picks it up and sets it on top of the walls where it is…
Mobile Home Ceiling Stains Ugly brown stains are a common feature of mobile home ceilings. They develop when roof leaks or condensation cause water to drip onto the ceiling tiles from above. They persist because removal is not as simple as painting over the stain. The stain “bleeds” through paint, leaving it as ugly as before….
JasonI’m looking at a good deal on a 1997 16×80 I’d like to buy but it has a crack in the vaulted popcorn ceiling in the living room. Would furring and adding wood ceiling planks be too much for those spindly scissors trusses to handle?PaulNot being a structural engineer I have no idea. Mobile home…
Manufactured Home ceiling fans Some of the newer homes come pre-wired for ceiling fans and if that is the case, you will see a plate in the ceiling covering the box the fan can be attached to. Removing the plate, there should be wires for supplying power to the fan. New fans often come with…
