Mobile homes have many great advantages. If living within your means or becoming completely debt-free is your goal, an older mobile home should be on the top of your potential housing list. Buying an older mobile home, then building onto it and updating it as
Here we have a few inventive ideas on how to spruce up your mobile home, from jaw dropping amazing, to something as basic but useful as a new coat of paint.
We came across this 1968 mobile home remodel a couple of weeks ago and we were in total awe of the amazing job that the homeowners did on gutting this entire interior and transforming it into this ultra-modern home. Listed
The Paradise Cove Mobile Home Park sits along the beach in Malibu. In this trailer park, it's common for mobile homes to cost millions of dollars.
A recent NY Times article centered around Montauk Shores, a mobile home park on the far east end of Long Island, NY. Whereas many mobile home parks are paragons of low-cost living, Montauk Shores, with its prime location in the Hamptons, on a bluff overlooking the Atlantic, has 2K sq ft trailer lots fetching as much as $1.1M. These kind of sums are not unprecedented for mobile home lots. Paradise Cove in Malibu is a celebrity-studded mobile home park where homes and their lots frequently sell for north of a million dollars. These stereotype-defying sums for sheet-metal-sided mobile homes seem to evidence the adage 'location, location, location.' But there might be something more to the charms to mobile home park living than proximity to the beach. In every account of Montauk Shores and Paradise Cove, there is talk about community. The Times says of Montauk Shores, 'Everybody knows everybody through barbecues and drinks on the decks, the children roam the dunes and ride bikes unsupervised, and the beach is a few steps away.' At Paradise Cove, Director Tom Shadyac reports that it takes 20 minutes to take his trash out because he's always chatting with neighbors. The reason for these tight communities may be more than idyllic settings (though that is surely one reason). The tight community connections may be related to the tight-knit, human-friendly zoning mobile home parks enjoy. In many ways, mobile home park zoning and architecture gets right what conventional zoning and architecture does not. Rather than separating people like traditional suburban zoning does, mobile homes bring people together. Rather than having arbitrary minimum building sizes like many suburban homes, mobile homes allow for compact--not tiny--and efficient architecture. We were tipped off recently to a story by Charlie Gardner in the Old Urbanist blog that demonstrate the potential for creating high-density, human-friendly housing via mobile home parks. Gardner takes a mobile home park in Bradenton, Florida as an example. The chart above shows the respective zoning requirements for R-1 (single-family house), R-2 (two-family), R-3 (multi-family), R-4 (mobile home) and UV (Urban Village, a seldom-used designation). Gardner spells out the implications of this nicely: Note that in the mobile home district, minimum lot sizes are less than half that required in the single-family district, even though both only permit single-family homes! The comparative minimum dwelling sizes are a strikingly divergent 1,500 sq. ft. and 400 sq. ft. The mobile home zone is allowed to be built so densely, in fact, that its maximum permitted units/acre is equivalent to the multifamily zone. Not shown here are the parking tables, which require only one space for mobile homes, yet two for single-family homes, regardless of square footage. Also worth noting are the respective setback distances. A setback is the required distance from home to its lot's border, and it's a prime culprit of creating sprawl. Single family homes require 20' of setback in both front and back; for mobile homes it's 5'. The image below shows an aerial view of R-1 and R-4 neighborhoods and illustrates how the minimal setbacks and lot size affect overall density. Gardner explains that one of the reasons mobile home parks enjoy this type of flexible zoning is their history as a more transient form of housing. Gardner speculates that regulators saw mobile home sites 'more as parking lots than as a formal arrangement of streets and building lots,' and thus didn't impose all of the restrictions they did for site-built, single-family housing. One hurdle of the mobile home park is architectural. Mobile homes have standard dimensions; single-wides are 18' (5.5 m) or less in width and 90' (27 m) or less. R-4 zoning is designed around these dimensions and parks like the one Bradenton are required to use mobile homes rather than site-built housing. Mobile homes are historically poorer quality than site-built housing. This author actually lived in a mobile home for a couple years and the house itself was pretty flimsy in all the ways you would guess. The ability to put site-built or sophisticated mobile home architecture in mobile home parks would be a huge step toward creating sensible, detached, single-family housing. While mobile home parks are not a panacea for the world's housing woes, they do present one compelling model for the future, where housing is built sensibly and with community formation in mind. These are both good things. It's probably about time conventional architecture and zoning starts veering away from constructing figurative castles with their large moats. Thanks for the tip Tim! Images and content via Old Urbanist blog
Excellent name ideas for your mobile home park.
Check out these amazing renovation ideas for a 1978 mobile home makeover! From modern updates to stylish decor, this collection will inspire you to transform your own mobile home into a stunning living space.
A perfect summer day, sunny and warm in the Owens River Valley. We stumbled across this trailer court in either Lone Pine or Independence & have not been able to find it since....we've certainly looked. Wouldn't it be cool to have a place that is 'just big enough'....?....to get rid of that big house that's such a drag to clean & maintain. Maybe we passed through a time warp or something, wish we could've stayed there.
Here we have a few inventive ideas on how to spruce up your mobile home, from jaw dropping amazing, to something as basic but useful as a new coat of paint.
Are you looking for some inexpensive remodeling ideas for your mobile home? Here are some ideas that will help you achieve a modern look.
Our complete mobile home siding guide will help you choose the best material to add curb appeal, protect your home, and save on energy costs.
It's hard to believe it's been two years! Here's an update on all the renovation projects we've been working on in our mobile home!
A mobile home with problems may have various visible issues. For instance, the roof may be sagging, there may be holes or leaks in the…
Protect Your Mobile Home From Water Leaks, Keep It Better Insulated And Improve The Overall Value Of Your Home With A Mobile Home Roof Over.
Explore innovative and stylish deck design ideas for mobile homes. From wraparound decks to incorporate storages, our guide provides inspiration for every taste and budget.
Mobile homes have many great advantages. If living within your means or becoming completely debt-free is your goal, an older mobile home should be on the top of your potential housing list. Buying an older mobile home, then building onto it and updating it as
To make a great addition, you must put in a lot of time and work. It involves designing, planning, getting permits, and hiring contractors.
Here's a list of ideas for remodeling the exterior of your mobile home that can significantly boost its curb appeal: A new coat of paint, adding or updating the skirting, porch addition, window upgrades, re-roofing, landscaping, exterior shutters, outdoor lighting, fencing, awnings, and canopies.
Pink and white mobile home
Buying a mobile home and moving into a community in Calgary has made Stephan Gardner’s life measurably better, especially from a financial perspective. But don't call it a trailer park, says one advocate.
You've found just the perfect mobile home and total bliss awaits. But your credit isn't so great, so you figure it's time to brush up on loan types and credit scores. So we wanted to put together some ideas on
What did planners in 1961 think about the shape and design of mobile home subdivisions?
For about a week now Les and I have been skirting a few trailers in our park so I thought I would take some pictures and share with you the proper way of skirti…
A mobile home without skirting just doesn't look finished or high-end. So skirting for a mobile home is just as important as siding
Buying an old mobile home wasn't our original plan, but I couldn't be more excited about the chance to own debt free and redo everything ourselves!
Some people have the coolest stuff! Diane, a writer and blogger at the wonderfully entertaining blog called 'Tales From a Sears House' is one of those people. She has an eye for detail and naturally surrounds herself with unique items. Diane, and her
Did you know that what we call a camper in the U.S. is called a caravan in the U.K.? They are categorized into two categories, touring and static. A touring caravan is one that can be towed and a static
See 100 beautiful manufactured home porches and decks! Plus lots of great advice and tips for building your own porch.
Mobile home skirting is far more important than most homeowners realize. While it certainly adds curb appeal and can change the look of your home , it also acts as a strong barrier that protects your home and plays a
These 10 Awesome Mobile Home Remodels on Instagram will have you inspired in no time.
Learn how to add a porch or addition to your mobile home properly to prevent problems. Understand the pros, cons, and necessary steps for a strong and weather-resistant attachment.
If you've been in many mobile homes, you've probably felt areas of the floor that feel spongy, or soft. You might have even seen holes…
We replaced the funky old carpet in our fifthwheel and installed all new cork backed faux hardwood planks! Its like a brand new space!
