Manufactured home vs Build your own

[manoucherie]

Does anyone in this forum have any insight into the pros and cons of buying and fixing up a used manufactured home vs building a home from scratch (we are thinking small cabin, used materials). The advantages to a Manufactured or Mobile home seem to be A: Cost B: Time. What we want to know is: Do they need a lot of maintenance, Are they safe, and are they cost effective. Are there ways to take an old trailer and make a nice home? Any insight appreciated. Oh, and we will live in Western Washington so mold and rot are issues. Thanks.

[otterbob]

Manufactured homes are wonderful and safe !

Get the ones with six inch walls, and pex plumbing ! they will cost more but you will get more bang for the buck.

I am about to set another one this spring.

Otter Bob

[ugabulldog]

I don't think mobile homes appreciate or hold value like a stick built home will (hard enough in todays mkt anyway), just my opinion.

[DM]

My neighbor bought a mfg home... They have a bunch of kids, and it wasn't long before the place started looking pretty run down. He told me he wishes he had built a house instead.

My brother bought a high end mfg home when he retired. He says he didn't see the cheap side untill it was a couple years old. He says if he was doing it again, he'd go with a stick built house, as that's what he had before this one and it was a lot better built.

Around here, stick built houses hold there value MUCH better than a mfg house, and a mobile home drops in value really fast...

DM

[manoucherie]

We are relatively young (30's) so whatever we build we either want to last or want to hold value. At the same time, looking at what the house we are selling is going to go for, we might have to make do with what we can afford. I'll be asking more questions.

[12vman]

I built a W.Va. split level using a 1973 12x50 mobile home. I added a room using pole building type construction the length of the unit. I gutted the inside of the mobile home and rebuilt it completely. Set trusses on the top and replaced the roof. I'm as snug as a bug in a rug.. * ;)

I'm not worried about resale value. I planned to be here for a good while and I have been. I can return my investment from the value of the property alone.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4646/21ls.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/my.php?image=21ls.jpg)
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/21ls.jpg/1/w595.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img215/21ls.jpg/1/)

[12vman]

A pic of the bathroom. It's in the mobile home side. The pic is old but..

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/9484/20040522image00118is.jpg

[Suzy]

wow! 12vman, that is a really nice set up you have!!!

I have lived in small trailers, a beautiful well-built modular home and stick-built homes....

A lot does depend on whether you want a return on your investment or not....

If you just need something to live in FAST and relatively inexpensively, get an older mobile home and then maybe add on to it....that said....you better get an electrician to check it out....if it's really old it will need to be COMPLETELY REWIRED by an electrician that knows what he is doing....

If I had somebody to help me and something happened to this house, I'd just build back a small cabin....BUT since I likely would not have anybody who could help, I'd likely have to replace the house with a mobile home...

Our previous modular home BURNED due to an electrical short in the wall behind the clothes dryer....but it DIDN'T BURN like you hear trailers will....all in a flash....it burned slowly like a house would, with walls still standing and part of the roof still standing after firefighters put out the fire....but it had to be completely demolished and we built a stick built home back then....but that was in 1983 when my dad had been retired from his construction company for about three years so he and many of his REALLY OLD former employees came and helped us build back....I would not have that option now because dad died in 1987....and his former employees who are still alive are now in their 90's!

Whatever you choose to get MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SMOKE DETECTORS and keep those batteries checked!!!! best wishes!

[jen_in_southtexas]

Donnie,

That looks great!

-jen

[12vman]

Thanks.. It's my Red Roof Inn.. Sleep Cheap.. ;D

[12vman]

Doin' laundry in March.. * ;D

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2723/20030228spring00054na.jpg

[jebrown]

That is a wringer washer from years gone by for those of you under 35 years.
I helped my mom do laundry many times as a kid growing up. And yes we hung it up on a line to dry. You can see the clothes hanging out to dry in the back ground. I also got my hand caught in the wringer more than once. I provides you with a brand new experience in pain. For my mom though it was several hours of intense laughter when i did that.
Want to find out how fast you can really move? rush outside and see how much laundry you can take down as the rain starts.

[clawmute]

We have been living in our modular home since October, 1986 when we purchased it for about $36k. It is 28 x 56 feet and I just finished putting on a steel roof this last spring after high winds damaged the old roof.

We have been entirely satisfied and have had visitors tell us that their stick built $100k house was not as well built as ours.

I built a 10 x 56 ft porch the full length and use it to store our winter's wood. I also built on a 10 X 16 ft. mud room complete with walk in closet, sink, counter top and cabinets.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r130/clawmute/PHOTOS%2011-02-08/09-08-08offload017.jpg

I built this porch in 1987/88 without the benefit of an air nailer. At present I have a little better than 2 cords of firewood drying there for next year.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r130/clawmute/Family%20pictures/house.jpg

I have poured foundation walls (grade beams) for a future carport/garage and maight live long enough to build it!

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r130/clawmute/Family%20pictures/Mudroom.jpg

Mud room addition

If you can find a used modular home that is is in good shape then cost of purchase/remodeling will provide a substantial savings. We have never had any real complaints with our selection and have been in it 22 years this past October.

[manoucherie]

Wow. Thanks for everyone's reply. All of that sure got my husband and I thinking. We have been looking around and a used manufactured home to start is probably our best bet. It looks like they can be remodelled pretty easily, and you all have shown some great examples. Thanks for the pics, they are VERY helpful.

We are moving with my mother, who is disabled, so we need a level of comfort and wheelchair access. That should be no problem. My husband and I will build a cabin for ourselves on the property, in time, or an addition to the home.

We will need to remodel any place we get pretty thoroughly, regardless. I'll be asking you all questions if we need to.

I've used those crank washers and they work, but with my mom we will be getting a washer at least.

Thanks again!