"updating" manufactured home

[Shari]

Hi,

My family and I are looking at a manufactured home to buy. The house sits on a full concrete basement and is listed as being 31-40 years in age. From what was explained to me this is not a mobile home but was built when manufactured homes were very similar to mobile homes (except on foundations)

The floor appears to have orginally been vinyl and the walls appear to be paneling or vinyl. I was told I could add drywall directly to the paneled walls and lay a pergo style floor over the top of the current vinyl. (The past owners painted the floors with "bright cheerful colors" of what looks like paint for concrete flooring.) We also want to finish out the basement with drywall and add a few rooms downstairs. The past owner started this process.

My concern is that I have been reading threads trying to learn about older homes and I keep hearing about a roof not holding upgrades such as wood flooring, ceramic tile etc. Am I going to run into difficulty with upgrading? Is there a site or location that has advice, or directions on remodeling a manufactured (mobile) home of this age, or can I just walk into the local home depot store? Can I also add a drywall ceiling to replace the old tile like ceilings that are there?

Thank you for your help,
Shari

[Tom]

Hi, if this home is on a permanent foundation, with blocking around the perimeter of the home, the mods should not be a problem. The blocking should be set to support the walls as this is a real problem area with a home of this vintage. Adding extra weight to the walls, ceiling and or roof would not be possible without the perimeter blocking.

As for doing these mods, for the floors, you can install using the instructions from the manufacturer. For the ceiling and walls, I would suggest you purchase Mark Bower's repair book, available by clicking on the Book Store link on the top of this page.

One thing you must be aware of in homes that were made prior to 1976 is the possibility it may have aluminum wiring. Aluminum wiring can be a fire hazard if not properly serviced. In fact, in my opinion I would not purchase a home with that type of wiring. So be sure to have that checked prior to purchasing and make your own decision. Tom

[Bill Fry]

Also be aware that mobile homes built this long ago had virtually no codes when they were built.You could have wall studs that are 2 by 2' or even 1 by 2.Roof support trusses could also be the bare minimun.You should really get someone who knows something about framing and home construction to look at at it and get an opnion about the mods you would like to make.

[malmal]

I have a 1981 MH and want to install a roof-over. where can i get a 14x70 kit that i can install myself ? I,m mostly worried about the trim pieces i will need to make it look profesional. I'm in georgetown s.c.
thanks, malmal

[malmal]

I have a 1981 MH and want to install a roof-over. where can i get a 14x70 kit that i can install myself ? I,m mostly worried about the trim pieces i will need to make it look profesional. I'm in georgetown s.c.
thanks, malmal