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Upgrades to your mobile home can be a complex, stressful, and exciting ordeal. Whether you intend to sell, buy, or enjoy a higher level of comfort, it’s essential to know what upgrades will add value to your home. We will help you understand what mobile home renovations are worth the investment and what projects just won’t pay off. We have gathered below six smart mobile home renovations to improve your level of comfort, functionality, energy efficiency, and property value.
Mobile Home Exterior Upgrades
The exterior of your mobile home is super important. You want your home to look nice— not just for the neighbors, but for your enjoyment and to increase the value of your home. In fact, exterior mobile home renovations can give the best bang for your buck.
1. Exterior Doors
Your front door is the first thing a person sees upon entering your home, so it should complement your home’s overall design. If your current door is not quite up to par, you should make replacing your exterior doors one of the top projects on your mobile home remodeling to-do list. Mobile home doors will help reduce heating and cooling costs, make your home secure, and add to your mobile home’s equity. Of course, if you’re looking to save on your energy bills, consider Kinro’sKinro’s Six Panel Steel Door or a fiberglass door with insulation like Kinro’sKinro’s Oval Window Exterior Door.
Mobile home doors will vary in both materials and sizes. Low-end mobile homes will usually have doors that range between 32″ wide and between 74″ and 78″ in length. While mid-range mobile homes are typically 36″ wide and 80″ in length. For more information on door replacement, installation, and tips, look at our Mobile Home Doors: Buyer’sBuyer’s Guide.
2. Windows
Replacing windows in your mobile home is not cheap, but could the return on your investment make this mobile home renovation a smart decision? We think so!
Mobile homes come with generic home builder-grade windows, often without the correct seal, size, quality, or even windows that have aged or become damaged over time, losing money to an increased energy bill. Replacing your windows is the best upgrade that you can do for your mobile home.
Most mid-range mobile homes have an energy-saving thermal pane. In contrast, low-end models typically have a single pane window with aluminum framing. High-quality windows will allow natural light into your home without letting the unwanted cold or heat in and give your home a whole new appearance. That’s a great bang for your buck!
Shutters
Windows can look a little bare on their own. So if you are considering new windows, why not add a beautiful custom exterior shutter too? Shutters can help break up the exterior of your home by adding a splash of color, unique design, or texture to create a pleasing integrated visual with your siding.
For additional information on custom exterior shutters, we suggest visiting Custom Exterior Shutters. They are a great informational website and blog to help you match your ideal shutter style.
In addition, Mobile Home Parts Store offers a vast selection of vinyl custom exterior shutters. At the same time, many styles are available in paintable options. Vinyl is excellent for not chipping, fading, or rotting.
3. Skirting and the Underbelly
Your mobile home’s skirting provides a beautiful finish while also serving as a barrier between the outside world and the inner workings of your home. Ideally, skirting should protect the underside of your home by keeping away vermin, harsh weather conditions, and cutting down on wind chills under the house.
Skirting is one of the least expensive projects on our list to upgrade the exterior of your home. Mobile Home Parts Store has a wide selection of Novik Brick, Novik Stone, Riel Rock, and Deluxe Vinyl Skirting to help you complete this mobile home renovation.
Not only does skirting protect your home, but the underbelly as well. The underbelly is the entire area beneath your home, often referring to the attached black plastic sheeting covering your plumbing and the AC ducts. Installing and adequately securing new insulation to the belly board can be tricky since there is so little room to work. If the option is available, replacing your installation and the sheeting with a thicker material is a worthwhile investment for your comfort, home preventive maintenance, and energy savings.
Mobile Home Interior Upgrades
The look and feel of the interior of your mobile home are essential for your comfort and wallet. Although these interior mobile home renovations focus on your home’s energy efficiency, they provide opportunities to save money on your energy bill. So let’s dig right in!
4. Insulation
Insulation plays an essential role in the livability of your mobile home. Proper insulation will ensure your home remains comfortable throughout the year and save you significant money on your energy bills.
One of the biggest problems with mobile homes is that they are under-insulated. Mobile homes have little to no insulation in their walls, ceilings, and underbelly. They also have a terrible reputation for being drafty with fluctuating interior temperatures, leaving you and your family uncomfortable.
There are three essential areas of insulation inside a mobile home, the roof, sidewalls, and flooring. Insulation is measured in quality using an R-value system. The higher the insulation’s R-value, the better it is at holding heat or thermal resistance. HUD code requires every home to have a minimum R-value insulation requirement based on their location. For example, roofs must have a minimum R-value of 14. While ceilings, walls, and floors must use a minimum of 7 R-value insulation. Having a higher R-value on your flooring and roofing is crucial than your sidewalls.
Proper insulation will regulate temperatures inside your home without the risk of air leaks or drafts. Insulation is a smart investment that will pay off big time, especially for those in cold or hot climates.
5. Drywall
Walls are a hot topic in the mobile home community. In years past, manufacturers constructed walls from faux wood paneling or vinyl-on-gypsum (VOG) wall panels rather than standard drywall to cut down on the weight of the home. However, drywall has become more commonly used in mobile homes because of its better insulation and easier painting, wallpaper, or decorating.
Drywall is more accessible to paint than vinyl paneling. In addition, drywall provides more opportunities for arched doorways, rounded corners, built-in entertainment centers, and updating the home’s appearance.
This is a smart upgrade if you prefer drywall over faux wood paneling or VOG.
6. Subflooring
Subflooring or decking are among the biggest complaints for mobile homeowners, especially for those in older homes or who have encountered a leak. Decking is the wood that lays underneath your carpeting or vinyl flooring.
For many years mobile homes have been constructed with subflooring consisting of a flue and sawdust combination referred to as particleboard. Unfortunately, when a particle board becomes wet, it acts like a sponge, creating soft spots, rotting, warping, and bowing with the smallest amount of dampness.
However, particleboard isn’t used in every new mobile home anymore. Instead, most newer homes use higher-grade plywood or OSB to withstand water better. Still, suppose you have a soft spot or bowing occurs in any area. In that case, it is best to replace the subflooring quickly to prevent further damage.
Typically mobile homes will have a ⅜” particle board. Upgrade the decking to your mobile home to a sturdy ⅝” plywood or a Novadeck or Cresdeck material for easier maintenance. Using waterproof glue and screws instead of staples when replacing your subflooring is essential to increase the likelihood of water damage.
6 Smart Upgrade for Your Mobile Home
This is not a complete list of smart upgrades you can make for your mobile home or what to look for when purchasing a new home. Upgrades should, however, begin with the construction, functionality, and energy efficiency more than the aesthetics to increase your property’s value. Upgrades can be complex, stressful, and an exciting ordeal, but Mobile Home Parts Store is always here with parts and supplies to help you get the job done. Tell us in the comments below about your experience with these six smart upgrades or what mobile home renovation you have worked on.
Tags: Doors for Mobile Home, mobile home, mobile home diy, Mobile home doors, mobile home projects, mobile home remodel, mobile home repair, mobile home windows
