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Need a new vision for your home?
Check out the winners of our Mobile Home Makeover Contest!
If you’ve ever thought about remodeling your mobile home, you know how exciting it is to dream. But with all those walls, floors, windows, and fixtures staring back at you, it gets overwhelming. How do you get past this? Where do you start?
Actually, planning your mobile home makeover is easier than you might think. All it takes is a little inspiration from some amazing remodeling pictures. Once you see what other people have done to transform their homes, you have something to work with. You can file away a look that appeals to you, or you can make a mental note NOT to copy someone’s style. Either way, looking at other beautiful makeovers will help you figure out your own project.
At Mobile Home Parts Store, we love the DIY spirit. We love to see people taking charge of their homes and changing them for the better. To celebrate these everyday interior designers, we held our first-ever Mobile Home Makeover Contest in July, 2016.*
The results were stunning. We received many high-quality entries, and we judged them very carefully. No doubt about it—people are creating beautiful remodeled mobile homes all over this great country of ours.
So what are you waiting for? Let these beautiful projects inspire you. Maybe it’s time to start that renovation you always dreamed of.
*Note: no purchase was necessary to enter the contest. Contest entries were judged on creativity, design, execution, and photo quality. You can read the full terms and conditions of the contest here.
CONTENTS:
Winners:
1ST PRIZE: Patricia Pacheco
2nd prize: Charlie and Lesna Maxwell
3rd prize: Kirk Montgomoery
Runner-ups:
Travis and Staci Greenlee
Marian Frey
Karen Parker
Chris Shoemaker
Carrie Savage
Amy Staton
RJ Simmons
1st Prize – Patricia Pacheco
Patricia’s mobile home remodel is chic, stylish, and utterly original. Patricia’s work displays a great eye for design relationships. She tends to pair light with light, bringing in a dark element for perfect balance. In the dining room, we see the home’s signature beige and silver pairing contrasted with dark wood flooring and dark furniture legs.
Lighting is a crucial element in interior design. Here, we see a playful choice of lighting and reflective texture. The facets of the lamps over the table throw light in every direction, and the reflective surface on the wall throws it back in unpredictable ways.
The master bedroom is a paradise. The beige and silver are repeated with nuance and intelligence. The reflective bedside furniture adds a glamorous feel which is repeated in the beautiful rosette design on the wall. Modern bedding and an opulent padded headboard round out this luxurious suite.
Let’s turn to the exterior. Patricia and her family had a lovely, respectable home to start with, but they wanted more. Why not repeat the beige and silver motif on the outside of the home?
Patricia and her family chose Reil Rock skirting in Granite from Mobile Home Parts Store. This choice allowed them to maintain the off-white and silver combination which was the backbone of the entire redesign. The distinctive patterning of the skirting also allowed Patricia and her family to carry their eclectic design sensibilities to the exterior: they paired the skirting with distressed vertical wooden siding.
The dark skirting takes up a small portion of the overall area of the wall. The rest of the wall is light, just like the balance which Patricia achieves in the interior. Outside and inside, it’s a pretty nifty look—one you don’t see every day.
We find the theme repeated in the kitchen. A large, stainless-steel sink and beautiful oven and microwave provide the right amount of metallic shine. Whitish cabinetry moves to a supporting role as the contrast of silver and black take over: the range, the themed placemats, and the coffeemaker all contribute to the sense of balance.
The choice of white contemporary furniture with strong geometrical lines fits perfectly into the overall design.
The transformation of the bathroom is especially striking. Here, the silver motif is adapted into gray alongside silver. The metallic flooring grounds the bathroom, and the motif is repeated in the fixtures and sink front.
The banded shower door repeats the banding of the walls which we saw elsewhere in the house—e.g., the dining room:
We love the sense of light and space in this room. Even better, there’s plenty of natural light available.
Back to the bathroom—here’s another view. Note the repetition of the banding motif, translated here into white banding on gray.
The white rag rug balances the metallic flooring and metallic banding on the glass doors. There’s a great sense of balance here. For more kitchen and bath inspirations check out the blog 25 Great Mobile Home Room Ideas to help unlock your creative potential.
Here, the use of mirrors adds a great sense of space. The dark couch and matching zebra-patterned art and furniture bring balance to the emphasis on white and silver.
Patricia talks about the project in her own words:
“We purchased our mobile home 1 year ago. It was a fixer-upper, as it was sitting vacant for more than 2 years—plus it was 30 years old. But we got a great deal on it. We wanted to purchase a home where we could remodel to our taste. The home was completely remodeled inside out, including the shed. The whole place was gutted out including windows, walls and jacuzzi. The makeover took us about 1 year with taking couple of months of breaks in between. The makeover was done by myself and my husband as well as friends and family. It wasn’t easy, considering we both work full time jobs; however, it was all worth it in the end.
“All supplies were either purchased at a retail place or online. The front facade and skirting was purchased from Mobile Home Parts Store. Needless to say, we have had many compliments on the home! Everyone loves the look!”
2nd Prize – Charlie and Lesna Maxwell, Texas
This beautiful panoramic shot captures the creative spirit that propelled Charlie and Lesna to remodel their mobile home. The results are pretty amazing. Check out the living room north wall before and after:
Living room north wall, before
Living room north wall, after
Charlie talks about the project in his own words:
“We purchased a weekend home on Lake Livingston near Trinity, Texas over 5 years ago. It is an early 70’s Champion Mobile Home, approximately 14′ X 60′. It was sinking by 6 inches into the ground on the Northwest corner, and looked so bad that we decided to take it down to the studs and sheet metal. The plumbing looked like a copper spiderweb, and the electrical wasn’t much better. It is still a work in progress (we have only hired an electrician to change out the main panel). We are proud of the work we have completed so far, and purchase those hard to find parts from you guys.”
“We decided not to pull the unit off the lot because we wanted to retain the original style or theme, but make it more modern. We could save more money by doing the work a little at a time ourselves and not have to buy a new one. This also allows us a clean slate to deal with.”
“To start out with, we stayed in our RV while we did the demo work. We had to reinforce the rafters to support people before having the roof replaced. We boxed in the rafters that were constructed with 2 X 2’s and paneling with 1/4″ plywood, wood glue and a nail gun. They are also tied together the length of the trailer to help prevent twisting and flexing. This was done so we could install drywall on the ceiling. The raised area had sagged significantly, and I reinforced that area as well before the roof.”
“At first I had woodgrain beadboard up there, but I was not satisfied. Once I decided to use bamboo flooring on my kitchen island, I wanted to bring more of this look into the living room. The ceiling is done with bamboo flooring as well, and the beams are covered with a dark wood flooring trimmed down to look like beams and match the kitchen cabinets perfectly!”
“I also made a small section of wall that we are in the process of decorating with antique ski items.”
Kitchen: South wall before and after.
Kitchen south wall before.
Kitchen south wall after.
Charlie says:
“We got the kitchen cabinets from Home Depot (unfinished), and my wife stained them. I got the kitchen lighting on clearance at Home Depot. I am always looking for a bargain for our weekend place. I installed the countertops, sink, dishwasher, microwave, and all of the cabinets. Some of the older pictures still show the harvest gold flooring that was original, and we recently installed laminate in the living room, kitchen , and master bedroom (not shown). My picture still has the island on dollies so it could be moved, but the dollies are gone now and the toe kick is installed. I have a backsplash for the kitchen, but that has not been installed yet.”
Master bedroom: West wall before and after
Master bedroom west wall before.
Master bedroom west wall after.
Charlie says:
“The master bedroom was kind of odd, where you walked right into the side of a closet where the electrical panel was. We decided to remove the closet, and relocate the electrical panel into the wall. The master bathroom will get a small closet system for our hanging clothes.”
“I convinced my wife to go with a modern cabinet system with floating nightstands from IKEA. I also installed wall sconces above the nightstands with dimmer switches and USB plugs above the nightstand. I still need to frame in the new windows.”
“I went with a small 40″ TV in the master bedroom, and still need to install the door after we stain it dark to match the kitchen cabinets. We still have plans to install room darkening shades and some sliding semi-transparent panels over the windows so we can have filtered light if desired.”
“I have replaced all of the windows. 19 so far, 1 remaining for master bath. New French doors on the front and new small door on back. I know that we are not done yet, but I am proud of the work we have completed so far.”
Electrical panel in progress.
Charlie says:
“Special thanks to my dad (retired electrical engineer) who has spent many hours with me assisting with re-wiring the house.”
3rd Prize: Kirk Montgomery, Michigan
Kirk took a 48-year-old single wide and turned it upside down. The result is a chic, comfy living space with plenty of atmosphere.
Kirk talks about the project in his own words:
“For your consideration, my 1968 Single Wide! — A Disaster when I moved in! A Total remodel! I tore out the old carpet, replaced all 17 windows, added hard wood floors, all stainless steel appliances, backsplash, new light fixtures, lots of paint, new kitchen flooring—I wanted to update it but still keep a retro feel to it. Diamond plate on the bathroom walls with new mirror. It’s my fun, retro/modern home now and I love it! I hired a contractor friend of mine to help. It’s still a work in progress!”
Check out Kirk’s incredible transformation.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Runners Up – THANK YOU for entering the contest!
Travis and Staci Greenlee, Colorado
Staci talks about her remodel in her own words:
“My husband and I recently purchased a foreclosed mobile home. We spent several months renovating it. My husband and I did all of the work ourselves. Projects included: Tape, texturing and painting all the walls, tearing out flooring and installing laminate and tile, resurfacing counter tops, new windows and front door. We have accomplished A LOT, but still have so much to do!”
Front of house before.
Front of house after.
Living room/dining room before.
Living room/dining room after.
Kitchen before.
Kitchen after.
Living room before.
Living room after.
Bedroom before.
Marian Frey, New Jersey
Marian talks about her remodel in her own words:
“I bought a 1970 Imperial this past fall. I was given a blank slate to play with. Lots of primer and paint and some imagination, I am loving this 14 x 60 ft. gem.”
Kitchen before.
Kitchen after.
“As you can see, I painted the kitchen yellow with white cabinets. That gave it a whole new look. Plus, taking down the overhead cabinets added light into the kitchen which was much needed. It also helped with banging my head on them. I bought a new “skin” for the fridge to cover the old rusted spots.”
Bathroom before.
Bathroom after.
“The bathroom—which, by the way, has an apartment-size washer and dryer behind the door—just needed some TLC. Nothing was changed except the color and some wainscot wallpaper and some sea glass and jewels glued to molding for a border.”
Porch before.
Porch after.
“The new porch was a different story. I hired a carpenter to come and frame it out. I did the labor with my brother. It took 2 weekends because we had to watch every You Tube video we could find to figure it out. I needed permits from my town, and I must say, they were not familiar with mobile home renovations, so they were very nice. I bought the materials and had them delivered from Home Depot. All porches and decks have to be composite in my community so it was expensive…$1,200.00. Adding the carpenter…$1,700.00. But I must say, the result came out just as I designed it. I love it.”
Editor’s note: these prices reflect personal experience. Prices in your market may be different.
Living room before.
Living room after.
“I hope you enjoyed my new home. Thanks for looking!”
Karen Parker, Montana
Karen talks about her project in her own words:
“First, let me start by telling you what inspired us. Meet our lovely couple, Botso and Delilah.”
“Botso is our 250lb English Mastiff and Delilah is our St. Bernard. They run our household with lots of love and dirt. Dirt and slobber on the painted walls.”
“Botso likes to sleep by the toilet in the master bathroom and dug his toenails through the wall. I tried a vinyl sticky tile but that didn’t work so we remodeled with stone tiles.”
“My son and I did all the work ourselves. We textured and repainted the master bathroom and we decided to put wainscot on the walls to help alleviate all the dog dirt and slobber on the painted walls.”
Hallway: Before and after
Hallway before.
Hallway after.
“Next we put wainscot all down the hallway and it sure looks great! It works like a charm! The only trouble we had was detaching the electrical plug sockets. They are only attached to the drywall and not a stud. We had to attach them to the wainscot.”
“Finally, as a bonus for me, my son decided that I would enjoy an updated kitchen. He put a mosaic tile back splash in my kitchen and wow, what a difference. It is beautiful! The only trouble we had was with the plug sockets again. I couldn’t figure out how to fix the plugs back so I glued them. I sure would have liked to put brown plugs back in but I could not find any to purchase for a mobile home. Thanks for letting me share my story.”
Chris Shoemaker, Arizona
Chris discusses the project in his own words:
“I acquired an abandoned mobile home in the neighboring community of Coolidge, AZ. from tax lien auctions. The re-build started in 2013 and took close to 3 years to complete. I have a full time job and 2 teenagers, so time is a rare commodity.”
“The photos really don’t do justice to the actual damage. Both doors were left open, allowing the dirt from summer dust storms to pile in. Rain also damaged the back entry extensively. Most of the laundry room floor had to be replaced along with drywall. Vandals eventually found their way to the property. Holes in drywall were common, spray paint throughout, and a few unmentionables were discovered. Worst of all, stray cats found the home inviting.”
Carrie Savage, Georgia
Carrie describes her mobile home makeover in her own words:
“In 2011, I began shopping for property in Bartow County, Georgia, where I would be relocating to be close to family. I found 10.5 acres less than one mile from my parents’ home that had a 1984 doublewide mobile home on it that had not been lived in for several years. Needless to say, there were several people who took one look and said they would tear it down.”
“The original orange carpet was still inside and had an odor that could only be described as years of accumulated pet urine. However, I needed a home for my two children, and myself so the makeover began. My dad, who has been a carpenter his whole life, inspected the electricity, plumbing, and general strength of the structure, and determined that it could be salvaged. He started by removing the overgrown shrubs to see how the exterior was. The flat rocks had been cemented to sheetrock, which was eat up with termites, so all under-pinning had to be removed. My dad had some leftover tin at his barn, so that’s what was used to replace it. I purchased new siding and lumber for a simple deck on the front and back.”
Kitchen: before and after.
Bathroom: before and after.
Carrie describes the laundry room:
“The laundry room is next to the kitchen on the front of the home. It had a side exterior door that I did not want. I wanted a back door, but wanted the side door enclosed so that I would have more storage space. (The door was falling apart anyway.) Part of the floor had to be ripped out and replaced in the laundry room by my dad, I assume where there was a bad leak once upon a time. I bought new linoleum, scrubbed and painted everything (including every door and door knob in the entire house – yes, oil-rubbed bronze spray paint!)”
Laundry room: before and after.
Carries says:
“I hope you have enjoyed the journey through my mobile home makeover! What I have learned through this experience, and what I share with my kids, is that no matter what you have, whether it be new or old, nice or worn down, you take care of it the best you can and make the most of what you have.”
Amy Staton, North Carolina
Amy describes the project in her own words:
“My husband and I purchased a 1970 Fisher Mobile Home in March 2001 which is a vacation home for us in the quaint town of Salter Path, NC. We have gradually worked on it ever since as an ongoing DIY project.”
Exterior: before and after.
“The exterior of the mobile home was repainted a creamy white and trimmed in bright white for contrast and to coordinate with the new roof. We also demolished the original outside storage and built a new one from the ground up. It is twice the size of the original and has electricity run to it. Landscaping was added including lighting and borders.”
Master bedroom: before and after.
“The master bedroom originally had a bay window which leaked and caused the room to be drafty and noisy. There was a small closet and a built in desk between the bay window wall and the closet which was common for 1970’s mobile homes. The entire room was gutted to the studs and the bay window and entire back wall removed. The wall was pushed out to add square footage. The subfloor was replaced. Extra support was placed in the floor to prevent squeaks. Insulation was sprayed in the walls. This is the quietest room in the house. New recessed lighting was added. A larger closet was constructed including modern shelving and doors. The room was repainted, carpeted and redecorated. I love this room.”
Kitchen: before and after.
“Just finished this room in May 2016. We started a few years back by putting down stick on tiles. That was a mistake. They came up within 2 years. Also painted the wall trying to cover up the prior dated look and to help coordinate with the existing avocado green countertops. The problem was the avocado green sink and counter tops. We decided this was too big a project and moved on until recently. Some cabinets were removed to make room for a larger refrigerator. The avocado green counter tops were removed and replaced.”
“A new stainless sink was installed. It is set at a diagonal. Thank you Mobile Home Parts Store—your sink fit perfectly. It was hard to find one. The cabinets received new paint and hardware. A new tile backsplash was installed. The oven vent was replaced. New flooring was installed (again) but done right this time—no peel and stick.”
Living room: before and after.
“Not many before pictures. The original flooring was blue carpet. The walls had a country theme textured wallpaper. The furnishings were old and tired. The room had a set of globe pennant lights hanging from the ceiling along one wall—very 70s. The subfloor was replaced and reinforced and hard wood floors installed in this room and down the hallway. The wall covering was textured, so I painted over the wall paper resulting in a nice textured look with color. Chair rail was added. Heavy floor molding was added. The pennant lights were replaced with blue halogen lights. The windows were trimmed in heavy molding. All furnishings were replaced. The room was also wired for surround sound. Notice the arch way from the living room to the kitchen. It is a nice feature.”
“Lessons learned: Mobile homes are different from stick-built homes. You cannot always find parts in traditional home improvement stores. It is easier and things fit and work better with mobile home replacement parts. I would suggest having patience and taking your time to do things right. The work is not hard, but in small spaces it is hard to work on things. We found it helpful to store our things that were in a room while we were working it. It is easier if the room is clear of everything if possible. We enjoy the DIY projects. The sweat equity has given us much love and appreciation for our little 1970 Fisher Mobile Home. To look at it now, it is hard to tell it is 46 years old.”
RJ Simmons, North Carolina
RJ talks about the project:
“I bought my 2002 Redman home in 2012 as a foreclosure. This being my first home, I was a little scared of buying a foreclosure, especially one in the state of disrepair it was in. I knew the house would be awesome with some hard work and a lot of hours….and money! I did most of the work myself and only contracted out the permanent foundation block work, deck, and rear porch. This began as a whole house remodel and then I also decided to give the HUGE 14×19 kitchen an overhaul. Enjoy!”
“The exterior: as you can see, it was in pretty rough condition. I had to replace siding in some areas, and I purchased it through Mobile Home Parts Store. Rear deck was added as there was none. Also, rear of house needed shutters!”
“The log walls were added by previous owners. Needed a lot of cleaning and restoring back to like new. Also, the entire house got new flooring.”
“The whole house got custom wood blinds ordered for all windows, including these large 46 inch windows.”
“I woke up one morning and said ” I want a new kitchen” The home was an upgraded model for 2002 with tile in baths and kitchens, 2×6 side walls and Thermal windows….but the kitchen cabinets ( and lay out for that matter ) had seen better days! Start the new kitchen AND new laundry room as it received the old kitchen upper cabinets for added storage!”
“Keep in mind….we had to LIVE here during the kitchen remodel. I wish I had done it before we moved in. I had to do it stages as I work full time as a retail store owner and interior designer.”
“Ran out of money for the kitchen remodel so instead of all Hickory cabinets I opted for cheaper unfinished cabinets and painted a custom mixed black color and also distressed for an updated look. Lots of time doing this!”
“Thank you for allowing me to enter and to show off my home and all the hard work put in it to make it home.”
