What are Mobile Homes & who’s Living in Them?
Mobile homes have numerous aliases such as park home, trailer home, trailer, house trailer, RV, static caravan, etc and are nothing but housing structures that are pre-fabricated on a permanently attached chassis and then transported to a site on a trailer or by towing. You can see mobile homes being used for a number of purposes as permanent homes, for temporary accommodation, and even as vacation homes. The versatility in the usage is mainly attributed to how mobile homes can be moved around.
According to ‘Sarah Baird’, most residents of mobile homes fall under the age category between 18 and 29. As per the study of ‘Berkeley Public Policy Journal’, the average selling price of a brand-new mobile home was around $292,600 lesser compared to a site-built home of the same size and over 18 million Americans reside in manufactured housing.
Principles to be Aware of when Choosing Mobile Home
Mobile homes involve a ton of installation requirements and compliances that are to be followed. These compliances may vary between countries and states and it is important that you go through all of them and make sure you incorporate them correctly to not face any legal charges. Among the factors that you need to consider are,
- Permit fees for installation of the mobile home at an approved spot.
- Primary inspections that are to be done on the mobile home before occupancy and approval. If there are any anomalies, the inspector will issue a list of corrections that needs to be made. Only when all the issued corrections are made, the mobile home will be approved during the second inspection.
- The Foundation Facia plays a pertinent role in determining if the mobile home will be approved for occupancy. There are multiple regulations concerning the materials used, thickness and length of the framework etc.
- The licensing of the engineer or architect working on the project also plays a determining part.
- Peripheral systems such as water lines, waste water lines and gas lines are to be tested according to compliance standards.
Choosing your Size of Mobile Home
After settling on the idea of residing in a mobile home, you might find it difficult to find the housing option that is right for you. Besides the fact that you can have multiple options in the market, you need to read certain factors before settling on an option. Some of the common options available include triple wide, double and even single home. You can look into the following rundown to figure out the right option for you.
The Location of Mobile Home:
It is essential that you figure out where your mobile home is to be located. The piece of property on which you are planning to put your mobile home, primarily determines the size of home you are planning to buy. When you are planning to move into a mobile home community, you could face certain limitations on the size of your mobile house. Hence, this factor has to be considered first.
Bedrooms & Bathrooms in Mobile Home:
Before buying a mobile home, you might have to consider the number of bedrooms you would need. This totally depends on the number of people who will be occupying the house. Plan ahead and be certain about this factor as you might not be able to extend a mobile home and make more rooms. The same can be applied for bathrooms as well. Depending on the number of people residing, you should be able to settle on the requirements for bathrooms and bedrooms.
Kitchen in Mobile Home:
Kitchens in mobile homes are inevitably smaller compared to conventional homes. If you don’t plan on cooking often, a small kitchen might work for you. This would be the case in most mobile homes. Instead, if you are looking to cook more often, you might want double or triple-wide homes with large kitchens. This will allow you to accommodate more appliances and have more space to work with.
Storage in Mobile Home:
When you are planning to get home, you will have to look into storage spaces. Single mobile homes feature very less storage space and if you are low-key hoarders then it might not work well for you. For creating more storage space, you might see mobile homes with pitched roofs made into overhead attics. This could work for people who look for better storage capabilities.
Whether it is a mobile home or a conventional home, storage is always a problem of a small house. But no need to worry. We have some tips for you.
Affordability of Mobile Home:
You can look into tons of requirements and facilities but, all of it would be of no use if you cannot afford them. Before you start with all the above mentioned factors, have a clear idea about how much you will be able to spend on the mobile home. Once you settle on your budget, you can narrow down all your options to a smaller array. After this, you can fit in all the above requirements in the smaller array of options to ensure that you are making a worthy investment.
All About Improvising Mobile Homes
If you feel like you are getting bored with your mobile home after you start residing in it, there are multiple things that can make your mobile home more comfortable, practical, and safe. The best part is, most of these add-ons are quite inexpensive and pretty simple to install.
Following are some viable improvisations that can be made to make the most out of your mobile home.
- Window film is an amazing, low-budget accessory that can help in making your home more energy-efficient. These films can be customized based on the size of the windows and have numerous benefits like UV protection, temperature control, privacy, and boosted durability.
- If your dwelling area is prone to severe weather patterns, it is essential that you add storm windows and doors that are strengthened to be able to withstand heavy winds and forces. Besides, they are a lot more secure than conventional mobile home doors.
- You can also double glaze your windows and doors. These glass doors feature a gas layer (typically argon) between the other materials. Hence, there is solid insulation to the door that goes far and wide.
- If your concern lies around the safety of your mobile home, you can improvise using additional fire safety systems. Most mobile homes these days come with fire alarms and smoke detection systems. Despite this, if you want added security, you can add more smoke detectors in the problematic places.
- If you want to make your mobile home fancier, try adding a thermostat with the heating/cooling systems to regulate the overall temperature.
The Cost Factor of Mobile Homes
The cost factor is the primary holding entity upon which the secondary characteristics are placed. The pricing of a mobile home as a whole depends on multiple fixtures such as the location, condition of the house, type and size, added amenities, etc. You need to thoroughly analyze all these factors to make sure that you are getting a good deal.
Bottom Line
There are many benefits to choosing a mobile home over a conventional one. The main one being the lower price point compared to traditional homes. Besides, the flexibility factor is very high in the case of mobile homes. Despite the disadvantages, like being not as sturdy as homes that are built on permanent foundations, mobile homes still have numerous up-points. If you are looking for an immediate housing option at a lower price point and flexibility, mobile homes are just for you.
Besides mobile home, gharpedia has gathered the information and already published a wonderful article on shipping container home as well. Do click on the following link to know more!!!
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Author Bio
Saikiran – I am an Engineering Graduate who is inclined towards writing good content. I’ve been a freelance content writer for 4 years and I am a full-time content writer now. I offer Ghost writing, copy writing and other blogging services. I’ve written on several niches in which Home Decor is what I am mostly fond about.
