Manufactured homes
are growing in popularity as the home designers have moved away from cheap-looking mobile homes to more conventionally designed and built homes. The improvements in home design and construction have also improved these homes' longevity and helped them retain and increase their value. When remodeling a manufactured home, the homeowner should still be aware of what will add value to their homes and should keep in mind that manufactured homes, while similar to conventional homes, have some differences that should be accounted for in the planning stages. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Call a local Realtor who specializes in manufactured homes. Use a book of clippings to clearly show what type of improvements you want to make. A book of clippings consists of pages from magazines or brochures of rooms or features you like. Invite the Realtor to tour your home and offer insight and recommendations on improvements and changes that will add value to your home. Determine what the price cap is on the home so that your investment and budget don't exceed the home's remodeled value.
2. Establish a budget that is tiered so that the items you want to change or remodel the most are at the top of the list and less important changes are at the bottom. Pad your budget by 10 percent for unexpected costs or problems.
3. Sketch a plan of your house on graph paper. Your sketch should show room sizes, the location of doors, windows, appliances, fixtures, vents, doorways, columns, niches or anything permanently attached to the home. Label the rooms.
4. Take your house plan sketch to your local building department and ask about the cost of permits for the type of work you want to do. Often, the building department can offer additional information that may change your plans. Sometimes, it will recommend contractors for specific types of work.
5. Review your houseplan, making any changes that have been recommended by the Realtor or building department.
6. Interview state-licensed and recommended contractors to select the correct contractor to oversee your remodel. If you intend to do the work yourself, research your home type so that you understand the differences between your home and a similar-sized conventional home based on the types of changes you want to make.
Tags: your home, building department, book clippings, changes that, manufactured homes