It's almost a master bath (dial up warning)

[NMDemDist2]

but first let me brag on my dear Mr. Ketchup. this house had absolutely unusable "medicine cabinets" two in the master and one in the guest bath. we demo'd out one in the master bath to make room for the new shower. so dear Mr. K today demo'd the other one and out of spare pieces took us from an 1.5" open shelved useless POC to a 4" deep useful medicine chest with a door (that we took off the "room divider" in the dining room and scrubbed/scraped off all the awful gold leaf)

here's the one in the guest bath, note a phone card won't lay down in the shelf



here's what Mr. K did today





here's the new furniture we ordered and built






and here's the work around when we had to move the drain to make the shower work. weird but it works



so we need one more round of grout now that the final tile pieces got in, and I'm painting the raw walls a pale iced lilac blue. the rest of the wall paper is in good shape so it can stay for a while more so we can move into the guest room and start getting it ready

the floors are in and we put some floor tile like in the shower around the john

a few more days and it should be done (finally!)

[eleny]

1. You guys are like roadrunners!

And it looks fabulous. I envy your energy!

[NMDemDist2]

2. remember I have a couple guys doing a lot of this

they are doing the tile and the flooring, we're doing the finish work and the paint


one more coat of mud in there on the new drywall and I'll be a paint spattered grinning fool ROFL


and we just used the shower and it's every thing we hoped it would be :bounce:

[Warpy]

3. I'm delighted to see all the gold leaf scrubbed/scraped off

I was stuck with etched glass in my trailer, but the fleur de lis was a lot less cheesy than that cascade of gold ivy you got stuck with.

Jeez, WHY do they do that stuff?

[NMDemDist2]

4. i dunno, but it takes a razor scraper followed by Barkeeper's Friend

to get it all off

:banghead:

but my stepmother LOVED it :rofl:

[Grateful for Hope]

5. I have posted here, but I find this group very interesting

I am amazed at the progress on your bath and kitchen in such a short time.

All I can say is "WOW"!

Have you painted that wall in the bathroom yet? Do you have more pics???

[NMDemDist2]

6. funny you should ask. we finished the paint today (but still need to

trim out the windows and repair the end of the cabinet but here you are

PS that' box looking thing on the wall is an eHeat unit and the paint is more lilac than blue









we need to trim out this wall and around the windows and repair the cabinet -- edit to add we changed out all the old brass hinges and pulls for chrome. the paint store guy was closing out his hardware section and I got all new hardware for $3 a cabinet woohoo!





and the obligatory kitty pic from through the window LOL

[Grateful for Hope]

7. It is looking so beautiful!

The paint looks stunning -- it is a great color. And, your dressing table looks perfect under the window.

It must be a pleasure to use the bathroom now.

I am thinking about purchasing a mobile home as I will be laid off from my job soon, and I want to move back to the NY area to be nearer to my kids. Real estate is so expensive there, but, one can still find a mobile home on some land for an affordable price.

Do you find that your home feels spacious when you are inside? It certainly looks spacious from the pics.

Please keep the pics coming...I have really enjoyed viewing them!

PS...the kitty pic made me smile!

[NMDemDist2]

8. ours is an oversized single wide (18' as opposed to 12')

and we like it just fine

the double wides are like a real house

just make sure it is from the mid 90's or newer and you should like it fine

[Grateful for Hope]

9. Thank you for the advice

There are a lot of older mobile homes out there, and I wasn't sure if they were worth buying. From what you are saying, I gather not.

Actually, your square footage is like a real house, also. Definitely very nice!!

[NMDemDist2]

10. maybe politicat will chime in, she is knowledgable about them more

than I

and thanks for your kind words, we are getting there and are pleased with the results :bounce:

[Grateful for Hope]

13. I could use (and would appreciate) any and all advice!

I am a novice at this (although, way back in the late sixties, my husband and I briefly lived in an 8x48 mobile home...talk about tiny! We were only renting, and we moved out quickly when we discovered that it was a Florida trailer (in the midst of a NY winter!).

[NMDemDist2]

20. ours is 18' x 76' weighs in about 1350 sf with 3/2

it's bigger than our "stick house" in phoenix and I love the open floor plan. I can cook dinner and talk to DH while we watch Keith Olberman every night. the dining area isn't the biggest but it's ok for the two of us and if we have too we should be able to fit another couple there.

the master bedroom and bath are bigger than my old house (i need to go to the estate auctions and get another dresser now I have room for a big one) and the other two bedrooms work fine for DH's office and a guest/sewing room. the guest bath is pedestrian but adequate LOL

and what pCat said about the plastic tubs is true. our guest bath's tub has a big crack in the top of the corner behind the wall enclosure. I only spotted it cuz I was scrubbing it within an inch of it's life

I can fill it with silicone and re caulk it and get some more life out of it since it will only get used a couple weeks a year when we have the parental units visiting, but it would have caused a big problem if I hadn't have cleaned all the gunk out of that corner

it takes some getting used to (and no attached garage is a major pain) but we love the location and our cute little town

[Grateful for Hope]

32. I currently live in a high rise apartment building

I have a little storage in the basement. The apartment is very long and narrow (20 feet wide, and about 64 feet long). My bedroom is 12x20...quite large. But, the living area is not so large.

I sold my home here in preparation for being laid off. Did not make a profit, but, it was worth it to not have to worry about having to unload it when the layoff came.

So, I think that I will be able to adjust to mobile home living quite nicely...and, it will be something that I own again!

Good advice on the plastic tubs (thank you politicat also!).

[Warpy]

21. Things to do in a single wide

Unless it's an oversized single wide, make sure the living room and kitchen are in the middle. Even 16 feet wide trailers have tiny bedrooms if three feet is taken up by hallway if the bedrooms are all on one end with the kitcen and living room at the other. Besides, having bedrooms and baths at opposite ends make for peace and quiet if you have houseguests or children.

Second, if it's used, try all doors and windows. They're made out of cheap and light materials and can fail pretty easily. You want to know if they have to be replaced (easy process) before hand.

Third, remember it's NOT a house. The drywall is 1/4 or 3/8 inches thick because of weight considerations. You'll need to use molly bolts and toggle bolts to attach heavy items to walls and ceiling.

Fourth, avoid the old sheet metal roofs. The panel roofs aren't bad, though. The sheet metal tended to thump rather loudly in winds over 30 mph, which is why you see trailers in the country with old tires on the roofs.

Fifth, look under the sink if the trailer was manufactured in the late 70s through 80s, make sure that it doesn't have grey plastic plumbing. That stuff worked OK most of the time, but the failure rate is very high. It's easy and cheap to fix, but who wants to wade through standing water to do it?

Trailers are generally insulated for the areas they're destined for, but it doesn't hurt to ask if it was moved from someplace else.

[NMDemDist2]

22. I was hoping you'd weigh in on house trailer buying tips too!

thanks Warpy!

[Grateful for Hope]

30. Warpy, thank you for all this great info!

I am compiling a list of things to check and do, and your advice has definitely expanded that list.

One question: Can one hang normal pictures in a manufactured home with no issue?

[Warpy]

31. Because the sheetrock is so thin

if you haven't found a stud, use a plastic anchor and small screw.

[Grateful for Hope]

33. I will be passing this info on

to my young family members who are very handy. Thank you very much!

[politicat]

15. Here's my mobile home advice:

We just had one go away after a fire in it, so realize that my opinion may not be as neutral as it could be.

1) Own the land. Yes, that's the expensive part, but when you own the land, even with a single, it finances like a house and it develops equity. If you don't own the land, then you're probably renting the land, and your home is financed like a car and it loses value.

2). Go for a larger single (these are newer) or a double. There are a lot of smaller doubles out there that are on land. Get an independent inspection on it, because older ones usually need a lot of work.

3) Make sure it has a pitched roof. Flat roofs leak under a heavy snow and NY can get heavy snow. Also, ensure that it has insulation rated for the area (ours was R-38.) Mobiles are hard to add insulation.

4) Have the wiring inspected and possibly upgraded. A lot of them in the 80s and early 90s used some questionable practices, and if you're going to have more than a single computer on a circuit, you may need an upgrade. (We had problems with the circuit dimming when the computer and the printer were on at the same time, and I'd blow circuits if I had the toaster oven and the Stand mixer on at the same time.)

5) Check the bathtubs CAREFULLY. They crack easily. Replace them if they're cracked, and replace them with either a tile shower (like AZD6 did) or a metal tub and tile surround. Don't bother using the plastic surrounds; the sealing caulk breeds mildew and they're hard to get in perfectly.

6) Be prepared to kill the carpet and replace it with either hardwood, laminate, tile or vinyl. Mobiles are prone to dirt tracking because they rarely have a mud room. Also, the original carpet that the vendors used was usually minimal quality. (5-10 year stuff).

7) Look for one that has the minimum possible in terms of hallways, especially if you're looking at a single. Singles are like shotgun houses, so a hallway is essentially wasted space. The best ones I've seen have been 2 bedrooms where the bedrooms are at either end and the kitchen, living area and laundry are in the middle. With doubles, that's not really such a problem.

8) Watch orientation. If the house has bay windows and they face west, you're looking at a really hot room... and if that's the kitchen....

9) Newer is always better. Material science, regulation and processes have improved significantly.

10) Make sure it has a shed or space to put one. You'll need it.

Feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know; I don't know that I can necessarily answer your questions, but I'll try.

Oh, and the fire was not an electrical fire; it was a chemical fire that spread. So as long as you don't have leaking bottles of lye and vinegar in the same under-cabinet space....

[Grateful for Hope]

16. Thank you very much!

I wondered about financing options, and, it sounds like I would not be able to obtain a conventional mortgage on a home on rented space. This is important info.

So many considerations! Fortunately, I have a son and two son-in-laws who are very handy. I think I will rely on them to perform the inspections that you recommend.

I am so sorry to hear about the fire you had. I hope all is well now? What an awful experience it must have been.

Thank you again, politicat. Very much!!

[politicat]

29. Yes, all has been resolved.

The insurance finally paid up in late May or early June, and we got rid of the carcass last week so we are totally done with it. It's been a long haul, and the only thing I can say is that I am really, really, really glad that no one was hurt and nothing terribly important or non-replaceable was lost.

I must caution you to get a professional electrician to do the electrical inspection. You can usually get an inspection for $150 to 200, and it's really worth having. It's okay to do your own work (if you're comfortable with electricity!) but having someone who really understands what to be looking for is a very good idea.

Good luck! I hope you find something you like. Have you considered a houseboat? I know several people up in the Montauk area who have them, and they qualify for conventional mortgages. (Weird, huh? Houseboats have to rent slip space, but they can get a conventional, even if they don't move well under their own power - or at all - but mobiles in the same situation can't get a conventional.)

Oh, and be aware... the interest rate on a mobile that is not on land is significantly higher than a site built house or a mobile on land. I think we'd refinanced the now gone house down from a 30 year at 11.75% APR to a 15 year at 8.something, but considering that this house has a 30 year fixed at 3.015%.... that's a huge difference.

[politicat]

11. That's gorgeous!! It's so nice!

Wow. I wish we could have done something like that with the old place.

Enjoy!

[NMDemDist2]

12. thanks pCat, can you offer hope (above) some insights on buying

a mobile home?

it really is starting to shape up nicely and the Econoheat units are gonna be great, thanks for that tip!

[Stinky The Clown]

14. You and Mr K are a hell of a team!

You've really transformed the whole place. For as dirty as you say it was, it looks like a showplace now!

You know ...... on the Seventh Day ...... they say even 'he' rested! :)

[NMDemDist2]

18. dude, we'da had this done a week ago if our "handymen" had

a) worked more than 5 hours a day
b) been handy
c) let us do it ourselves

:banghead:


oh well, live and learn a new town eh?

[wildeyed]

17. It's beautiful, AZ!

You must be so pleased. So light and airy, very spa-like.

[NMDemDist2]

19. 'spa like'

why yes, yes it is! that's a good description

and we are pleased overall, but if I had to do it again, I'd do it myself in spite of the OJT aspects

it will work though and I'm just grateful it's almost done and I can finally start moving into that part of the house

[wildeyed]

25. It is so sunny and cheerful.

You will love spending time there.

What is OJT?

I dunno, we did a lot of our reno ourselves, and my husband threw his back out and I re-sprained an old ankle injury, so we are pretty much the walking wounded. After springing for the MRI on my hubby's back, it probably would have been cheaper to do hire someone else to do the work, anyway. It is hard to find people you like ot do the work, though. After being really unhappy with the flooring in the kitchen, and the grout work another guy did in the bath, I finally found a really good handyman service that could have done all that work. Problem is, it took me two tries to find them in the first place.

Oh well, like you said, it is done and now it is time to enjoy :toast:

[NMDemDist2]

26. OJT= On the Job Training

in other words we would have had to learn to tile for this job :shrug:

[wildeyed]

27. My SO and I did OJT with the wet saw

in the front yard at a fairly high decibel. We had an, er, disagreement on the proper way to operate it. But mostly I kind of like figuring out how to do a new job, but it does take a lot of extra time.

[NMDemDist2]

28. lol, when DH and I start snipping we know it's time to quit for the day

if we're tired enough to fight, we're tired enough to hurt ourselves

hmmmmm you might learn something from my experience there? :pals:

[eleny]

23. Now that's a bath!

And I think your photos really do it justice. The dressing table and seat are so cute and inviting. This bath will make you smile every morning at all the good decisions you two have made.

[NMDemDist2]

24. thanks eleny! but truly the pics don't do it justice

i can't get enough in the frame to give the true spaciousness of it and to show how bright it is makes the pics go wacky

we're trimmin it out tomorrow AM then taking Friday afternoon and the rest of the weekend OFF!

:rofl: