Many people have very nice trailers, and not just in trailer parks or remote properties. We live in a ‘seaside summer holiday’ place. We live in a house that was built in 1934, and many of the stick-built houses here are around the same vintage. But across the street, on the corner, is a single-wide mobile home. Sadly, the Canadian owner died a couple of years ago. But he and his late wife spent summers in it, and he winterised it every winter. Not much to look at, but not trashy at all. On the other corner is a double-wide/manufactured home. Next door to that, there’s a new double/manufactured house that certainly wasn’t cheap. Down the street is a double-wide that was put up a year or two ago. The house on one side of our house is a single-wide. (Thankfully, the owner hasn’t been up in years. She does have the lawns (such as they are) mowed regularly.)
Nevertheless, there is a stereotype of ‘trailer dwellers’ perpetuated by people toward whom the pejorative is directed. You never hear about the people who live in nice trailers in a neighbourhood or nice trailer park. The ‘Florida Man’ types who live in trashy trailers get all the press.
Just a note on this, I frequently pass the Goethals Community for those who want the experience of trailer park living AND paying NYC taxes. Conveniently located on the access road to a marine terminal, you too can watch commerce in action as 2,000 tractor trailers drive past your home every day.
Hoo boy yes. My grandfather/family built a 220 lot mobile home park in the late 60’s. I worked there as a kid. Since it the 40 acres was owned by the family, I could technically drive the roads when I was 11 years old. Had my own work truck. 1/2 ton Chevy. Three on the tree. Would give an insurance agent a heart attack today.
The construction quality was really bad. A lot of that though was an attempt to make them lighter to tow down the road (que tornado siren). And yes, pipes had to have heat tape on them. Even the drain lines.
What where called (at the time) manufactured homes came along. Basically double wides, but much, much better construction. 2x6 exterior walls on an actual wood joist floor. You either slid them off the trailer it came on or crane set them on a foundation.
Much more like a stick built, just done in a factory. But my recent boss had one (not affiliated with the MH Park we built) and he was talking about doing some drywall work. He said it had 1/4" drywall I didn’t even know that existed.
We call it wall board. It’s why there are batten strips on mobile home walls. When they tow them down the road standard dry wall will crack and crumble. Wall board is technically dry wall but it’s coated with vinyl wall treatments sort of like wall paper.
Right now I’m in the midst (for months) of remodeling my bathroom. I started with new floors, then well it needed paint that should be done first right? then well a new vanity and sink would be nice, new mirror, faucet, and that dumb big deep cupboard had to go. Yeah, so I ripped off the batten strips and am trying to mud, prime, paint, the walls. Gonna’ be awhile.
One of the nice things about manufactured homes is that there are very few interior load bearing walls which allows one to do major renovations without fear of the roof falling in.
That sounds pretty neat. I haven’t seen one yet but I’m sure I will. I’m guessing THOSE models do have internal load bearing walls or at least load bearing pillars of some sort. Very interesting, thank you.
I’m pretty sure it was a double-wide, but I wonder how they transport it.
When I had a single wide, many moons ago, the front wall was all windows (the jalousie type – Brrrrrrr!). Asked the park manager if he knew someone who did trailer remodeling and, lickety split, a nice solid wall replaced those winders, toot suite. Made a HUGE difference wrt heating. Wasn’t that expensive, either. Had 'em back to fix the leaky front door frame; also not expensive and also helped retain the heat.
I remember jalousie windows, they were just horrible. They leaked, they were super easy for a burglar to open from outside and just washing them was a day long chore. I had them in a stick built apartment, but it didn’t matter, they were horrible anywhere they were. It was very smart to have yours replaced as soon as you could!
I was just looking at two story manufactured homes, some of them are really nice! I didn’t see how they were moved, but I’m guessing they come in four parts, two lower and two upper. That is just my WAG with nothing to back it up, LOL!
I’ve seen plenty of that. But this fellow said 1/4" drywall which really had me scratching my head. You are probably right though, he may have misspoke.
My brother was pulling half a double wide down the road once. A wind gust came along and the whole thing got ripped off the frame and ended up in the ditch. Leaving just the frame of the MH still attached to the truck. I’m sort of stunned it did not flip the entire rig.
Interesting. I grew up in a summer cottage near a lake but it wasn’t what I would call nice. It was kind of a crappy/flimsy building with paper thin walls and very small. And of course we had that horrible wood paneling that was everywhere in those days. When my Mom married this guy with three kids, it was me and my two stepsisters in a 9x9 room. And everyone else in our neighborhood lived in a trailer. I had also lived in a trailer at least once before and it was every stereotype imaginable complete with the drunk who beat his kids. So I did not think highly of trailer parks, or mobile home communities based on my childhood experience.
So when my father in law encouraged us to move here, I was really skeptical. Once we actually saw the place we’d be living in, it was so much bigger and nicer than any apartment we’d lived in. 2,000 square feet, three bedrooms including a huge master bedroom, master bathroom has a garden tub and walk in closet. The open kitchen has a big island and we have a deep pantry. We have a laundry room with a second sink big enough to keep a standing freezer. I mean it’s a really nice place! It’s definitely the nicest place I’ve ever lived in. That’s what I mean by living in luxury… We could not afford these amenities in a stick built house. We will likely end up in a smaller house and having to remodel the kitchen or bathroom. But for a basement and yard, I think it will be worth the downsizing.
I didn’t even know that existed.