10 Ways To Improve Your Manufactured Home

1. Kitchen and bathroom remodel.

One of the best places to update your manufactured home is to remodel the kitchen or bathrooms. This sort of remodel not only improves areas of your home which are used regularly but also improves the value of your home. It can be as simple as new paint and cabinet fixtures or a total remodel complete with new appliances, different layouts, and maybe adding an island or walk-in shower.

2. New windows and doors or treatments.

If your old windows and doors are not very energy efficient then replacing them could be a smart bet and save you money on your utility bills. Old inefficient windows and doors are a major hole in your home’s energy efficiency. If you have good new windows and doors, then it presents itself an opportunity to dress them up. You could put in borders and shutters to make your existing windows and doors stand out. Adding a splash of color or wood framing to create a new rustic or modern look. The important thing is to make them stand out from the siding of your home to create a point of interest.

3. New exterior facade. Skirting, brickwork, siding, roofing.

As with windows and doors, you make your place look fresh and interesting with some well-balanced choices in siding, skirting, or brickwork. If your roof could use replacing you can pick something interesting to give it a style as well. Or if your roof is good you could dress it up with fancy gutters, wood trim, or even louvers made from any material to provide shade and an air gap to allow cooling and look good.

4. Landscaping.

Landscaping is another great way to upgrade the look of your manufactured home. You could select plants and shrubs to break up the square of your house, create pathways to make it all more inviting, or put in flower gardens. Or in a desert environment put in native plants and large stones, put down gravel or sand, and maybe add a metal sculpture you like. Coming home will be a treat.

5. Porches or decking.

A porch or a deck is always a good idea. These structures not only look good but also provide an outdoor space to play in. You can do something simple like a place to sit in a rocking chair and watch the world go by or go all out with an outdoor lounge or barbeque pit. The choices are endless and it adds more usable space to enrich your home.

6. Crown molding or wainscotting. Drywall.

Often manufactured homes come with paneling or other wall materials that just don’t look great. Replacing these materials with drywall can give your home a real stick-built feel. Adding crown molding and maybe even wainscotting can turn your walls into a showpiece.

7. Additional structures. Garage, carport, greenhouse, or cellar.

Adding structures to your manufactured home is always a good idea if you have the space. They make your house look great, add more usable space to your home, and increase the value of your home. A garage is an obvious choice. Garages are so universally useful they need no further accolades. A carport is another good option if a garage is too much or too expensive. A couple of great choices that may not be commonly considered are a greenhouse or a cellar. Greenhouses allow a space to grow your favorite herbs, vegetables, or plants you like regardless of the weather. A cellar could serve as a storage area, a place to shelter from severe weather, or even a wine cellar where you could mature your own bottles.

8. Stairs.

Accessibility is a big deal. Often manufactured homes have tiny narrow stairs. Putting in a nice staircase with plenty of room can improve your home’s accessibility as well as make it look good.

9. Light switches and fixtures.

This is an inexpensive way to jazz up your home. You could buy all new fixtures and completely update or if you’re on a budget you could take your old fixtures and paint them to make them pop. Metallic paints or colors you like to make them stand out and add a decorative element. You could replace old outdated blubs or light shades with new interesting ones while keeping the hardware to save money.

10. Energy and efficiency upgrades. Solar, new appliances, insulation.

Energy efficiency is always a good idea because it saves you money over time. Adding solar to your home can really pay off. Plus a lot of solar installations look good. Insulating your home won’t show on the outside but it will definitely show on the heating/cooling bill. New energy-efficient appliances can make your home show as well as cut energy costs.