Demo Party! and Mobile Home Renovation hints appreciated!

[haele]

Okay we came into some cash, ran a lot of numbers and considered our situation, and purchased an "as is" 1970 1562 sq. ft. double wide that had been maintained well and had had AC added in 2002. (Well, maintained well except for when the owner apparently decided he could save money doing his own work around 6 years ago - looks a newly-retired shipyard worker thought since he had the time, he could DIY - bein' a retired shipyard worker myself, I recognize the signs...)
So, after two inspections we need to:
- Rip up the existing original carpet and fix the soft spots in the sub-floor
- Replace the carport steps (not original to the mobile home, wrong height) and carport door.
- Replace the main entry door (idiot tried to frame and set it himself, didn't finish the framing or seal the wood door, so everything in cracking)
- Replace the "back porch" door to the add-on rooms; idiot put a storm door instead of an entry door, and anyone could take the rusted hinges off and enter the house through the sun room and the large doggie door at the add-on foyer that room was attached to. He also cut the same huge doggie door into the original steel entry door, which rather defeated the purpose of security. We can replace the foyer and the original entry door later, but for now, the three actual entry doors need to be replaced.
- Replace the two large front-room windows (we're too close to the freeway to not have dual pane there)
- Replace the kitchen window (leaks, need dual pane)
- Replace master bath window.
- Fix minor plumbing in two bathrooms and the kitchen sink.
- Replace the shower stall and shower fittings in the master bath (old, corroded fittings, and moldy)
- Replace the leaking and corroded bathtub in the second bath - which does not have a shower.
- Replace chipped sink.
- Replace kitchen cabinets around the sink, where there was damage from a previous leak.
- Replace master bath cabinet (previous leak damage)
- Minor electrical beyond fixing polarity in outlets - which I can do -(i.e., bad splice repairs, putting in GFI outlets, 220 repair, hard-wiring overhead fans into a switch plate, add an outdoor outlet near sheds under carport for "work&quot
- Cut out base cabinets under stove top and surrounding counter-top (70 ft)
- Replace stove top and wall oven (both original and not working properly) with new stove.
- Replace existing "too low" stove hood (19 inches above gas stove top) with more flush-mount (adding 8 inches in height) to overhead cabinets. Spray fire retardant material in surrounding cabinetry.
- Re-frame refrigerator "cabinet"- owner had improperly cut out original tower cabinet to get a new one in. We're probably going to just go with a shelf framed in instead of trying to keep it a cabinet with doors.
- Re-configure wall oven tower (cap off the gas line under the floor) for a microwave and perhaps a small appliance station (for kitchen aid stand mixer, etc.)
- Drain pan to go under washer/dryer.
That's the "Need to Dos". Seller had to re-seal the roof as part of the sale (we observed process, have the receipts for materials, and had the inspector look at it again)
Want to do's:
- Bamboo flooring throughout main rooms, cork tiles in bathrooms,
- Paint over the paneling, repaint the ceiling.
- Replace some other windows in the add-on room with dual-pane windows that do not open.
- Replace the "doggie door" doors
- Re-configure "master suite" for easier access to the bathroom; currently, the bathroom is accessed through a hall beyond the huge walk-in closet where there's also a funky make-up vanity with a marble (or marble-like stone) top; we're tearing that out anyway, but the bathroom doorway is only 27 inches wide, and we want it wider and want to take some of the 8x6 closet space (we might use half of it, if we also store everything else we aren't using in the house) to get us a larger opening.
-Use Forza Stone in the master shower (a 54 x 36 alcove shower )vice a plain shower stall surround. I have searched and searched, and have no idea how much that stuff costs...
- Landscaping (there is a back yard and side yard areas and we can do that at our leisure.)

Okay, first question is, what do I rip out with my party? I know I'll probably want to do the cabinet rip-outs when I have the plumber and appliance people come in (because I'm not doing my own plumbing or gas appliance installation), so do I just start with the carpeting?
The kitchen and original hall entries are rolled linoleum. The bathrooms are linoleum tile. Since I'm planning on installing a floating floor "ourselves" to save money and to ensure the quality of the installation, should I attempt to take up the kitchen and hallway along with the carpet and the tiles or just float the floor over them?

Second - as we still do have a budget around $30K, what in our "need to do" list should we think about doing ourselves? Keep in mind there are just two of us, and one is fully disabled.

Any recommendations for good sources/manufacturers or ones to keep away from would also be most appreciated. We already know that Lumber Liquidator has a high wastage percentage, but we would like some hints on how best to find materials that are good and cheap - or re-used.

Or if anyone in the San Diego area is interested, we'd certainly accept the help...

Haele

[X_Digger]

1. Whew, that's one heck of a list!

For the demo party, I'd prioritize things that you can't do without help- anything unwieldy like carpet, or anything heavy like appliances.

If you have a reciprocating saw, cabinets can be taken out a little at a time by one person.

Re the linoleum floors- it would depend on the height difference. If the entryway and bathrooms have a thicker sub-floor to make up for the carpet, you'd want to get as much of the existing floor up as possible- nothing worse than stubbing your toe on the floor as you enter a room, or that sick instant when you put your foot down and the floor's not where you expect it to be.

As to what to DIY, that depends on your skill / comfort level. There are a few things that I personally refuse to do- roofing and tile to name two (too damn old, too out of shape.) If your crew is 1.5 folks, you might think about getting help with those windows and doors. They can be heavier than you'd expect. Same with the tub

As to sources, etc- is this going to be your primary residence, like right now, or are you living elsewhere while you get this ready to move in? You can get some really good deals through habitat for humanity's re-store, but it's not a big box store that has one of everything- you might have to find a couple nearby locations and keep hitting them once a week until you can find what you need. You can also keep an eye on craigslist- if you're comfortable evaluating used / semi-used materials, it can be a great way to get things on the cheap.

If I were in the area, I'd be happy to help. Sadly, I'm in Texas.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

2. !!! you are going to be busy for a while

Like X Digger said a lot will depend on your skills. On the demolition, well, what your doing is taking it apart. Since it's a trailer my guess is the bath tub should be a fairly simple removal.
Any demo and hauling off construction waste is going to save you money.

When I rip out carpet I usually take a razor knife and cut it into strips about 24 inchs or so wide ,than roll it up one strip at a time ,than tape it- it is easy to load it up and haul it away that way!
Same with the carpet padding,cut it into strips 24-to 30 inchs wide there abouts roll it up and tape it with duct tape !Change blades a lot-if the knife don't rip through that carpet in one swipe,shange or reverse the blade. The tack strips last ,I tape those up too because those tack strips are far more easy to handle that way and it bags up better too. This method keeps order to the demo pile.
As you will know construction waste builds up fast and the last thing you want to do if go fishing through yer junk pile loading it up in a truck, than get bit by those carpet track strips ! Next to the pile would be cabinets would be my guess ! See where I'm going with your junk pile ? ! Nice and orderly !

Lets see, linoleum ,if it's not in bad shape a floating floor is made to float over it ! Why make more work for yourself !

I would suggest you get yourself a helper and have at the demo . Rip out those carpets and caninets ,the bad bath tub- what the heck remove the toilet and vanity and do it up right.

The best time to go after plumbing and electrical issues is after the demo is done because everything is wide open.

Get yourself some self help books -there a book for everything at a cost of about $15.00 per.
Why not you got $50.00 or $75.00 bucks to invest in yerself right ? !
Than you need a helping hand ,some young guy that wants to make some money and help ya.
Maybe even knows something !

On yer appliances ,you simply have those delivered !

Do all the demo first.

Do a tool inventory and figure out what you need inso far as tools and have at it.

It shouldn't cost you in total what you have allowed in expenses if you shop smart and do as much as you can yourself with a helper.

Look around for a do it yourself book specializing in trailors.

Also, look around for a good handyman -general contractor that does work time and materials. Or you buy the materials get it there and the contractor goes on time.

Look up building materials in your locality ,than discount building materials , used building materials ,than specifics the same carpet-tile linoleum,windows doors ,tubs tub surrounds on so on.Craigslist has a section used and unused bulding materials- I recently bought a lot of quality tile off from a tile guy on craigslist, he had a ton of good stuff left over from a very large job & sold the lot of it too me for $100.00 and he was glad to see it all go.

I'm guessing but I think your doors and windows ,the originals that came with the trailor might be speciality items-or special order- there is where you have to do some research.

I recently finished up a total do over in a 2 story unit in October-floating floors new kitchen ,new bathroom, on and so on,every thing new. It's a lotta work. It helps a lot to have a helper even if the helper is just another set of hands, you can always teach them as you go,that is unless you got one that has no brains and is all thunbs !

Seems I lost a couple of paragraphs !
From what I read in your post ,it seems to me if you shop smart and are not fighting against time, you should be able to do everything you listed well under the amount of monies you have set aside for your project.

For example, I removed all the kitchen cabinets and 25' be 18 ' of floating foor in one day myself, and I'm an old guy. The next day I went up stairs and took out a complete fiberglass tub and tub surround one piece-had to cut it out there is three pieces, hauled it downstairs and out to the junk pile where the flooring and cabinets were piled up.

After I gutted the bathroom total two days the flooring and cabinets came in for pick up.
Since I had to pick up and deliver the goods as well as install it all, that is when I knew it was past the time to hire a helping hand.

To have it all hauled off we got a hauler to do it for about $150.00
They came back when the project was done to pick up the last load for about the same price.
$300.00 total hauing fees.

The sq. footage is about 25'x's 18' twice with a stair case. All wood cabinets, granite counter tops -real wood scratch resistant floating floors down stairs and landing -really nice stuff, carpet upstairs and staircase, new bathub plus tile in and all new appliances. 20,000 something in total with labor. However the cabinets and granite counter tops came from a Chineese dealer !And they fabricated the material on location. Chineese people .
Sad to say it;s just too good a deal to pass up ! There's a lot contractors around here standing in the very same dog house !

Five years ago that granite was 3 to 6 thousand at one of the suppliers. It was less than one thousand . But five years ago these suppliers did not exist.

In the remodel game as do it yourselfer or a contractor it is all about finding the best you get for the least you can pay.When the product is good and price is right you got to go for it.

[haele]

3. Well, I have a sometime helper - future son-in-law

He "manages" his family condo business, so he has some knowledge. I'm old and my knees and back are shot, but I grew up doing some renovation work and part of my career included renovation of shipboard living quarters, and that's somewhat similar (but not the same). We hope we can move in by the end of April by working weekends and weeknights after work.

The list seems long, but I think most of it can be done in grouped stages, and that's what I'm trying to figure out; how to coordinate both my work and when to call in contractors to do their work. I don't want to mess with siding or anything that can affect the structure and might cost more to "fix" if I screw something up (like door or window installation) since this is a manufactured home with not a lot of space between the aluminum roof and the ceiling board, and I certainly don't want to mess with the old vapor barrier between the crawlspace and the structure.

We do have a friend who lives at the park, who had found out this trailer - a REO - was getting ready to go on the market and let us know as soon as it listed because he knew we were looking and needed something that either had been or could be converted to ADA requirements for accessibility at a reasonable price. He's also the park handyman (retired C-27 - mobile and manufactured home contractor) and has been a great help by knowing what the regulations are; he's agreed to help us (for a fee, of course) to manage some of the mobile home specific work and perhaps help out between his other jobs.

My husband will be overseeing any contractor work; as he's disabled, he's indicated that so long as he's provided with a comfy chair, his books, and some music, he'll be there during the day to "let the contractors in, out, and to get parts as needed."

Again, I guess my main concern after budget would be about "prioritization". I'll be posting pictures on this project if anyone's interested. Except for the stuff under the crawlspace. I can't get down into the posture needed to do things like hit the few jacks with WD-40, a wire brush, and Rustoleum to get surface corrosion off anymore. And I sincerely doubt that the FSIL (who would begrudgingly help with some demo, hauling, painting and flooring) would be willing to do jobs like that without us providing a significant dowry as incentive.

Haele

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

5. I check in at least once a day.

I out on a job tomorrow for the guy that owns the apartment building I last worked on. He's one of my few remaining clients, I'm getting too old for this stuff ! And my significant other has a long enough to do list around here to keep me going for the next five years ! That she does indeed !

All of which should have been done ten years ago ! So I'm always in the dog house. !


About all I can do is offer advice if you need any.
I am a semi retired general contractor who is getting too old for this stuff !

By the way, how are things down your way,I used to live there back in 81. Moved on up to L.A. than oven on back to Seattle !

But the weather back there ,-sure would be a sight for sore eyes, not to mention those akes and pains in my back ! Saving grace ,we have friends in Long Beach !


Good luck to you both with your project.

[haele]

6. Interesting - I was born in LA, moved up to Seattle when I was 7,

Joined the Navy and ended up in San Diego - in 1983.

And now I'm a desk jockey, too...

I hear you about "getting too old" for this stuff. I used to run cable, install equipment cabinets, weld, climb masts, and crawl through bilges. Now, I'm waaay too old.

Haele

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

8. Yep, somehow I might have known !

I was on sub's back in the 70's ! Pre com unit General Dynamics over in Groton Conn. Interesting to say the least !

I did a lot of climbing and crawling myself as you can imagine !

[Warpy]

4. If there's a built in hutch, rip it out with a smile on your face

Of all the mobile homes I've seen, none of them has had a well planned built in hutch. They all ate floor and wall space without providing that much more storage. Buying a piece of freestanding furniture for whatever you'd put in that hutch will save space while increasing storage.

Check between the storms and interior windows. You might have to replace that bottom strip of wood between them. It's varnished balsa wood and humidity destroys it quickly.

Doors are often the first things to go on mobile homes, has to do with the flimsy hinges.

If this one is permanently set on a foundation, you can rebuild it with confidence, getting rid of the cheesy balsa wood interior they did because it saved weight. If it's in a park and you would conceivably want to move it, then visit a trailer supply house for the new doors, windows, cabinets, and bits and pieces. You'll want to keep the weight low.

There's no reason you can't pull out a skinny bathroom door and replace it with something more reasonable. Just realize there might be a reason the door is so skinny, like plumbing, electrical, or heating stuff in the wall on either side.

In any case, I rehabbed the interior of my trailer, redoing floors, peeling wallpaper and taping and mudding the drywall under it. And taking a crowbar to that stupid hutch. Mine was about half the square footage yours was and I loved it, every inch but that hutch was well planned space. If I could have had it moved to this part of town, I would have.

[haele]

7. I hear you about the windows, they're all dried.

We've got to replace four windows anyway, and at least three doors are going to be replaced ASAP for security reasons, if nothing else.
I've got a good set of power tools from when I used to work shipyards, and a work-bench with comfy bar-stools we currently have stored in our (storage) garage at the place we're renting now, so my husband has agreed to work the portable table saw set-up to cut floor-board, various wood pieces/parts and molding as we need it in the carport.
That is, once we have an electrician come in and give us an outdoor outlet, of course.

Haele

[haele]

9. Well, the carpet came out well.

The second owner took up the original carpeting and stapeled down the second-hand carpet and pad directly onto the subfloor - it took 2 hours for the kidlet's boyfriend to pull up 1400 sq ft of nasty brown shag and a 1 1/2" foam pad. Dusty as the canyon hillside underneath; the previous owner had a dog that tracked the dusty backyard in.
We found out the subfloor is MDF (which is why there's a big hole where a leak from the laundry room got into the hallway to the master bath and soft spots under windows, near sinks, and near the seams) and the linoleum was put down with a thin layer of glue that might have asbestos in it.
The first will be a pain to cut out the soft spots and put down 3/4 inch plywood in about 12 spaces, but the second is easy to deal with; we just leave the linoleum in place (except in areas where we're demo'ing the floor - the master bathroom - because we have to replace the sub-floor under the new toilet and put in a new shower and sink) and float a new floor over that. For the bathrooms , I'm thinking of just saws-alling big whole pieces of floor and linoleum together between the joists and have a shop-vac going next to me to catch any stray fibers - and everyone wears masks until it's all out of the house, and we can put plywood down for a new sub-floor.
I found the coolest black and white checker-board marble-looking vinyl tile squares on sale for both the bathrooms; since we found the structure will support tile in limited spaces (like a shower) we're going to go art-deco with white subway tiles with red and black accents, brushed nickel fixtures, and make a black table vanity with a ceramic vessel sink in the master, and mint-green and white to match the tub in the 2nd bathroom. Crunching the numbers, it's not much more expensive after the required demo to put down hardie-board, water proofing, and then tiling in a new shower as it is putting a quality plastic/fiberglass shell in, and we've got enough real-estate in the bathroom to perhaps expand the shower some and make it more ADA friendly for the future.

Next up for next week:
- replace the soft spots in the floor,
- get bids to replace five windows,
- get the new front porch and carport entry built (old ones were out of compliance, and we just got approval for our plans for the new ones).
- get the Trades bids for electrical (minor electrical, thank goodness!), plumbing (to find a small leak, rough in the new shower fixtures for the tub that are missing, fix any sink issues, and put in a new drain in the laundry-room drain pan),to clean the vents, and remove the wall oven unit (and cap off the gas line) that isn't working.
- demo the knee-wall for a useless piece of "breakfast nook", the useless make-up table in the master hallway, and part of the walls in the master hallway to give us a wide access into the master bath. Re-frame and re-panel the hallway to hide the fact we cut it open.
- start cleaning up both the new and the old homes. Prep the new home for paint and flooring.
- Pick paint colors for the rooms.
- Think about a kitchen design; we need to get a stove in where the stove-top is now, and we'll probably want to add another 3 ft. of base counter. Laz likes the idea of making a cement countertop.

The hard stuff is going to start in another two weeks.

Haele

[X_Digger]

10. Sounds like a good start, but asbestos scares the bejeezus out of me.

Were it me, I'd either call an abatement company to test it and remove it if positive, or if I were really desperate, I'd make sure to thoroughly wet the areas to be cut and wear a disposable coverall and good respirator.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

11. Me too.

I had no idea how prevalent that stuff is/was.

My buddy was going to pull up some linoleum and I was like "don't worry about linoleum" - WRONG.

He sent out samples to a place in California. IIRC, it cost about $30 bucks per sample.. Good thing he was cautious.

[X_Digger]

12. Rather than the pipe wrap or tiles, what really scares me are the houses with it in the texture.

Imagine some Joe Schmo who decides to knock down the texture on his walls and popcorn ceilings in his 50's bungalow, grabs a sander and goes to town.