I have so much to do to my mobile I don't know where to start. The walls need repair and the roof leaks even though I had it sealed. I am a single parent and I don't know where to start or how to do much of the repair. I can't afford to pay someone else to do it. Any suggestions?
By K from Wilmington, OH
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Unless you really know what you are doing, you might be better off hiring somebody to do it. Otherwise you are wasting your time and money. Do you know anybody that would know what they were doing, that you could do some bartering with for repairs? If you had the roof sealed recently, and it still leaks there is a possibility that some areas weren't completely sealed. As far as what to do with the walls, it would depend on the type of damage and if it is on the inside or outside walls.
The first thing to do is get that roof sorted. Then you can move on to repairing the walls, which are probably in pretty bad shape from the roof leaking-how long was the roof leaking, was it months, or years?
You write that you just had the roof sealed, which says to me you had someone do it for you-was it a contractor? If yes, you can probably get him/her back to do the job right and get that roof completely sealed. If it was a friend or relative, see if you can get them to help you put on another more complete coat of sealant (Kool Seal is a great product but must be applied properly).
I've done three renos on single-wide trailers, it's fun after you know more about what you are doing. As a nice bonus, there are some really good reno sites that can help you with advice. The following link is one that helped me learn a lot about repairing and renovating trailers and mobile homes:
Good luck, I hope your project turns out well.
My girlfriend has a trailer, and it had to be regularly caulked, like a tin can! She did it herself, so it can be done diy. I saw that spray caulk on TV where they use a screen door for the bottom of a boat & thought that that would be great for mobile home users, easy to apply - but a bit pricey. All the seams should be sealed. And seal around gutters What's wrong with the walls?
Hi k. Been there done that. It is doable as a woman too. I did it. The first thing is correct the roof problem. It is a black tar comes in gal cans and 5 gal. I buckets start with the gal. Can ..It is cheap and can be applied even in the rain. Unless you have big holes in your roof it is fairly simple. Apply a coat of wet or dry tar. Make sure not roofing tar...Wet or dry which means you can apply it in the water. I applied it in a hurricane my kid would tell me when the water stopped and i would go to the next one. Usually older trailers leak at the seams whether you can see it or not. If it is rusty use a rust preventive like ospho, or a like product it sprays on and by the next day will turn grey then apply the wet or dry over it. This is a good start.
Find a mobile home place or someone who actually works on mobile homes is a must and talk to them and if you can do the work yourself. Then do so as I did but if not check out his work by looking at some of it. It is crucial that he know how to work on a mobile home or he won't do it correctly. If the windows leak to fix properly you would have to take out the whole window and replace the caulking behind the frame (a house trailer moves and caulk of any kind won't do it) but the wet or dry doesn't harden completely and will make it water tight and it does now come in a caulking gun. Wet or dry and is a black tar it is also the same thing as you used on roof.
Space and time doesn't allow me to tell you all you truly need to know but if you do try to do some or all of this email me and I will try to make it easier. I fixed house trailers for 8 years after i fixed mine. Not as hard as men made it out to be and I just went one thing at a time. Talked to people and picked their brain and raised my 2 children in that home too. It is worth a shot but most repair people only rip you off. Check with your local defac office and see what government programs they have in your county to help you. You pay nothing just remember the wet or dry and if they don't use it it won't stop the water. I did my camper in the rain in Minnesota in l988. Hope this helps some and a whole lot of prayer.
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Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep the underpinning on a mobile home secure in place? My chocolate lab puppy (which is the size of a small horse) will not stop busting it in. I'm worried she will mess up all the duct work and AC wiring down there. Similarly, if the west Texas wind hits, or a child throws a ball into it, well let's just say you have to re-underpin half of the trailer. Any suggestions?
By Shana
