Our 1976 Mobile Home Project

Page last updated 08-07-2006

Here is a small site detailing some of our adventures in making an old 1976 12 x 60 mobile home into a habitable lake retreat after being neglected for many years. When it is complete, we will have a very relaxing place to come to and forget about the rat race for a while!

Mobile Home Specs:

1. 1976 12 x 60 2 bedroom
2. Coleman Presidential electric central heat but not air.
3. Under pinned with 2" insulated panels.
4. City water hookup with a drilled well backup.
5. 200 amp electric service.
6. Septic system.

Floor Plan

Location: On top of hill above Lake Cumberland across from Alligator II boat dock. On Squirrel Street, part of the Beech Grove community in Jabez, KY

 

Sat10 Map

Topo Map

Maps

 

Plat Map

 

Even if the mobile home had been rotted to the ground we would have bought these lots. There are a total of 6 lots (Outlined in yellow above) that equals 1.12 acre. We have an option to buy another 5 lots (Outlined in red above) that line the left side of the long driveway.

 

The first time we looked at it here is what we saw on the outside.. It needed a good cleaning. What grass there was needed mowing and the leaves needed raking.

 

Here it is after pressure washing the outside and the decks, mowing the grass and weed eating.

 

1. Remove the carpet throughout. It has mildewed and just flat stinks! Plus no telling what it is covering up.. DONE!
2. Clean the entire inside of all mildew and mold. All walls, floors and ceilings must be cleaned with a clorox solution. DONE!
3. Pressure wash the exterior and the two poorly built decks. DONE!
4. Stain the decks. DONE!
5. Take back deck, move to front and append it to existing front deck to make it bigger.
6. Build a new larger, covered and screened in back deck. DONE! (Well new deck is done but not covered or screened)
7. There are floor problems in every room due to water leaks around doors and windows or the roof. I have to patch major floor holes in the kitchen, (DONE!) a minor hole in the living room, ( DONE!) major holes in the master bedroom and the entire hall way. ( DONE!) The bath eventually will need the floor under the tub repaired but the previous owner had already repaired the main bathroom floor. The water heater closet (exterior access) will need some work eventually. There are also some holes that mice have chewed in the walls between rooms and cabinets that need to be patched. (DONE!)
8. Remove and replace all the caulk on the windows, doors, and other openings. DONE!
9. Replace the 'paneling' in the window sills that is water damaged. DONE!
10. Remove the kitchen window AC unit and properly install it after repairing the wall damage. DONE!
11. Clean off the roof and J channel and make some temporary patches until the metal roof can be installed. DONE!
12. The person I bought the mobile home from had purchased a metal roof kit but had never installed it. It is currently in the master bedroom taking up too much space. So I have to install the roof after getting some rough cut 1 x 4 boards. DONE!
13. Clean all the garbage out from under it and haul it off. DONE!
14. Remove what remains of the insulation under the floor.
15. Put down plastic on the ground underneath to control the moisture issue then spread pea gravel.
16. Install gutters after doing # 10 to help problem #13.
17. Paint all the ceilings after applying stain blocker. DONE! Deb's poor neck is about broke from all the painting :-)
18. Lay new vinyl flooring through out the home. DONE!
19. Do a bit of landscaping in the front, Ok a LOT of landscaping :-) Started 10-30-2005 1/3 Done as of 5/8/06
20. Same bit of landscaping in the back :-) DONE!
21. Dig up and prep for a garden plot. DONE!
22. Pull washer/dryer and re-think the 'hole' into the water heater closet.
23. Inspect and repair the trailer ground.

In October 2005 we found that we could not afford to go to Colorado for our normal vacation due to gas prices so we decided to spend the two weeks working on the mobile home instead. Our vacation was delayed and saddened due to the need to put down a beloved family pet cat called Little Bit. She had taken ill the week before and when taken to the vet, liver disease was diagnosed. She went downhill very quickly forcing us to have her put to sleep Tuesday, October 4th. She was 14 years old and will be very much missed.

Click the links below and follow along as we tackle the various problems. The BLOG is a day by day account as we work on it. The Blog was last updated 5-9-2006.