Add ons are special areas that can be added to a manufactured home to accommodate additional living space, child space, or expansion of the kitchen and other common areas. They can range from a small bedroom and living room to a large double king bedroom with luxury features.
Add ons were very popular during the pre-bankruptcy days of Home Builders America, when homes were built in large groups and people wanted more space. Today, most add ons are used as a clothesline or parking space for extra children’s furniture.
Here are the details you need to know about adding ons onto your Home Build America manufactured home.
Contents:
Find an architect or contractor familiar with extending a manufactured home
Having an architect or contractor nearby who is familiar with the manufacturing process can be helpful when planning an addition to your home.
Extending a manufactured home by about 24 inches in height requires a new foundation. This includes adding on to the inside, adding on to the rear, or adding on both.
During construction, there may be limited parking and it may be difficult to maintain a clean environment during construction. However, once the extension is completed, these benefits can be enjoyed.
By having an architect or contractor help with this process, it cost is reduced significantly. The standard kit price is around $400-$500, so if you have limited funds to invest, you can still add on to your home!
Manufactured homes are very efficient compared to traditional houses. They use less land and materials compared storyatically speaking, making them cost effective over other homes.
Determine the size of extension you would like
Add ons are great when you want to increase your hom e’s size but do not have room for an additional large room. There are many add ons that can be installed on both the north and south sides of a manufactured home.
Many add ons are used as a storage unit, utility room, or even separate house rental. When looking at add on s, there should be a clear space to accommodate them. Many times, the seller will offer some protection from potential buyers by stating that there is a clear space for an addition and it is secure.
If you would like to increase the size of your home, speaking to the sellers about what added ons they would like and adding them yourself is an easy way to add more space.
Find out if the property lines are clearly marked
If they are, then do not add anything on to the property- it will cost more! If there is no clear line as to what property extends into what property, you could potentially add something on to increase your home value.
However, if one side of the line is a guest house and the other side is a workshop or kitchen, then it would not be considered an expansion of the home. Adding another workshop or kitchen would be acceptable.
If you do decide to go for expansion, make sure you know what authorities say expansion is and whether or not it is a legal expansion. There may befinancial consequences if it does not meet regulations.
Check with the homeowner association
Before adding any sort of a manufactured home onto a property, the homeowner association should be consulted. It can review the property and determine if it is safe for them to add another home.
If it feels that this property is not safe, then it can not add another home. People who live on this property must have enough space to maintain it, since they would receive some sort of reimbursement for maintenance fees.
Even with the reimbursement, there are still some rules people must follow. These include looking at how many people need a new home and going over that number with them. Adding another home should take into account any chance of natural disasters happening, as well as safety aspects.
Continued growth may feel like you are trying to take over the whole community, which can lead to issues such as flooding or decay.
Get plans reviewed by the building department
If you have new additions or modifications to a home you are adding on to the building department will review them. This includes adding on to a vehicle, boat, or farm structure.
If the home needs changes are approval from the building department is needed. There is a fee associated with this so save your money and get approved!
If the home needs changes are approval from the building department is needed. There is a fee associated with this so save your money and get approved!
When getting approval for additions and modifications it is important that you get what you want on the property and in your house.
Submit permits for extensions that exceed certain size limits
When building a manufactured home, there are a few rules that apartments must follow when creating an extension. Each extension must add on to the original house, and it must not decrease in size.
Mostly, this has to do with space. When much space is required, such as in a family arrangement or for commercial use.
In order for your new extension to be legal, you must get special approval from the new county government. It is called a permit and requires changes be made to the original house and registered property address.
Obtain construction bonds and insurance
Construction bonds are provided by the manufacturer to help you add on to your home. They are a form of insurance that comes with manufactured homes. If a part of your home needs replacing, then they will cover the cost of that piece.
Obtaining construction bonds is not hard and can be for free. It is done through the builder, so if the piece needs replacing, then it will get replaced.
As this article is on Adding on to a Manufactured Home, this article will talk about obtaining insurance for your home. Insurance is needed when building a manufactured home as there are certain risks associated with building one.
Hire professionals for complicated projects
Before you hire anyone to add anything to your manufactured home, find out what they know about remodeling homes and how they apply that knowledge to this project.
There are a lot of tutorials and guides on the internet about how to remodel a home. You can find many free resources, but most have some kind of experience level behind them so you can expect some input.
Some experts would only recommend doing a quick fix-up before moving in, or only adding things for now. This is because if you are planning on staying for a longer period of time, you would be more invested in the property with more upgrades and additions.
This is not the case with add-on homes, as the owner may not have plans to come back at all.