Posted by Jon on March 27, 2002 at 07:05:59:
Jerry & Steve, Thanks for the advice. I think I have a mental picture now. Ill Keep you posted.
Possible deal - Posted by Jon
Posted by Jon on March 26, 2002 at 18:11:49:
I am looking for some advise. I have an opportunity to buy a 1988 14x 72 Craftsman MH. It is set up in a park. The owners are going to turn it over to the park for back rent. I can buy it for probably $1,000. Blue book Good condition is $10,000 approx. It needs Carpet, a rear door and the entire inside needs to be gutted of drywall as the drunken owner went into a rage. There is subfloor damage at the rear door. Do I buy or walk. What would it cost to fix the drywall. I can do it myself, but where do i find that thin drywall. Anybody?
HOW ABOUT PANELING??? - Posted by lyal
Posted by lyal on March 27, 2002 at 07:35:13:
In most of the homes I buy I install (ok have installed by a competent handyman which I’m not!) floral print paneling on the back wall of the living room. Gives a nice OOHHH!!! factor when people first look at it. You can get lots of different prints that look just like wallpaper and plastic dividers that fit between the sheets that look really nice (dividers are not necessary at all if you’re careful when you put it up. We just use PL200 glue (liquid nails kinda stuff but cheaper) to hang it with a few nails in the top and bottom. No seams to mud and sand and the problem around windows and outlets is minimal as it’s a lot thinner than drywall (Plastic “J” channel that matches the dividers is available for edges if necessary). I pay 8 to 10 bucks a sheet on sale.
All the best, Lyal
PS: One other thing I do is put simulated pergo flooring just inside the front door of my homes too. I paid $.68 a square foot on clearance for the last batch I bought. Easy to install as it “floats” on a foam liner (not nailed or glued down just glued together on the edges). Nice brass edge finishes it off. LOTS more OOOHHH factor when they first step inside.
Looks like a great deal (NT) (short) (: - Posted by Dr. Craig Whisler CA
Posted by Dr. Craig Whisler CA on March 26, 2002 at 20:38:15:
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another drywall tip … - Posted by Jerry Freeman
Posted by Jerry Freeman on March 26, 2002 at 19:54:31:
Well, I’ve pretty well got your MH renovated (in my head).
You only need to tear out the damaged drywall on walls where there are doors or windows. If you have a table saw, you don’t need to tear it out where there are windows, either. Here’s why:
Unless there’s a door or window frame, there’s no reason not to put the new drywall right over the old. You can also put it over the old drywall on walls with windows if you have a table saw. Get some 1/4" luan floor underlayment (about $12 for a 4’X8’ sheet at Home Depot) and rip it to the correct width for the new, wider window jambs, and just put it right over the existing window jambs to come out flush with the new drywall. Then caulk and paint it with exterior paint (prime first with oil based). That would be a lot less work than tearing out all the old drywall.
Best wishes,
Jerry
Drywall and door installation tips … - Posted by Jerry Freeman
Posted by Jerry Freeman on March 26, 2002 at 19:19:56:
You can get 3/8 inch drywall at any big home center (Menard’s, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.). That’s 1/16" thicker than what’s in MHs, but close enough that you can butt it against an edge of the existing drywall, tape it with mesh tape, mud it, and you’ll get a respectable seam.
Drywall’s pretty cheap, but there’s a lot of labor. If it were me, I would be inclined to do it, but I like that kind of work. I would caulk the wall and ceiling inside corners, rather than tape and mud (to be able to caulk, you’ll need to avoid big gaps there in the rough drywall). If they’re not clean-looking straight from the gun, strike the caulk joints with a finger while they’re still wet, and they look great. That saves a lot of work and still gives a respectable result.
The subfloor damage is standard. There’s almost always some. Replacing a door is also normal. Just be sure to use a MH door (if there’s not already a house door there). MH doors are shorter, and they have mounting flanges designed for MHs, rather than brickmold (brickmold on MHs tends to cause water problems if not meticulously flashed on top, caulked and painted). Be especially careful about making the door super watertight around where it’s mounted to the MH. That’s one of the places where people don’t realize they have to be careful and the MH ends up getting water damage in the wall and floor after awhile.
Best wishes,
Jerry
Re: HOW ABOUT PANELING??? - Posted by jon
Posted by jon on July 30, 2003 at 15:46:05:
Any advice for buying cheap materials? I’m about to start working on my first home and wondered if I’d save a significant amount of money if I shopped around other that Home Depot. Do you stop at yard sales, dumpsters, thrift stores??? I have no money and don’t mind running around to try and find free materials (I’m just curious as to where you make most of your “scores”). JOn
Great ideas, Lyle! (nt) - Posted by Jerry Freeman
Posted by Jerry Freeman on March 27, 2002 at 18:07:30:
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Re: another drywall tip … - Posted by Jon
Posted by Jon on March 26, 2002 at 21:12:35:
Jerry, thanks for your knowledge. I doo have a couple Q’s on the drywall. What about the electrical outlets? can they be extended outward? Also, with the luan stripping, do you mean triming the windows and doors like you would with casing on a traditional home, but with 1/4" strips?
Jon
Re: another drywall tip … - Posted by Jerry Freeman
Posted by Jerry Freeman on March 27, 2002 at 06:31:14:
The J-bead idea around doors is good. I don’t think you need anything extra for the electrical boxes other than longer screws for the outlets and switches. I wouldn’t try drywalling inside the window jambs (too much moisture around a MH window and too much work). What I’m trying to suggest is that you use luan or paneling to resurface the jambs and cover the raw drywall edges there that will be exposed when the wall becomes 3/8" thicker. I’m not suggesting that you use 1/4" luan for window casing. If there aren’t trim pieces that hold the storm windows (that you would presumably remove and put back over the new drywall), you can get some thin molding strips for casings. Not 2 1/2" expensive casings like in houses, but 1" or so.
Best wishes,
Jerry
Re: another drywall tip … - Posted by Steve Enlow
Posted by Steve Enlow on March 27, 2002 at 06:06:03:
Hi Jon,
In my former life, before Corvette restoration I was a drywaller. I even completly sheetrocked my entire 1968 12X68 Detroiter. As to the electrical outlets you can use cutin boxes, these are plastic electrical boxes with two little ears that hold them in the wall.
I can’t speak for jerry but with the window sills you can cut the plywood the proper width and then trim the raw edge with outside corner molding. another alternative is to wrap the window sill with sheetrock and use cornerbead, but that takes some mud skills and should be done by a pro.
At the doors you can use j-bead and just paint it when you paint the walls.
A dingy-wood paneled unit that has been redone with sheetrock is very bright and clean looking inside, but it’s a lot of very hard physical work. If you have any other questions, please just ask.
Steve-AZ
Re: another drywall tip … - Posted by Billy Boy
Posted by Billy Boy on March 27, 2002 at 22:15:09:
Yet another panelling tip. Do not, repeat do not use panellng with a pressed wood el-cheapo backing. The initial installation will look great, but then it will slowly absorb moisture, and soon you will have a buckled “Pacific Ocean look” for your newly pannelled walls. Masonite backng is debateable…sometimes good, sometimes not…your guess! My experience dictates use of plywood backed panelling (usually “luan” mahogany). Goes up good, looks good, lasts long time. In 20 years of home repair…my greatest teacher has been “BY G-D…i’ll never do THAT again”. You folks are a great bunch of people.
Re: another drywall tip … - Posted by billy boy
Posted by billy boy on March 27, 2002 at 23:07:23:
A Corvette restorer huh. Glad to meet another certified “car nut” who maybe like me has a bit of real estate to help support his “habit”. I have a 1985 “AVANTI”, one of the last…most people under 50 have never seen one…it’s probably a 2.25 to 2.5 condition. Real estate sure attracts people from a lot of different areas.