After you’ve purchased your manufactured home and settled in, you may be wanting to do some mobile home remodeling, make some areas look better, or simply add a little personal flair. No matter how long you’ve lived in yours — or what the budget is — there are always a few good DIY manufactured home improvement projects you can do to spiff up your space.
From more involved projects to quick and budget-friendly manufactured home renovations, here are our top picks for upgrades you can do yourself.
Interior DIY Manufactured Home Improvement Ideas
There are a few quick, interior projects that can make your manufactured home upgrades feel like major renovations. And any one of these DIYs can be done either in small, cozy spaces or throughout the whole home.
Add Some Color
One of our favorite manufactured home renovation ideas is also one of the most straightforward: painting. And the result often feels like a major home improvement. Choose one accent wall, redesign the colors for a whole room, or look up interesting ideas for ceilings and DIY murals.
If accents and murals are up your alley but you don’t know how to do it yourself, you can also opt for something like wallpaper, playful chalkboard paint, or contemporary paneling.
And, if you like the idea of a slightly more involved project, painting kitchen and bathroom cabinets, islands, or floors often reinvents the whole home aesthetic.
Upgrade Your Fixtures
Another idea for upgrading the kitchen or bathroom in your manufactured home can be a very quick fix. Installing new fixtures — like shower heads and handles, sink faucets, or the handles and hardware on your cabinets — can make once boring or dated spaces feel brand new. More than just an aesthetic difference, these simple installations can also provide better functionality for you and a better resale value on your home.
Brighten Up with Lighting
Changing your light fixtures can reinvent entire areas in your home — brightening dark corners, providing better ambiance, or simply adding fun design choices to your personal space. Just be sure to note, when you’re shopping for new fixtures, whether or not they require hardwiring. If they do, it’s a good idea to contact a professional electrician, and always follow the installation instructions.
Install New Appliances
While new appliances often help improve the value of your home, they also boost the look and comfort level while you live in it. And we think that’s just as important. If you have the budget for a full revamp, choose an aesthetic (like stainless steel or vintage) that you like, and use it to inspire all your appliance design choices — whether you’re working in the laundry room or the whole kitchen.
Update the Flooring
Updating your manufactured home’s floors to something like tile or vinyl can be a piece of cake with a few DIY guides or YouTube walkthroughs. And these types of flooring open up a whole world of design and color opportunities. Even more than appearance, vinyl can also make your life easier. It’s easy to clean, durable, more budget-friendly, and water resistant (even waterproof, in some cases).
Exterior DIY Manufactured Home Improvement Ideas
When you’re thinking about curb appeal (or simply want to be a highlight of your manufactured home community), we have everything from single-afternoon DIY projects to more elaborate revamps.
Hang Window Shutters
Whether you’re installing brand new shutters or replacing old ones, this window decor can make a big change in the exterior appearance of any manufactured home. Once you choose your style and color, it usually takes just a bit of drilling to get them in place. Based on how many windows you have in your home, the whole DIY could be finished in a day.
Install New Doors
Depending on your preference and aesthetic, a new front or back door can do a lot for both your exterior and interior. Your choice could let in more light with larger windows, offer better privacy with fewer, or add a pop of color and style. Before you buy, remember that some manufactured homes have differently sized doors, so be sure to measure twice.
Paint Your Home
Painting your home’s exterior can be a do-it-yourself project with the right materials, type of paint, and amount of time. Start with a primer, and opt for a weather-resistant paint, which will last longer outdoors. Then, choose the colors and gloss that fit your preference, needs, and possible community regulations.
If you don’t want to do the entire exterior, painting your trim and shutters can also offer a fresh look to the whole house.
Replace Skirting
Manufactured home skirting (or underpinning) is an important part of your home’s efficiency, safety, and appearance. If it needs an upgrade, vinyl is usually the least expensive and easiest material for DIY installation. You can also get vinyl that looks like bricks, blocks, or other materials. And when you’re shopping around, you’ll find other popular choices, including concrete, wood, foam, and faux rock.
Whatever material you choose, remember to measure everything before you buy, get enough spare to match possible variations in height, and make sure the end result provides your home with proper ventilation.
DIY Manufactured Home Improvement Done Right
Manufactured home improvement can feel a lot easier when you have the right support system. At Cairn Communities, we offer our community residents a home improvement partnership program, so you can get the qualifying home repairs and improvements completed now and pay it back over time.
Plus, to get more manufactured home expertise, we have a full blog right at your fingertips. Keep the home education going with topics like essential winter maintenance, boosting home durability, and customizing your space.
