Mobile Home Addition?

[Kevo]

Hello Friends,

My family and I have a 16 x 70 mobile home with 2 bedrooms. I paid cash for this trailer and spent the last 6 months completely remodeling it. DEBT FREE at last!!!
Anyway, now comes the next phase in my plan....the addition. I have 3 kids and need 2 more bedrooms as well as a bigger pantry/ storage space.

I would like to add a 12' x 32' addition. My question is....
Has anyone had experience adding on to a mobile home? I have thought of several ways to do this but not sure the best.

I thought of building a completely free-standing building about 4 feet from trailer and only connect it with a hallway. This way I only have to be concerned with leaking, etc... along that 4 foot area.

Any ideas or experiences would be appreciated.

Kevin

[NorthWest_Born]

Its definitely possible to add on! I use to know some people who's father turned their single wide into a house more the size of id say like a triple wide and made it two stories. If you habe the knowledge and skills to do it I see no problem with what you want to do! I've thought about doing the same thing when I buy some land in a few years to save money on a house.

[goatlady]

I had a 15 x 70 single wide. I added a 10 x 20 addition to the back for a washroom/pantry. Just abutted it to the existing outside back wall of the mobile and had no problems with leaks but used a LOT of sealant and flashing. I also added a 15 x 60 addtion to the front of the mobile, in effect creating a double wide. WIth that addition I added a new separate roof over the existing mobile encorporating the new addition so no leak problems at all. Worked from the ground up, got it totally enclosed and then had time to do the interior finish work. Removed the front mobile wall to create a great room with my woodcook stove and wood heating stove in the new great room addition and with 16' of wall taken out they heated the entire mobile. ALong with the great room, I was able to add a bedroomm hallway, and expand an existing bedroom, all part of the new addition.

[jwal10]

Some depends on roof type, metal or 3 tab? How good you can tie in. Me all the ones I did with metal roofs, I built the addition and put new trusses over the entire section. A lot also depends on existing door/access. Front or rear addition?

....James

[Harry Chickpea]

12 x 32 = 384 square feet. With foundation, floor, walls, roof, power, any plumbing, and excluding labor, unless you are using scrounged materials, you are looking at probably $20 per square foot or more ($8,000 to $10,000). Price out your materials before buying. You may find that figure off, but I think it to be conservative. I once built a $200 shed in Vermont that ended up costing $1,000 and I learned my lesson on underestimating.

Take a look at this instead:

http://huntsville.craigslist.org/for/4269600399.html

(I'm half tempted to buy it myself for shop/storage space.)

For $5K you could double your space, work on repair and remodel at your leisure and tie it in to your existing home with a hallway like you are thinking.

Do remember though that heating and cooling will be added ongoing expenses to any additional space.