I am renting a manufactured home that sits on an acreage and I am having a few issues that I hope someone on here can help me with. First off, I’m discovering that there are actually very few studs in the walls so it makes it difficult to hang things on the walls. Does anyone know how far apart the studs may be? Second, the handles on the faucets in the bathtub broke and need to be replaced. Does anyone know where the shut off valve may be? There appears to be some kind of water valve on the other side of the wall (which is in the laundry room). Could that be it? Third, my dog got caught in my daughter’s bedroom when the door shut behind him and he dug up the carpet, destroyed the molding around the door and ripped up the wallpaper next to the door all in his effort to escape from the room. So, a: can I just patch the carpet (about 2 ft x 1 ft)? b: How do I replace the cheap wood-look-a-like molding? c: Can I just paint over those thin papered walls without stripping the paper (there isn’t much wall behind the paper)? Fourth, my daughter’s desk tipped over into the wall not long after we moved in and put a hole in the wall. How can I fix that? and what about the wallpaper? Lastly, my fiance tripped over a baby toy and fell into the bedroom door, which because its so flimsy, he left a huge hole in the door and I can’t find a new one at lowe’s or home depot. Any ideas? Thanks and sorry for the long e-mail.
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The only difference there should be between a Manufactureed Home and a stick built home is the thickness of the drywall. The studs should still be 16″ on center or 24″ on center in a very old home. Don’t blame the M Home for not having water shut offs at every tap. Most homes built before the 80’s don’t either. M Homes can use regular parts for plumbing and electrical they just don’t come that way. But buying replacement parts for any old fixture can be more trouble than its worth. Unless the fixture is a really good one to begin with. Just buy new and completely replace the part(this goes for any home not just M Homes). All normal homes have hollow core doors so your Fiance would probably have put a hole in any door other than an outside one.
Again all this stuff can be replaced from stuff you buy at big box hardware stores. Home Depot, Lowes, Etc.. Just take your measurements or a piece of it to match as close as you can. If all else fails chances are there is a MH supply in the area. Just search for one in the phone book or web. Search for Mobile Home Parts. You can paint over the vinyl wallpaper. I would recommend using a primer like Kilz or something to keep any printing from showing thru the new paint. For the hole in the wall go to hardware store and find a drywall patch kit. They come with instructions on how to do it. Its very easy.
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I live in a regular stick built house but the previous owner put in a bathtub/shower unit meant for a mobile home. something inside the hot water side of the faucet was broken and had to be replaced by one made for mobile homes — I guess they are different–at least that’s what the plumber said, and no he didn’t charge me much at all so it wasn’t profit. When I can I will be replacing the whole unit to a normal one.
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Manufactured homes are usually 24 inches in center for studs, but I have founsd that sometimes they “fudge” to avoid adding an additional stud on the wall. You need a stud finder. As far as the water shut off it is usually close to where the opening in the skirting is. You usually have to shut off all the water to the home as there are not usually individual shut offs and if there are they are
underneath the home (not accessable).
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1. A manufactured home built after June 15, 1976, has the studs 16 inches apart. If it was built before then, they could be any distance apart ‹ there was no regulation. If you don’t have a stud sensor, get one. (Prior to the HUD code, they weren’t even required to use drywall‹they could legally put paneling directly over the studs, which most of them did because it made the trailer lighter and cheaper to get a highway permit for. It also made it possible for a manufactured home to burn to the frame rails in 10 minutes. Of course, the DESIGN of those early homes, which all had a hallway running the full length of the unit, didn’t help ‹ the hallway made a great wind tunnel.
2. The shutoff valve for the water is under the home‹the water comes into the home via a hose, and the valve is at ground level.
3. The rest of your needs are sold at Manufactured Housing Supply stores. Most cities with a lot of manufactured homes in them will have one. One big problem you’re having is the millwork is all different‹the doors are less than 80 inches high, for instance. (There are actually FOUR different heights they could have been.) Reason? The thing is a trailer for at least part of its life, and they built them low so they wouldn’t top-out under bridges. We have the Surface Transportation Assistance Act to encourage states to build bridges with at least 14 feet of vertical clearance now, but back then they didn’t.