A mobile home can provide a cost-effective way to get the desired square footage a homeowner is looking for. Adding an extension to the mobile home when more space is needed can also be an inexpensive solution.

  • A mobile home can provide a cost-effective way to get the desired square footage a homeowner is looking for.
  • Adding an extension to the mobile home when more space is needed can also be an inexpensive solution.

If the construction process of adding a mobile home extension seems a bit overwhelming, here is good news. A fully assembled, factory turnkey mobile home addition can be purchased and delivered directly to you. It arrives ready to be attached to your existing home. Adding on a prefab home addition is a process, however, and should be carefully planned.

Get clear on why you are adding the extension. Decide what will it be used for and who will be using it.

Determine the type of area that meets your needs. This could be a deck, porch, sunroom, carport or another bedroom.

Consider other related issues regarding the potential need for plumbing, heat, electrical sockets and windows.

You may be selling your mobile home in the future. Evaluate the effect the mobile home extension will have on resale value.

Draw out a floor plan for your mobile home and the addition. This provides a visual layout of the important details of your mobile home addition.

  • Determine the type of area that meets your needs.
  • Draw out a floor plan for your mobile home and the addition.

Check with local mobile home dealers for leads in locating contractors who have experience working with mobile home additions.

  • Check with local mobile home dealers for leads in locating contractors who have experience working with mobile home additions.

Check with your local building inspector's office. Make sure your addition meets legal, safety and permit requirements. Mobile home additions can have different requirements from conventional homes.

Check to see if your mobile home is under warranty and what the mobile home warranty says about additions.

Analyse the foundation structure of your prefab home to determine whether you can add an extension. A mobile home set on blocks will not be able to have an addition sealed to it. This is because of the ground shifting due to weather conditions, which can cause the new addition to detach from the existing home.

Mobile homes are built to be sturdy but generally not to handle excess weight on the top or sides. Because of this, the mobile home extension is like a box with three sides. The open side will be sealed to the existing mobile home. A door into the addition must generally be cut in the existing mobile home. Most additions will have a lower roofline and lower floor elevation to avoid the need for a perfect match to those levels of the mobile home. Because of this, steps or a ramp are often used with the extension.

  • Mobile homes are built to be sturdy but generally not to handle excess weight on the top or sides.
  • Most additions will have a lower roofline and lower floor elevation to avoid the need for a perfect match to those levels of the mobile home.

Mobile home additions such as porches, decks and carports are often designed as freestanding units having little contact with the existing mobile home.

TIP

When working with a contractor, be sure to get a bid in writing for the completed cost of labour and materials for the project before starting. Any mobile home extension will look its best if you use the same roofing, siding and style of the original mobile home.

WARNING

When proper steps are not taken in preparation for the addition, the result may be settling, movement or detachment from the existing mobile home.