Not a lot, really; our home has lots of storage space, particularly in the kitchen. I have some 15' of usable counter space, plus a 4' island. And 2 pantries, one closet-sized and one huge walk-in closet-sized. Yeah, I searched specifically for this floor plan for damned good reason. But I can, I bake, I cook, I make ahead and freeze, and all these things require equipment that takes up storage space. You'll get my Cuisinart electric pressure cooker and Kitchenaid mixer from me when you pry them from my cold dead fingers.

One thing our home has is bedroom/office closets 9' wide with a 30" door for access. We have installed cheap plastic shelving, about 18" deep and 4' tall, at each end of my husband's office closet, crosswise. I am considering that adjustable wall bracket type shelving, secured to wall joists, for my office closet in the same location. And I raised the shelving in my walk-in closet 1' so that there is space for a lower rod, not that we actually need the hanging space. We aren't clothes people, and we have a coat closet.

In my office I bought two Ikea white dressers, the $99 Koppang, and topped them both with a $50 Billy bookcase. One on each side of the window takes up almost the entire wall and gives a lovely feel plus lots of storage, and looks meant to go together.

I have about 9 foot of countertop space, with cabinets & 4 drawers underneath, I have upper cabinets with a window over my sink. Kitchenaid mixer hides under the sink. I don't use it often. Grilling tools are under there, too. They hang on the back wall on some small nails. I have some things like dish soap, scrubbing brushes, rubber gloves, etc., in a small tub that I can pull out easily. Cabinets are set up in an L-shape with hard to get to space in the corner because the stove sits in the angle. I've thought about cutting an opening on the backside (which faces the dining area) and putting a door there or framing it out like a bookcase. I have a small island that I found on clearance at Big Lots, I use that mostly for storing plasticware and jars and as a landing spot for mail and things that I carry to work daily. I also have a dresser where I keep cookbooks, plastic wrap and such, microwave cookware, (microwave sits on top) some smaller appliances & gadgets and the close-to-overflowing junk drawer! I almost forgot I have a baker's rack in there too. I just recently painted it. I have canisters and some decor on it. Also, my crock pot lives there.

In my small walk-in closet I put in a Rubbermaid (I think) closet system. I got it on sale at Walmart or Lowes. It has a section for hanging longer things and two sections for shorter items with some shelves in the center. I have a small shoe shelf, too. I don't have a lot of shoes or clothes, my work requires uniforms.

cathyyg, do you have a pic of your Ikea set-up? I would like to have something similar.

Don't mind how dark it is or the messy room. Winter in Michigan is a cloudy grey affair even without snow. At least you motivated me to clean up the dresser tops and shelves.

Oh, I really like that! Thanks for sharing.

Wow, Cathy! I love it, and you're right, it does all look like it was meant to be together, and like a decorator pulled it all together around the nice big window! The Billy bookcases are like what I was trying to describe what the previous owner has in her bathrooms, but yours are much nicer. I wish we had an IKEA nearby. We do have Walmart, Target, Big Lots, and Fred Meyer, and of course there's always Amazon, so I should be able to find something. You truly have mad skills at organization, and I mean that as a huge compliment. Of course, at least in my opinion, the goal is to make it look like it was all done by a decorator with costly materials, but really it's DIY with sturdy, but relatively inexpensive components, and you have pulled it off with style! As this is your office, you want, I assume, it to be clean, nice lines, and professional without being austere.

Abbisgram, from your description, it sounds like you've found some great ways to expand your storage space too! I'd love to see a pic of your island and of your closet system. This is what I love about MH owners: they are great DIY-ers! Do either of you ladies know what it would cost to have California Closets come out and organise your closets? Think thousands, not hundreds. Ridiculous, in my personal opinion.

So I offered to buy the dinette set from my friend, the previous owner of my house, and she said I could have it free! The table rocks a bit, but I can easily fix that myself. It's not what I want in the long run, but will do for now. It's not as big as I would like; the four chairs barely squish together enough to sit around the table.

I had an epiphany last night! I can get a round slab, or something that can be made round, that is a few inches bigger than the current table top and affix it right on top of the current table top, and voila! A bigger table! I can paint it to match the island I'm building and while I'm at it, I can paint the counter tops too, which will at least pull the kitchen together color wise until I can afford the kitchen overhaul I want to do with new counters and appliances. Of course, then I should go ahead and paint the cabs and cupboards, lol! Quite a project, but an inexpensive one in the grand scheme of things.

At some point before my friend bought this MH, someone tried to do a kitchen remodel or tried to fit a new oven in a space that didn't fit. The result is that you can only open the oven a little more than halfway before it literally hits the cabinet kitty corner from it and you can't open it any further! Makes it tricky pulling hot things out of the oven! Haha!

Anyway, I'd love to hear from more of you out there! What have you done to create more storage space in your MH? :-)

Debbie, before you do new counters you owe it to yourself to look at the Rustoleum line called Transformations for refinishing formica counters. Others here have reported exquisite results. I am sort of considering it myself, as I am not best pleased with how dark my counters are. It's hard to tell if they are dirty, nothing shows.

Organization is my thing. It has always been my thing. This is MY JUNK DRAWER.

Also, as a partial explanation of why I wanted so much kitchen storage capacity, I try to practice the Jewish separation of meat and milk. I'm not as obsessive about it as an Orthodox Jewish housewife would be, but I have separate flatware, dishes, and cookware. Also a range with a small upper oven (dairy) and a larger lower oven (meat). My china cabinet stores the good china for Passover and ritual items: Shabbat candlesticks, seder plate, havdalah set, Elijah cup, honey dish, etc. One kitchen drawer is devoted to the tealights, candles, and matches I use on Shabbat, festivals and holidays. I need a big kitchen with whole bunches lots of storage space, I really do.

Cathy, it looks like you and I share some common interests, or maybe I should say character traits. I too love being organised, a place for everything, and everything in its place. Am I right in suspecting that you have a passion for office supplies? Lol, I certainly do. What Macy's or Nordstrom does for my daughter, Office Depot does for me, haha! I'm with you and Abbisgram on the clothes thing too. It just doesn't interest me much, and I'd rather save up my money to put into something lasting, like my house.

Don't get me wrong; I don't walk around looking like a bag lady. But I rarely buy clothes, and when I do, it's from the thrift shop, although I draw the line at undergarments, which I buy new. At the thrift shops, I go through everything really diligently and find the good stuff. I'm always clean and dressed appropriately for whatever the occasion. I always get compliments on my style, which is hilarious, because I spend so little time and effort on it. Most people have no idea I spend $9 on a dress they would pay over $100 for, that I get my hair cut once a year, color it myself at home 2-3 times a year, etc. What I do buy I take very good care of so it lasts for years. I try to pick timeless classics, not fads that will be out of style next year. I've been trying to think back, but I know it's been at least two years since I bought any clothes. :-) I do need a few pairs of slacks, so I'm going to hit the thrift shops soon.

Yes, I can see you do need all that kitchen space! You were both lucky and very smart to be able to buy your MH brand new and put in all the design changes you did, as well as the "invisible" upgrades like insulation, etc. I am United Methodist by religion. My home church, back on the western side of the Cascades, shares our space with a Reformed Jewish congregation. It has been a delightful cooperative venture! I was able to learn a lot about the Jewish faith and have great respect for it. We do a joint service once a year where we combine our choirs and both the rabbi and the pastor speak and it's always a wonderful time of coming together.

As far as kitchen space goes, I also do my own cooking, baking, and freezing. I recently read that 75% of American households eat out or pick up fast food 3-4 times a week! I cannot think of anything more wasteful, in my personal opinion, than that. No wonder everyone's in debt and getting fat! Cooking at home takes some time, planning, and yes, organization, but the food, again in my opinion, tastes better, is definitely healthier, and saves so much money! (I'm sure you're beginning to tell I'm, um, frugal. Some would say cheap; I prefer frugal.) I'm in college full time and have my own business. My monthly take home pay is meagre. So what would I rather do with the little money I have? Go out to dinner with my daughter and spend $75 for something that will be literally eliminated from my body in 24 hours, or put it towards a deck that we can enjoy countless dinners on? And since we love to cook together, that is much more rewarding time together stocking up memories that will last forever!

OK, off my soapbox. :-) I'm preaching to the choir here anyway, I suspect. You've mentioned the need for a good coat closet in your neck of the woods on a couple of threads. Is that where you keep your vacuum cleaner? Silly question, maybe, but I'm trying to figure out where to keep my vacuum cleaner, carpet sweeper, brooms, and mop. The previous owners just have them sitting in the already narrow hallway, and that's not cool with me. It's not attractive and it's a fall risk. I don't have a coat closet, and they're not really necessary here, but it would have made a good place to store that stuff. I'm planning to buy a nice coat rack with an umbrella stand, but that doesn't solve the cleaning supplies issue. If I could get an inexpensive stand alone pantry or small wardrobe, that might do the trick, but my kitchen/dining area is not large, and I'm already planning the bigger table, the buffet, and the island. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's clutter! I don't want every square inch of space to have something in it. But I can't think of where else it could go. Maybe just put them free standing in my little half bath, where at least other people couldn't see them? I'm open to suggestions!

And I'm contemplating a shed. I know you have one; what do you store in it? For me, I'm thinking Christmas tree and holiday decorations. I'm big on decorating my living space for the season and holidays. I have lots of throw pillows so I can change them seasonally. It's a fun and inexpensive way to jazz up the living room and change things up without buying new furniture. I'm also thinking I'll need a few garden tools, but not many. I'm going for a low to no maintenance yard, but I also want to plant a vegetable garden down the road. My park has this amazing "community shed." It has a couple of lawn mowers, some weed whackers, and some other yard tools and even some power tools. When you want to use something, you go to the office and get the keys. The deal is that you bring it back same day, and in the case of the lawn mowers, you refill it with gas. Such a great idea!! But I'll probably want a few of my own things like a trowel, gloves, hat, maybe a hoe. And then I could also store stuff like paint and other materials as I do the "extreme home makeover." Do you feel like your shed is necessary and creates space for a lot of things you don't necessarily want to keep inside your house? Do you recommend a metal shed like from Home Depot or Lowes? I'll have to check the park rules, but I'm pretty sure we can have more or less anything, as long as it's well kept and not an eyesore. I'm still chuckling over your park's requirement that you MUST have a shed!

Another question, and I hope you don't mind my picking your brain, is what is your opinion on freezers? Do you have one? If so, where is it? Do you feel they are economical, in terms of being able to buy meat and other freezer items in bulk?

Finally, thank you so much for your advice on the Rustoleum Transformations! I will most definitely check it out! I really appreciate your tips since I am such a newbie at this whole home ownership thing. If you decide to go for it, would you be willing to share some before and after pics? Pictures really are worth a thousand words when it comes to home decor. Like your office pic with the dressers and tops on either side of the window--wow! Seeing it is so much better than verbal description!

Well, my thousand words are about up here, so I'll stop. :-) ALL SPACE CREATING AND SPACE SAVING IDEAS WELCOME!

Whew! lots to say here. Yeah, not into clothes and shoes, but I do have a terrible weakness for older Coach handbags. Ebay is my friend; I rarely spend over $50 for a bag that was over $350 new. And I have enough of them, so I have stopped buying. I dress funny, in rather long skirts (just above the ankle) and men's t-shirts where I have cut off the crewneck and turned the raw edge with bias tape, making it into a dressier high scoopneck tee. I wear tights, petticoats and bloomers under those long skirts, too. Warmer than jeans! And I can always sew something.

Oh, my, office supplies. Yes, we have a trip to Staples planned tomorrow, because I need a few binders and a new eraser. My husband and I both love office supplies. Hmm, need paper for the printer, too.

I have my broom, mop, dustmop, dustpan, all hanging on the wall in my laundry room using those Command removable hooks and crocheted hanging loops through the hole in the handle. It only takes a few inches of depth, so can go on a wall behind where a door opens. Or next to a washer and dryer these days, as 27 inch wide models replace the older 30 inch wide ones. My vacuum cleaner is the canister sort, and fits in the linen closet under the lowest shelf. Upright vacuums are harder. I like the decorative covers for them, myself. Decorative upright vacuum covers. But even then you need a place to park it.

We have no Christmas tree or decorations (obviously) and my Chanukah decorations and Purim baskets fit in one banker's box on a closet shelf. Your shed would be a good place for your Christmas things and other seasonal decorations. We keep our luggage (lots of it, from moving to and from overseas) and our 4 cots for when my daughter and family visits, and lawnmower, rakes, snow shovel, ice chipper, snowblower, weed whacker, pruners, and grass trimmers in there. Seasonally; the snow blower, shovel, and ice chipper live on our front porch in winter. The clothesline and barbecue grill go in the shed for winter. Gardening hand tools all go in a bucket with hat and gloves, to grab and go, in my coat closet on the floor. That community shed sure sounds like a great thing!! We had to buy our own equipment, and decided to go with electric to pollute less. (Yes, we drive a hybrid; how did you know?)

The only shed I can actually recommend is one made by local Amish men, but I doubt you have Amish woodworkers and carpenters within 10 miles like we do. I hope somebody else can advise you on sheds.

We bought a freezer. It is an ugly thing, sitting in my "sunroom", the place between the kitchen and dining room where I told them I did NOT want the sliding patio doors but a regular window instead. It's supposed to be a second eating area. It is almost all doors or open area, no place to put much of anything. A rocking chair someday, perhaps. But where I live, we are able to buy a front 1/4 of a cow for a hanging weight price that works out to a processed weight price of $5.00 a pound. So for the cost of hamburger we get hamburger, roasts, and steaks, short ribs, stew beef, and soup bones. And more. I don't know if you have a local slaughterhouse/butcher shop that would allow you to save money this way. But I also make casseroles ahead to freeze, and freeze leftover Thanksgiving turkey and Passover brisket in meal size portions. We do this so that we can go a couple weeks at a time without having to buy food in case we get a really bad snow or ice storm. I buy beans and grains in bulk, as in 25 to 45 pound bags, because it is cheaper and so I will have them on hand.

I make my own soap. I make a strong lard and lye soap to grate and make into liquid laundry detergent (the old equal parts borax, washing soda, finely grated soap recipe) and then make it liquid so I can use it with cold water in my HE washing machine. I make my own liquid castile soap, using 80% olive oil and 20% coconut oil for hand soap, bath gel and shampoo. A bar would be better than the liquid for in the shower, because I could superfat it to make it more moisturizing. You can't easily superfat liquid soaps, they separate. But that saves a bit of money.

I bought a couple dozen cotton flour sack dishtowels at Walmart, and some cotton bar cloths, too, and some cheap heavy cotton napkins at Amazon so no paper towels or napkins are needed. My husband resists the idea of using 3 or 4 packs of 18 cheap Walmart washcloths instead of toilet paper, though. Even though I would wash them in hot water, separately. And the idea of using handkerchiefs instead of kleenex creeps me out. I sneeze pretty messily sometimes.

Haha Cathy! Sometimes I think we must be long lost sisters! I too have attempted to stop using disposable paper products. I no longer use paper towels or napkins at all. I use microfibre cloths and/or kitchen towels. However, I do want to get some better looking cloth napkins for guests; microfibre cloths don't cut it for company. I had almost decided to start using cloth TP. But then I watched this show that used to be on TLC called "Extreme Cheapskates." One show featured a family who, amongst other things, used cloth tp. It seemed to be working well for them. But then I read a couple of reviews on Amazon. One guy who claimed to be a microbiologist said that washing them in the washing machine doesn't get them sterile, and another reviewer said the extra fresh water and detergent used to wash them is actually worse for the environment than paper tp. So, I need to do further research. I'm currently using tp for nose blowing, but am thinking about cloth handkerchiefs, as I don't blow my nnose that often. My car's not a hybrid, but my next one will be.

I love your broom/mop storage solution! Inexpensive, easy, and takes up almost no space. I actually can put these up in the hallway across from the washer/dryer. It won't look messy, and it takes care of the trip hazard I was worried about.

I also had a minor epiphany about my entryway. As you may remember, I have no coat closet. And when you step inside my front door you are right in the living room. No vestibule, entryway, just boom, there you are in the living room. So I've been thinking about it in terms of people coming in with wet, muddy shoes. What is there right now is a 3 ft horizontal strip of linoleum that goes from the master to the kitchen, it has a gold colored strip and then the LR carpet starts. The carpet is about 8-9 years old, the linoleum and kitchen linoleum I believe are original. My plan is to rip it all out, even the carpet (can you say five dogs three cats?) and replace it with vinyl plank tiles. But I've been thinking about how to kind of create an entryway where people can take off their coats, and take off/put on their shoes and slippers. I'm getting a coatrack with an umbrella stand. But I was thinking there was no room for anything else. Then I had my little epiphany-- yes, there IS room! What I had failed to remember is that the space is there, it's just cluttered up with an exercise bike being used as a clothes hanger, a humidifier, a stack of junk, etc. (It's a very cluttered house). Of course, none of that will be there when I move in, so it will make a perfect space to put in a pretty little bench that folks can sit on for coat and shoe removal. My only question now is whether I should have a different kind of flooring in that area, like there is now, to demarcate the space? Right now it feels like space is getting lost because, besides the different flooring there, a long sofa is sitting with its back to the door right along the edge of the carpet, so the room is divided by the floor and sofa. Besides not marking any line with flooring so it's not visually chopping up the space, and not putting a couch there, I can't think of a way to make it more open, yet indicate that this is the coat and shoe station, so to speak. What would you recommend?

Yes! That is exactly the kind of freezer I was talking about. And yes, we can get parts of cows and pigs here for much less than retail. The freezer on the refrigerator that's coming with the house isn't super big, so a freezer would be nice for those frozen casseroles as well as leftovers, etc. I also always carve up the extra turkey and save it, although we ended up getting such a small bird this year that the leftovers only lasted about 10 days. I just don't know where I would put it. Hmmm...I'll have to think on that. Do you feel, factoring in the cost of the freezer and the extra electricity, that you come out ahead?

By the way, from the tiny peeks I've gotten from your pics, I can tell that you have a very beautiful home! And it will last forever because you obviously take very good care of it.

I understand where some of the negativity directed towards manufactured homes and those who dwell in them comes from, and that is because there is a certain segment of the MH population who, for whatever reason, do not maintain their homes, inside or out. I'm not even talking about putting upgrades in, I'm talking about maintenance, something every homeowner has to do. Of course, it's also true that there are stick built homes that are not well maintained either, but that's another story. I think being in a well regulated park helps, because at least you know your neighbors aren't going to pull all their skirting off and never replace it, or have awnings dangling by one nail, or whatever. Of course, it's hard to regulate the inside of someone's house. But my point is, if people take regular, good care of their MH, keep it clean, repair or replace things when they break, do maintenance on schedule, such as changing furnace filters, etc., do an informal inspection of the home every once in a while, then your MH is going to last as long as you need it to.

My parents had lived in their MH for nearly 35 years when they sold it, and there wasn't one single thing wrong with it when they moved out, and it was spotlessly clean. They sold it within days and got over $200,000 for it. They had purchased it and their lot in a mobile home park where everyone owns his/her own lot in 1973 for $69,000, $6,000 being the lot price at the time. Of course, they sold in 2007, just before the financial crisis hit, and they were very, very lucky. I'd be curious to know what that MH/lot would go for today. But my original point, which probably got lost somewhere, haha, is that one's MH can be beautiful and functional for many, many years, even the ones that aren't top of the line, IF one is willing to keep up the cleaning and regular maintenance.

ANYWAY...lol, I was trying to compliment you on your lovely home! Your soap making sounds very interesting and fun! Do you put any perfumes or other types of scent in it? I know you've mentioned having allergies before, so is that one reason you make your soap? My second son had very sensitive skin as a young child, and I spent years washing his clothes, towels, bedding, in a hypoallergenic, expensive detergent. Had I known more back then, I likely would have at least explored the idea of making my own soap. These days, being in school full time, writing my dissertation, and trying to maintain my business at least to the point where I can get through each month, is really more than I can handle, given my health situation. However, things will slow down considerably once I graduate, and I would really enjoy doing some other sorts of things, like making soap, sewing, maybe even quilting, or at least trying it out.

Of course, the next three years are all about getting my MH up to snuff; there is really little I can do beyond that and my schoolwork, either financially or physically. I'm doing a large part of the refurbishing of my home myself. And yes, everyone thinks I've lost my mind. I won't be stubborn about it. If I honestly can't do something myself because of my physical limitations, I will hire someone. I also will hire skilled workers for things an amateur like me shouldn't attempt, like redoing the electrical. But I can do a lot more than people give me credit for. I always wonder, when kind friends and family insist on doing things for me, like putting my walker in and out of my van, how do they imagine I do it when they aren't around? OK, it will take me maybe triple, maybe quadruple the time it would take an able-bodied person to do some of the home improvement projects I plan on doing myself. So what??? If I'm alive then I have the time. It will save me thousands of dollars, which will enable me to do a lot more to my MH than if I just paid people to do everything.

That's why this forum, and particularly your advice, has been so meaningful to me. I have this wonderful opportunity that I thought I'd never have again after my 1998 divorce, to own a home again, a home I can retire in (not that I'll actually ever fully retire), a place off the beaten path where I can write, and an asset I can leave for my daughter. It's not what most people would think of as their golden opportunity or their dream retirement home, but that's because it comes wrapped in elbow grease and isn't situated next to the golf course at the country club. But I can see through the exterior packaging and recognise that it is my golden opportunity. Mine doesn't have to look like anybody else's. I could easily have passed over buying this old behemoth, and waited for something better to come along. But let's face it--I'm 55, disabled, don't feel well about 70% of the time, and have very niche skills--what are the odds something "better" is going to fail into my lap? I certainly don't need anything bigger--this 14x56 is going to be almost more than I can keep up with cleaning-wise. As it stands, it's ugly as hell, especially inside, but it's structurally sound. My lot rent, which just went up to $280 per month, includes water and septic, and is far, far less than anything I could rent in the area. I have great credit because I live a little below my means, as opposed to most Americans who live way beyond their means, I have an excellent income to debt ratio, because I have no debt, but no one in his right mind would give me a thirty year mortgage on a stick built home, due to my age, health, and income. But I have this once in my lifetime opportunity to buy this fixer upper for $2,000 and the money to sink $25,000-$35,000 into fixing it up. I'll have a beautiful small home that is all mine, paid for in cash, where I can afford to live for the rest of my life. Who could possibly want more? I just spent a year living in Zambia, and I can tell you that I'm one of the luckiest people in the world.

I had to chuckle, Cathy, when you told me how you dress, because it's not too different from my own style! I also wear a lot of long skirts with simple t-shirts. I don't do as much layering as you do, but I live in a warmer climate, plus I've been boiling hot since I hit 40, haha! I sometimes wear jeans, because they're comfortable, and I sometimes wear slacks rather than skirts. But my attire is always on the simple side. I don't wear makeup and I wear very little jewellery. I do have an affinity for handbags, though! I'd love to see your Coach collection some day. I recently bought a "fringe" purse that I love! I know it must be in style because my young college student gals compliment it all the time and want to know where I got it (Amazon). I'm currently down to one pair of acceptable jeans and zero acceptable slacks, so tomorrow I'm picking up my daughter and we're hitting the thrift shops. I also need a winter coat. I have a rain coat that is really too small for me, and that's it. I have a couple of fairly nice coats in my storage unit, but I don't want to go dig through everything to find them if I can get something acceptable for under $12 at the thrift shop.

It has snowed for four days in a row here! That is almost unheard of! We have at least a good inch on the ground! I know, that's nothing to you, but it's a pretty big deal here. :-) Four of my housemates are graduate students from China, and they've never seen snow before! They're thrilled with it all! My favourite thing about living in Zambia for a year was missing winter, but that's just me. So obviously, I don't need all the equipment you have, i.e. Snow blower, snow shovel, etc. I really do hope the MH park lets me put in my carport, though. I don't enjoy scraping ice off my windshield in the morning. And even with my walker, snow and ice are a big fall risk for me.

You are right; no Amish here, no Mennonites of any stripe that I'm aware of. In the little Dutch town I grew up in, in central CA, we had "The Old German Baptist Brethern." Very, very nice people. My dad took us to their church service a couple of times. He liked to teach us that there are many ways to worship and practice one's faith. There was no preacher; people spoke when they had something to say. Correction--men spoke. Women and children weren't allowed. My favourite thing was the community dinner afterwards, potluck. Yummmmmy! Anyway, as pertains a shed, I'm sure having one built for me would be cost prohibitive. I'll have to go with something pre-fab, either wood or metal. I'm leaning towards metal, because wood has to be painted on a fairly regular basis. I'll need to check the park rules to see what's allowed.

Anyway, thanks once again for answering my myriad of questions! It is truly appreciated! I'm sure I'll have a million more once I actually move into my MH, which has been put off from next month until June, to give my friends more time to find a new place to live. I'm going to do some small things while they're still living there. I need a better guard rail on the front steps. I need back door steps. There aren't any, and that's actually illegal. I need a new front screen door. And there is a small section of subfloor that needs to be repaired. The leak that caused the damage has been fixed. Even though I'm redoing the floors in September, I feel like that spot should be shored up now. Haha, this is typical of my friend's DH, but his solution to the soft spot in the floor was to put a gigantic X over it with bright red reflection tape, right on the linoleum! You can see why I want new floors. :-)

Oh, I wanted to mention that I hope to go out to the MH in the next week, depending upon the snow situation, and take a bunch of pictures and video. This is both for planning purposes, and because I want to document the restoration project, so these will be my "before" pictures. I'll post a few on this forum so you can see what I'm getting myself into. :-)

The original floorplan of our home called for one of those 3'x3' sections of vinyl at the front door. We altered it to have the vinyl extend all the way across the far end of the living room to the coat closet, about 9 feet long and 3 and a half wide. That gives us space for a 3' bench with a shoe shelf under it. It was nice, no worrying about muddy shoes or snowy boots. Now, since we replaced the carpet and entry vinyl with laminate, we have a runner that matches the area rug in the living room for mud and snow..

Our house was not cheap. We could have bought a stickbuilt house in town in a good neighborhood for half the price of this home. (and I would have!) But my husband wanted the manufactured home. Single floor living, everything brand new, no rewiring needed to be a true 3 wire grounded system, A/C, furnace, hot water heater all properly sized, better insulation than in older houses, the list of reasons goes on. We have 8' walls and wallboard throughout, plus wallboard ceilings. It truly looks like a stickbuilt home on the inside!

A runner! See, I knew you would have a really elegant solution! Now that my DD has me rethinking my colour palette, I'll have to look for different area rugs (LR & DR) than the ones I've picked out, and will try to find something with a matching runner. Ooh! I had a thought about freezer placement. Like your home originally, my laminate area inside the front door extends all the way into the kitchen, where it meets the refrigerator. The fridge is not "enclosed," which is a good thing, in my view, because if I ever want to get a bigger one, I don't have to worry about whether it will fit into its designated space. It just sits at the end (or beginning, really) of the counter. There are two tiny little cupboards above it, which I'll never use and which could very easily be knocked out if more vertical space were needed for a new fridge. But that aside, my thought is that since there's nothing separating the kitchen from the LR entry space there, I think there may be enough room to set an upright freezer right next to the refrigerator and still have room for my coat rack/umbrella stand and a little bench for people to change shoes! That's one of the things I need to check when I go out there to take pictures. I should probably check out the electrical outlet situation there, too.

I have to say I agree with your hubby on the MH choice, especially as it is your retirement home. All his points are valid. In my situation, I don't take one-floor living for granted. And, my mouth to God's ear may this never happen, but at our age it could only take one fall and stair usage is out of the equation for good. As my DD and I have discussed a "cozy cottage" for me to retire in over the past five years or so, I always insisted it had to be a ranch style house...no stairs! Where I rent a room now in an old, old house, I have one of only two rooms on the ground floor. His point about maintenance is valid too. When my parents bought their MH in 1973, one of the main reasons they went "mobile" was because my dad had extremely severe asthma, and the last time he painted our stick built house it very literally almost killed him. The MH didn't need to be painted, inside or out, and even though it was more than double the square footage of our previous home, the upkeep was significantly easier.

I can definitely tell your house is not low-end! This proves my point made on another thread that it is a myth that all MH owners live below the poverty line, are uneducated, and have an old pickup with no tires sitting on cement blocks on the front lawn, haha! Many, many MH owners are upper middle and upper class, and many MH living communities are as swanky as any gated community. For better or for worse, that isn't my personal situation, but you can drop in on me at any place I've ever lived, and you won't find it dirty, unsanitary, or unkempt in any way.

And that's what irritates me about certain MH owners. Having a MH and not having a lot of financial resources is not a license to trash your home and yard. Keeping things clean and neat is not costly! It gives all MH owners a bad name when a few bad apples live like they were born in a barn--a very dirty barn, lol! And between you and me, and I guess anyone with Internet access, lol, that's one thing that really bothers me about my new MH. I love my friend dearly, but her house--my house!--is a pig sty. For one thing, she's a hoarder. I don't mean that as a joke; she has a serious hoarding problem, like on the TV show Hoarders. Her issue is clothes. I've actually never been able to completely see the small bedroom because it is literally filled floor to ceiling with clothes, to the point that no human can open the door far enough to step into the room. They lived through three winters without a working furnace, until I put one in in October, because they couldn't afford to repair or replace it, but her shopping trips never missed a beat.

Second, there is dog and cat hair EVERYWHERE. They have just gotten down to zero pets, but the hair lives on. Third, housekeeping just isn't their thing. I personally cannot function in a dirty or messy environment, but their standards are at a different level. It didn't surprise me one bit when she told me she can't find the title. I had to get really firm with her and tell her I'm withholding the payment for the house until she gives me a certified copy of the title and proof all taxes are current, as required by state law. That seems to have lit a fire under her, haha!

But at any rate, your beautiful home is not beautiful only because it was expensive, but also because you and hubby keep it up beautifully! Believe me, you could rent it out to the wrong people, and it could be totally trashed in short order! There was a woman in my church in CA who owned a beautiful, very pricey home in a very nice neighbourhood. Her husband was an alcoholic and her son was a criminal delinquent. She passed away a few years after her husband died, and about a year after anyone had seen her son. When we went to clean out her home, we were shocked! Every wall and door had multiple holes from being punched, most of the windows were broken and taped over with cardboard and duct tape, the once-gorgeous white carpets were unrecognisable from the alcohol, food, pet waste, and lord knows what that was spilled everywhere, the oven had been destroyed from what appeared to be a baseball bat to the top of it and kicking into the front of it, only one toilet of four was in working order, and I could go on and on. This was in the middle of the housing bubble, but we couldn't have unloaded that thing for anything close to the valuations in the comps. The thing that irritates me is because it was a stick built, it was considered an abberation, but if it had been a manufactured home, it would have been considered as "typical for those people," by some, at least.

Anyway, your home is very very beautiful, and no doubt it will last as long as any stick built, if not longer! My goal for my MH is to get it to the point where conservative estimates would say it will last another fifty years, long enough for both me and my daughter to retire and live out our lives there. And obviously, I'd like to make it as visually attractive as my budget will allow. I love to be surrounded by beauty, and I want to be proud of my home and happy and content to spend a lot of time there writing. I believe my budget/financial plan for the next few years will allow that. :-) I also like the challenge, like playing a game, to see how much I can do with the least amount of money. It stretches my creativity gene to find an inexpensive way to do something that looks the same as someone else who spent far more money. And I know I'd still do that if I won the lottery tomorrow, which would be a true miracle, seeing as how I never buy lottery tickets, haha!

Oh, almost forgot to mention...after the current owners move out and before I move in, I'm having a professional crew I've worked with before go into my MH and CLEAN it, floor to ceiling, including cleaning the carpets. Since I know them and have seen their work in an apartment that was totally trashed and probably hadn't been cleaned once in the three years the tenets lived there, including the toilets (eeww!), (a rental property my ex owned), I can tell you that when they're through I would defy anyone to go in and find one speck of dirt, one dog or cat hair, or one surface you wouldn't eat off of. It's going to cost several hundred dollars, but in this case, it's worth every penny and more. The apartment in question was just slightly larger than my MH, and this was four years ago, and it was around $600, I think. But ex hubby only had to replace carpets and two mini blinds when they were done. He had thought he was going to have to paint all the walls, replace both toilets and one shower, replace three interior doors, etc. Best $600 he ever spent! I'd pay double, but shh! Don't tell them that! :-)

I've come up with a couple other space saving/creating ideas. These won't work for everyone, but I thought I'd share them because they might help someone else out.

First, I'm switching to a portable dishwasher. Apparently they're making quite a comeback. Who knew? This creates space two ways. First, I can get another base cabinet where the built in dishwasher was. Second, the portable I'm getting has a butcher block top; this was done intentionally so it can be used as a prep station, mini island, if you will. My kitchen is an eat-in (no dining room), so I actually have a place to "park" the portable unobtrusively out of the way. One caution: many portables don't paint the sides to match the front. I had to look for one that was black on all sides, not black on the front and white on the sides. It makes no sense to me. But, if cabinet space is at a premium and you have room to park a portable, and could use a wee bit more counter space, a portable dishwasher with a butcher block top might be an option worth considering. They are more expensive than a basic built in.

Second, and this obviously isn't original to me, is that I'm going with a range hood/microwave combo. This won't work if you need, or want, a hood that goes through the roof to vent outside. But if you're OK with just a fan, this is an obvious space saver. I have so little counter space, and the previous owners have their microwave in the dreaded "corner" space, which is exactly where I'd put mine. So combining it with the hood seemed like a no brainer to me. Additionally, the one I've picked out doubles as a convection oven, and I'm already thinking about next Thanksgiving, haha! The drawback, of course, is the cost. My current microwave is five years old and in perfect working order. It cost $35 at Target. The hood/microwave/convection oven is about 11 times that. But you can buy much less expensive ones. For me, since I'm doing a complete kitchen remodel, it's worth it to gain that counter space.

I've already posted above about making a small, portable island, so I won't rehash it here.

I hope this is helpful for people with very small kitchens who are desperate to create more space!

:-)

my daughter has used the Rustoleum "paint" in two different kitchens, once to cover up some ceramic tile and once to cover laminate counters. She does add a top coat of a clear sealer. The counters look absolutely wonderful (neither one of these was a manufactured home).

In my home, I ripped out one entire wall of lower cabinets that were in terrible shape, replaced them with IKEA drawers, and am planning to add more to another wall this year. I have an appt. size under the counter freezer (which is under the counter!). My home is a 1997, 16 ft x 70 ft. I have been in it for five years.

Both bathrooms have been totally redone, two bedrooms have been redone completely, I have a front porch, and added onto it with an uncovered deck, a very tiny covered porch on the rear, and added a deck (uncovered) and when my Dad (now 102 yrs old) moved in with me for a bit, I added a 8 x 16 extension for him (as his living room), it is now my craft room.

My shed contains my weedeater, storage for paint, ladder, extra gardening supplies, Christmas decorations. Currently I use a nice wood buffet to store y good dishes.

Wow, new-beginning, 102! My dad passed away in 2012 at 93. I miss him so much; we were very close.

I'm doing IKEA drawers too! I'm so tired of needing a flashlight and a long spoon or yardstick to fish stuff out of the way back of a cabinet! The bottom drawers are so much easier--also, no having to kneel down on the floor to get stuff! I love IKEA's drawer organizers too.

Cathyyg has also mentioned the Rustoleum counter paint. It sounds like it works really well.

I think at some point I'll probably get a shed for exactly the things you've mentioned. I'd love to see pics of the things you've done with your MH if you would ever care to post!

One idea that doesn't increase storage space, but makes it possible to find things, is drawer dividers. You don't have to buy them. You can use empty tissue boxes, the big rectangular ones and the smaller square ones. You can cut and glue them into other sizes to get exactly what you need. You can cover them with pretty contact paper to strengthen them some. My next empty tissue box is going into my top dresser drawer to keep my folded socks all lined up neatly.

Great idea, Cathy! Joy (my daughter) and I could do it as a craft project! I don't use kleenex any more, so I'll have to enlist as couple of friends to save them for me. I have lots of scrapbooking stuff, so I'll just have to buy some contact paper. We can make them fancy! :-) Good thinking on the socks, too. Thanks for the suggestion! :-)

Oh yeah, Cathy, I think I see one of your creations in the picture above of your "junk drawer." Yes?

Yes, way in the back. Good eyes!

I am going to redo our master-bath. I am ripping out the "garden tub" that takes up all the space in our bathroom. I am going to install a corner shower, and then turn our existing shower in to a linen closet. I am going to rip out the double sink, and replace with a single sink with counter space. Replacing the carpet as well. I will take photos and update as I go.

Amen, Colleen! We opted to get a large shower Instead of a garden tub in our master bath, which came with a linen closet to use the space where the shower would otherwise have been. And I opted for a single sink, too, to get more counter top and usable vanity storage space. I am with you on your remodeling choices! Garden tubs are more a nice fantasy than reality, in my experience. Yeah, you see that tub and imagine reading a novel while sipping chilled white wine while covered with bubbles of gently steaming perfumed water. In reality, you bathe the dog there, because you have no time to take wine enhanced bubble baths.

Hi Colleen! I would love to see pictures as you go through your master bath remodel! I'll eventually be remodeling my main bathroom and the 1/2 bath in the master. In the main bath I'm taking out the tub/shower surround and replacing with a "petite" claw foot tub, no shower. New toilet, new vanity/sink, and a small baker's rack for extra storage. Putting in a medicine cabinet/mirror, frosting the window so I don't need a window treatment, and a new towel rack. Also new flooring, paint, fan, light. I'm not sure what I'm doing in the 1/2 bath, except I know I'm stealing a little room from the bedroom to put in a walk-in shower. SO...I'd love to see your progress and hear about the whole experience! Do you have colors and flooring, etc. picked out yet?

Haha! Cathy--so true about the garden tub. :-)

I have a 98 Fleetwood double wide. The hot water heater is electric and installed in a closet and enclosed with a door and wall board. I looked inside above the water heater and there was a 3ft x 4ft empty space, left in case the home would have a gas hot water heater and need a exhaust outlet. I enclosed the electric heater tore down the walls above and made shelves to store all Christmas items with room to spare. No problem to R&R the electric heater which I did 3 years ago.

Great idea! :-)