(Originally published on MHVillage.com)

One of the great things about manufactured and mobile homes is that they are relatively easy to expand. But, by no means can we regard these expansions as cheap. Some home expansions can easily cost a fortune, even though you are dealing with a manufactured home. Luckily, there are certain budget-friendly ways to expand with mobile home additions. Today, we will explore what they are and how to implement them properly.

Understanding Mobile Home Additions

Adding on to a manufactured or mobile home is much cheaper than doing so for a traditional site-built home. However, that doesn’t mean that it comes cheap. Any home expansion is bound to be costly, especially if you want it properly handled. And, depending on how much you want to expand, it can end up costing you a fair bit. So, in order to make your mobile home additions budget-friendly, you need to research and organize them properly. Only then will these cost-effective ways actually be fruitful.

How to Expand a Mobile Home – The Approach

In order to cost-effectively expand a manufactured home, there are a couple of important steps that you need to take. Remember, there is no golden solution here that is going to cut the cost of expansion in half. Instead, there are seemingly small issues that, if tackled properly, pile up into a decent amount of savings. So, do yourself a favor and follow each of these steps with due care if you want to stay within your desired budget.

Finding a cost-effective contractor

The first thing to do is to find a cost-effective contractor. The important thing to note here is that there is a difference between a cost-effective contractor and a cheap one. A cost-effective contractor will find a way to properly expand your manufactured home at a reduced cost. On the other hand, a cheap contractor will only try to make their services as cheap as possible. Therefore, they will be more than happy to forgo the quality of materials and the quality of work necessary for a decent home expansion. So, if you want to expand your home properly, find a cost-effective contractor.

A capable contractor will help you find ways to build additions for a manufactured home while staying within budget. We suggest that you start looking for your contractor online. Ideally, you want to find someone who has ample experience with manufactured homes.

The more experience they have, the better they will be able to give you sound advice on how to save money. Plus, because of their experience, they will be able to find a way to safely expand your home in a cost-effective manner. Also, do not neglect to check online reviews and to make sure that your contractor has the necessary permits.

Using inexpensive materials

Once you’ve made sure that you have a cost-efficient contractor helping you out, your ways of reducing other costs boil down to the materials that you’ll use. It is important to note that the cost-effectiveness of materials is a tricky subject. While some may seem like a small investment, they don’t provide much durability and you might have to replace them soon. Meanwhile, some materials that require a larger investment can prove to be much more durable. Therefore, in the long run, they will turn out to be the budget-friendly option. Alongside that, you need to consider the area that you are in and the regular weather conditions.

Some Budget-Friendly Mobile Home Additions

Now that you know the basic principles of expanding a manufactured home, you should have little trouble with coming up with creative ways to do so on your own. One thing we would recommend is that you carefully consider how much room you need, as every extra square foot is going to cost you. A good idea is to first declutter your home and see whether expanding it is actually necessary. But, if it is, here are some budget-friendly ways to tackle it.

Roof over

Let’s say that you need to renovate or repair the roof of your mobile home in the near future. Of course, you can simply call up a roofing company and have professionals deal with it. On the other hand, you can use this opportunity to expand your home. The factor that is going to save you money here is that you can extend your new roof over the expanded property. Just find a contractor that can deal with both roofing and home expansion, and you are bound to be pleasantly surprised by the result.

Front porch

If you want to build additions for our mobile home in order to get a bit more living space, we suggest that you consider installing a front porch. Out of all the home expansions, this is the most cost-effective one since it doesn’t require wall installation. A front porch can be a great place to lounge, organize BBQs, and increase your time spent outdoors. So, if you live in a warm climate, definitely consider adding a front porch.

Storage shed

The most common reason why people feel cluttered in their homes is due to having too many items. Most of them don’t even realize that their homes are filled with clutter, and simply believe that adding more space is the necessary step. Well, while adding more living space to your home would help, it isn’t the most cost-effective option. Instead, we suggest that you add a storage shed. There are sites like bluebellmovingandstorage.com where you can learn how to use your storage space in the best way. This home expansion is a cost-effective way to make your living quarters much more pleasant.

The final tip about saving money with mobile home additions

The final thing we would like to mention about budget-friendly homes is that being energy-efficient can save you a fortune. By this, we primarily mean that you need to install top-notch insulation. Most people don’t bother with this and end up wasting a large amount of energy when heating/cooling their homes. Trust us when we tell you that having a properly insulated home is a must, especially if you are considering your home budget.