Single Wide Mobile Home Remodel Before and After

Key Mobile Home Remodel Ideas From This Project:

• Painting cabinets instead of replacing them
• Updating countertops on a budget
• Modernizing lighting fixtures
• Replacing flooring for a dramatic update
• Improving layout flow with better furniture placement

If you’re looking for even more practical, budget-friendly mobile home remodeling ideas beyond this transformation, there are additional room-by-room updates you can consider as well.

If you’ve been searching for mobile home remodel ideas and wondering what’s actually possible on a budget, this single wide transformation might give you the inspiration you need.

When we purchased this older mobile home for my parents, we knew it had potential — it just needed some thoughtful updates and a little elbow grease. While this wasn’t a full gut renovation, the changes we made dramatically improved the look and feel of the space.

We purchased the home for my parents to live in and they loved it just the way it was because it reminded them of their first home.  But when my mother passed away and my father had a stroke shortly after, we decided that my brother and his wife would move in to take care of him.  Now we needed to update the place.

Our trailer is a single-wide mobile home, and while it had plenty of potential, it lacked that home feel we wanted. But unlike site-built homes, mobile homes often require creative solutions to maximize storage space and improve the overall look. The good news is that even small changes can make a huge difference.

With careful planning, a tight budget, and a lot of DIY effort, we turned the old mobile home into a beautiful and functional space that truly feels like home.

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single wide remodeling ideas with a small budget

We needed to do this mobile home remodel quickly so my brother and his wife could move in, and with a small budget, which I knew I could do. Even though my husband was getting nervous about my growing to-do list, I knew I could do it all inexpensively. 

The only expense I was worried about was the floor installation quote I got from Home Depot. Yikes! The product and the installation was around $10,000. Nope. That was not going to happen.

If you’re remodeling your older manufactured home, choosing the right floor type is important. We opted for LVP hardwood flooring in the whole space for its durability and aesthetic appeal.  

I picked floating vinyl plank flooring from LifeProof and we were able to install right over the old floors. Of course we replaced any damaged flooring and had to level up a few spots, but other than that it was a pretty easy installation.

This flooring completely transformed the whole space. Not only did it make the space more updated, but it made the space feel bigger. It’s amazing what having one consistent floor can do for a space. No more with the 3 different vinyl floor tiles that ran through the space. Now it’s one consistent, beautiful floor.

Here is a rundown of the rest of the projects I did and how I did them. I haven’t added up all the expenses, but I’m sure the whole project was under $3000. Wait to you see what a difference it made.

Mobile Home Kitchen Remodel before and after

The kitchen area was another big focus for us. In any home—whether a traditional house or a new mobile home, the kitchen is the heart. A kitchen remodel can seem overwhelming, but we took it step by step to stay within our remodeling budget.

First, we updated the oak looking kitchen cabinets by painting them white. Instead of buying new hardware, we cleaned up the existing hardware and reinstalled them.

New countertops wasn’t necessary, or in the budget, but down the line we plan to update them to modernize the space. 

My dad had a glass cabinet that sat in the corner of his kitchen countertop. This took up so much space on the counter and the only thing in the cabinet was cable boxes, wires, and other miscellaneous stuff. Nothing that you would want to see in a glass cabinet.

So, I decided to take it out. This made so much more space on the counter. Now there is actually a place to put the microwave that doesn’t take up all the counter space.

He also had a corner cabinet that sat on the floor in the back corner of the kitchen. This cabinet had random items in it like some snack foods, cookbooks, plant food, and vases. Again, not a good use of space. So, we took that out. This ended up making a nice corner for my brother’s water cooler.

While I was shopping for paint colors I looked at backsplash options. I really didn’t need to add a backsplash, but you know…I wanted to. 🙂 The peel-and-stick tile worked great with the paint colors and the flooring I chose.

Installing the back splash was so quick and easy. I did however learn something. When you start your backsplash cut one side of the tile into a straight line and start from a corner.

I started in a corner but I didn’t cut the tile first and had to go back after and “fill in” a bunch of tiles. This worked fine but I would have saved myself a lot of time if I had just started with a straight edge to begin with.

These small DIY projects made a big difference in the look and feel of our mobile home kitchen, and Dad loved it.

trailer home hall pantry closet remodel

The hall closet/pantry drove me crazy. It had the cheapest sliding doors that never worked right. My dad tried to “fix” them by adding hinges and making them doors that opened out, but that didn’t work out very well either.

The shelves were very deep, and only 3 of them, so they were useless for holding food items. Everything just got lost deep in the back. Totally a waste of space.

I took off the doors and the tracks. I removed the dividing walls inside the closet and ripped out all the shelves.

Once the closet was all opened up, I didn’t want to build in any shelving. I decided to purchase free-standing units that could be configured to your needs. I purchased one large metal unit with 4 shelves that measured 46″w x 18″d x 72″h. 

This worked great for dried foods and canned items. I also purchased some containers to hold smaller items to organize things a bit better.

For the other side of the closet, I needed shelving for linens and bathroom supplies. My daughter-in-law had a smaller metal shelving unit that worked great for this. I was able to get all of my Dad’s stuff in there.

This left a small section in the middle which was perfect for hanging cleaning tools, the vacuum cleaner, and ironing board.

Lastly, we got two sets of bi-fold doors. This will open up a whole section and still have room in the hall to move around.

mobile home spare bedroom remodel

The plan was to move my Dad into the back bedroom and give my brother and his wife the other one because it had a master bath that was open to the bedroom. This would make it easier for them to get ready for work in the morning without having to walk to the other bathroom.

The rooms were about the same size anyway, so we were able to set up my Dad’s new room exactly the same way he had it before. We added a recliner instead of the winged-back chair he had in the other room and added a TV on top of his dresser so he would have a place to himself to relax.

I know this room isn’t exactly a designer’s showcase, but with my Dad having dementia, we are trying to keep some things familiar to him. Moving him to another room was a big move in itself, so keeping his furniture seems like a good idea for now.

Maybe, bit by bit we can get him some new things. But he did make that bed himself and is proud of it. 🙂 And one of the first things he said when we moved him is that he liked that floral wallpaper. huh. 😉 So for now it stays.

And I bet you’re wondering about the hats? Well, Dad is from the generation where you keep everything. And by “keep everything” I mean not only keep everything but display everything! So, wherever there was a blank space on the wall, he would fill it with something. 

He had his hats on a shelf the length of a whole wall, and hung them over the kitchen table across the window. So when we moved him I decided to collect all his hats and display them in his room. This way he not only gets to enjoy them, but they are easily accessible to grab one and go.

At least they’re not all over the house anymore.

mobile home Master Bedroom Transformation

The master bedroom was another space that needed a lot of love. The room felt small and outdated, so we focused on changes that would make a big difference without breaking the bank.

• We replaced the wall-to-wall carpet.
• We installed new doors for the closet to create a more modern look.
• We did a new coat of paint to brighten up the space and give it a fresh start.
• And installed barn doors into the master bathroom.

Sorry I don’t have after pictures for this project.

mobile home living room redecoration

One of our first steps was updating the interior walls with a fresh coat of paint. This was the easiest way to give our space a fresh look without spending a fortune. We chose a bright color to enhance the natural light and make the rooms feel bigger.  Mobile homes are always so dark and depressing.

We wanted to create a space that felt warm and inviting, like a traditional home, while still maintaining the benefits of mobile homes, like affordability and efficient use of space. 

• We installed new flooring 
• We brightened up the living space by adding new lighting fixtures.
• We painted the walls.

We would have loved to replace the old furniture with pieces that fit the small space better, but this wasn’t an option with my brother moving in all his stuff. So we picked the best pieces of what we had to work with for now.

We made a picture gallery of our family photos. Even though we had one in the same space before, I decided to consolidate the photos by removing outdated pictures. I began the arrangement with a wooden “family” saying and worked the pictures around it. I love the way it turned out. We still have a few pictures to replace, but we can work on that later.

Next was to install a window frame photo project we made for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. Just like the photo arrangement, this ended up where it was before.

Exterior mobile home remodeling

While the exterior needed work, we didn’t do much except replace the front entry deck. Replacing the exterior doors and painting the siding would have been a great way to enhance the overall look of the home, but we’re gonna have to wait on that.

If you’re tackling a mobile home renovation, don’t forget to check for water damage and structural issues at the same time. 

Mobile homes have different construction standards than site-built homes, so it’s always smart to research safety standards and, if needed, check with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Code) and/or your local building inspector for guidelines.

Here are a few more photos from the renovation.

Why a Mobile Home Remodel Is Worth It

Despite the small budget, our remodeled mobile home now feels like a new home. We’ve added modern amenities, improved the feel, and made it our own. Renovation projects like these prove that even an older mobile home can become the best home for your needs with the right updates.

It took time, patience, and a lot of DIY effort, but the transformation was worth it. From the living room to the kitchen remodel and the master bedroom, every update helped turn our house into our dad’s little dream mobile home.

This project was far from a complete rehab or full decorating project, but more like an “I have to get this place ready quick”. But despite that, I think the place looks completely different. Just goes to show you what you can do with a little elbow grease and a little $$.

While we didn’t tackle every room in this remodel, smaller spaces like bathrooms in mobile homes come with their own unique challenges and layout considerations. If you’re planning a bathroom update, you can see my full guide on mobile home bathroom remodeling ideas here.

If you have any single-wide trailer remodeling ideas of your own, please share them below. Let’s help each other out.

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