A perfect home is a dream for many, and it’s best to get a custom home designed. However, what if, some years down the line, your home feels smaller than your needs? You obviously cannot go on building a new home altogether. That would be too costly.
So, you need to have options like building a second story to your manufactured or mobile home open to yourself. The question is, can that be done? Is it really feasible to add a second story to a manufactured or mobile home?
Well, the short answer is Yes, it’s possible. For more detailed answers to this question, go on and have a read of this article that explains all aspects of adding a second story to a manufactured or mobile home.
Can You Add Second Story to Different Types of Homes?
There are different types of homes in which you may want to get a second story added. Let’s have a look of a second story can indeed be added to these different kinds of homes.
Manufactured home
Yes, you can surely add a second story to a manufactured house. A manufactured house is durable, with strong walls and a concrete roof. You need to have side pillars if you think to build the house stronger and more durable. The second story is easily built over the already existing house.
Mobile home
For a mobile house, you need first to develop a self-supporting addition. This will be attached to the mobile home, and the second story will be built upon it. Mobile houses are not too strong that a second story can be built directly over them. Thus, you need a support base to strengthen the original structure and get the second story done.
Modular home
Yes, having a self-supporting addition is the key to having a second story to your modular house. In building a self-supporting addition to a modular house, you need first to do some excavation and then raise the house from the ground surface. In this manner, you can build up a double-story structure on a modular house.
Manufactured home vs mobile home vs modular home: What’s the difference?
Now, the question is how you can differentiate between these three types of houses? Well, the answer follows in this article.
The HUD code
As per the HUD code, a mobile house and a manufactured house are both built in a factory and/or on a permanent chassis and then transported to a site. Both these types of houses are prefabricated. The modular house is built on the site itself, and there is no need of transporting the house structure to any other place. It is a type of on-site house.
The Structure
A manufactured house has a pier and beam foundation. It is usually built on a permanent foundation, crawl space, or basement. It has got minimum roof pitching and foundation wall requirements. It has an overhang length.
Modular houses have steel frames and on-frame foundations with lower-pitch roofs.
Mobile houses are fabricated or made up of very light material that can be easily transported. They may have got some single, double or triple sections in their structure.
How much does it cost to add a modular second story?
Coming to the cists, there are various costs to be borne when building a second story on your house. Herein below are all the costs you will have to bear.
The cost of materials
The cost of materials ranges from 20,000 dollars to about 40,000 dollars for building up three walls and a roof to a modular house.
The cost of foundation
Foundation mainly costs around 12,000 dollars. It is mainly concrete based and has got strong support.
The cost of a new roof
A new roof costs around 25,000 dollars. In modular houses, you need to decide the type of material to build the roof. Whether to use concrete or any other building material.
The cost of appliance
The cost of appliances is proportional to the cost of facilities you have set up in your home. The minimum cost of a modular two-story is around 5,000 dollars.
The cost of labor
Labour cost is around 10,000 to 15,000.
The cost of doors and window
The type of material used in making the doors and windows decides the cost of building them. If we talk about standards then the cost is around 30,000 dollars.
Also Read: How to Update the Exterior of a Ranch Style House?
Is it cheaper to add a second floor or an addition?
An addition is cheaper to build as compared to a second floor. If you wish to build a second floor to your house, that might require an addition to be built first in case of a mobile or manufactured house. But, in the case of a modular house, you just need to build upon the story with some support.
Thus, laying down the second floor is costlier, and an addition costs you relatively low. All parameters, such as the cost of materials and the size of the story, matter when we talk about the cost of an addition or a second floor.
How can you add a second story to a mobile home?
Herein below are the simple steps that you can follow to add a second story to your mobile home.
Find out the cost
First, consider the total cost of building the second story by taking into consideration various other parameters too, like the cost of materials, structure, labor costs, doors and windows, and appliances cost.
Gather permit
If you have a house on your own registered land, you need not take any permission from any authority. But suppose you have your house in a park or a public community place. In that case, you need to have a permission certificate from that place’s municipal body or concerned development authority.
Plan the new structure
You need to hire an architect to develop a plan for your new story. The plan should be as per your budget and requirements.
Rebuild the foundation and the roof
If the roof requires any repairing before the second story is built on it, you need to see to it and start building the second story. The foundation also needs to be rebuilt and should be supported by steel supports or pillars.
Implement the process
You need to hire a contractor to implement the process and then start the work on your new story. The labor shall be intimidated by the contractor itself.
FAQ’s
Can mobile homes have two stories?
Yes, mobile houses can have two stories. The building up of an additional story requires additional support to be built on before the story is built.
Can you make upgrades to a mobile home?
Yes, a mobile house can be renovated. The task requires the rebuilding of the roof and the foundation again.
Can you add a level to a modular home?
A modular home can have another level. This requires building pillars and steel frames to support the existing structure before starting to build up the new story.
Can you join two modular homes together?
Yes, two modular homes can be joined together by merging them through a common wall. This is similar to building up the next level to an already existing modular home framework.
Can you add a modular addition to an existing home?
Yes, modular addition can be added to an existing home. Modular addition requires a good amount of cost and proper planning in order to be executed effectively.
Conclusion
Modular houses are strong and permanent houses on which a second story can be build by developing pillars or steel frames.
Mobile houses or manufactured houses are typically fabricated and, thus, need an addition that can act as a support to the already existing framework.
Before deciding to build a second story, you need to understand the cost of materials, cost of labor, cost of appliances, and other essential expenses.
So, it’s a long process and requires lot of thought and consideration. Once you have given the process a thought, you are good to go with building a second story in your manufactured or mobile home.
