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Old 11-30-2018, 02:05 PM
 
1,262 posts, read 1,297,571 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gingercoyote View Post
I like the idea of a park model as mentioned above. It can be moved if the house is sold or things aren't working out. It might also be less expensive than adding a second story to the garage.
Another poster mentioned parking an RV next to the house for a year. In many neighborhoods that is not allowed, so a check with the city would be in order. I find them to be unsightly and overwhelming in a residential area.

I've researched Park Models and larger mobile type homes. I found that for the price of a park model (which are built to RV standards), you may not get enough insulation to be comfortable. Homes over 400 sq feet have to be built to HUD standards, which are higher. Also, some communities and states will not let you live in a park model parked in the same place all year round. Some communities also prohibit dwellings of less than 1,000 square feet.

Depending on where the OP lives, Palm Harbor makes a small mobile home 15 X 48 (586 square feet) called the Paradise. The Paradise also comes in larger sizes, or you can custom size it in 4 ft increments. This might work, however it is only available in the Pacific Coast states. The same company also makes a similar model under a different name that is available in Florida and one or two adjacent states.

The important thing is not to focus on the base model, but rather one that has the construction and comforts that you want, particularly things you don't see like floor construction, size of lumber used, insulation, adding outdoor electrical and water connections, heating & cooling, ceiling height, roof pitch of at least 4/12. The home can be sited so that there are no stairs if you are allowed to excavate for a crawl space.

If the community allows them, they can be a great low cost option for a decade or two, and if you have to move it in the first 5 years, it's doable.

I plan on spending about $65,000 on one as my retirement home, 15 X 57 feet (855 sq feet) plus delivery & siting costs.
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Old 11-30-2018, 06:20 PM
 
168 posts, read 174,129 times
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My daughter, husband and two small children moved in with us to save money. Then my husband became ill and she was a blessing. When my husband died I suggested that they stay indefinitely. That was 7 years ago. I gave then the top floor with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. I took the basement with a large bedroom, my bathroom, laundry room and craft room. We share laundry and craft room. We share the main level. There have been bumps in the road, but overall it has need a great decision. We contribute equally to insurance and property taxes. I own the house out right. They pay 2/3 of the utilities. Overall it has been a good choice for us.
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Old 12-01-2018, 11:04 AM
 
Location: Moore, Ok
143 posts, read 149,762 times
Reputation: 535
We may move into my Sons garage. And even not all of it. Some remodeling would be done. And we want to pay but its a small sum and when we are gone, the garage could be easy converted back.

They bought a house with this in mind and there is an adjacent bathroom so no big plumbing issues. I love my DIL and they have a 4 year old who we adore. We have 7 kids and 12 grands and this is our youngest Son. They lived with us through college so we all know each other very well.

We will keep our small home and rent it for a year to see how this works. Yes, I will do some babysitting but she starts preschool next year.

So we will have our own little private space to ourselves when we want. We can even put in little breakfast bar so it sure is tempting to give this a try!
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