I got a job offer in the Brainerd Lakes area of Minnesota, which I'm seriously considering. We've always had it in the back of our heads to move north and get out of the Minneapolis area. We're thinking about possibly buying land, like about 15-25 acres and dropping a mobile home on it. What are the pros and cons, and what should we look for and avoid. It gets pretty cold up here in the winter, so what steps must be taken to keep the plumbing from freezing. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We're open to single wide or double wide models too.

They homes sold up there should be better insulated than what they sell down here!

Can't help with the mobile home, but the Brainerd area is fantastic.

Good luck.

Mobile homes are not efficient to heat and cool, and they lose value like buying a new car. I would seriously consider building a stick built home that will appreciate in value.

Jeff, what about having a solid house built?

Buying a mobile home is like throwing money away. However, they don't cost very much so it's not like you've lost a whole lot either.

If I was to buy another one...

No insulation or plastic under the floor. Put it on a foundation and heavily insulate the perimeter. That insulation makes for a warm floor but it's a haven for mice and when you need work on the plumbing... and that always happens sooner or later even in stick houses...you can't get at the pipes.
We're warmer here than in MN. Our water line bury depth is only 24". I have it on a foundation and have 2 short expansion tanks under the house. In 25 years they've never frozen.

About those mice...the water and sewer lines will come through the floor in holes much larger than needed. Mice just waltz right through them. You need to get under every cabinet in the kitchen, laundry, and bathrooms to seal those holes or the mice will move in in hordes.

With a double wide, there will be a heat duct down each side with a crossover tube between them. They will likely use an insulated flexible duct to join them. Get rid of it and install a solid metal duct, then insulate that. The flexible ones are too easy for mice to chew through, plus the springy ribs will slow down air flow.

Wiring: the code requires outlets to be no more than 12' apart and with no point on a wall being more than 6' from an outlet. So, they put an outlet in the middle of every wall. It meets code but every wall wide enough for an outlet will have a sofa, bed, or other furniture in front of the outlet. We had to use extension cords in each outlet running to the side of the furniture to be able to plug in lamps, etc without moving furniture.
To save costs, instead of GFI breakers, they use GFI outlets which protect all other outlets down stream of it. It works fine but if you pop one, it can be a real pain trying to figure out which GFI outlet is the culprit. Before you move in and cover them all up with stuff, test them and make a diagram of where they're located and which GFI protects which outlet. You might find the GFI for the bathroom is located 2 rooms away and under a bed.

I don't know about the current models but older ones likely have a particle board floor instead of OSB or plywood. That stuff should be outlawed. If it gets wet, it will swell then crumble. They also use 3/4" for the floor instead of 1" and it will slump between floor joists.

2x6 construction

They attract tornados.

Mostly, poor people live in trailers, well off people do not.

go to a mobil home park.....find one from folks that know them.....it can be cheap temporary quarters but not a great idea for long term living.....they can be a lot of work.

Finances dictate considering a mobile home. We'd have to heavily raid my retirement account to build a house.

Good luck with what you decide on Jeff.

A modular home is what you will want if you're not going to have one stick built.
A manufactured home or mobile home is not.
Banks typically won't lend much for either manufactured or mobile.
Values on these go down, never up.
If you're going to do it, at least go with a modular home.

There is minimal cost savings if any with a modular versus stick built... infact when we looked, modular was more expensive than stick built.

Regarding modular homes: from what I've experienced (former licensed General Contractor), modular homes don't really save you a whole lot of money over a stick-built home. That is, if you put quality molding, materials, wiring, etc. in it. You just get it built faster in a controlled environment.
Personally, I'd rather have a mobile home (trailer we call 'em here in NC) or a tiny, minimalist Katrina-cottage style home than spend the money for a modular.
Gopher, how do you envision using your home? If you're considering a trailer, I'm guessing that you are not intending to host the local medical association surgeons regularly for dinner. If you want an efficient, well-built place to live and sleep, please look into one of the many minimalist style homes that can be built. It sounds like one would be perfect for dropping in the middle of 25 acres somewhere.

I would try to figure a way to build a home on a slab. You will get tired of a trailer quick!

If you put a mobile on a foundation (and don't even consider doing it any other way), make the foundation high enough so you can crawl under the house on your hands and knees instead of belly crawling under the steel frame. It'll be the best 6" of concrete you'll ever buy.
If it's on a foundation, you can convert it to real property instead of a mobile home property. That has some real tax savings. Also, banks will loan more if it's real property.

Ya really gotta have money to burn to go out and buy a new mobile home.
Just figure on any money you spend for it or on it will never be retrieved.

CONS
When buying land that happens to have a mobile on it normally it's viewed by one of two things.
A deduction in the land value determined by what it will cost to have the mobile removed.
Or
Possibly an addition value determined by any development, such as land clearing, roads built, septic systems installed, wells drilled, electrical services installed IF applicable* to the construction of a conventional stick built home then of course minus the costs of removal of the mobile home.

Any supporting structures should be considered as well, shops, garage, etc. but they must have been legally built. I've seen permits for new homes held up until all un-permitted structures were removed from a property.

I've seen it work out for folks buying land where a livable mobile already existed.
It gave them a chance to buy now build later.

*Just be cautious and know what you are looking at when considering value of existing utilities (ele. well, septic) that it is sized to accommodate the home one might plan to build or even be legal.
If it's legal there will be paperwork available. If there is no accompanying paper work just consider it illegal (un-permitted) when considering value.

Banks rarely loan money on undeveloped land unless the loan is combined with a construction loan for building a new home.

In more developed areas if mobiles are legally permitted it reduces land value.

PROS
Instant livable home.
You can buy it one weekend and move in the next.
They can be like sex with a cheap hooker, instant gratification but you're sure to be sorry later.

Most are rather cheezy with low grade features and construction unless ya spend a lot on it then you can have one that's just sorta cheezy.


Any savings recognized in buying a mobile over a stick built home will quickly diminish in the form of utility bills for heating and cooling. And of course a huge loss on re-sell.

What Gregintenn said, they lose value, vs a non mobile grnerallyi creases in value.

Never buy new. They lose more value than a car the first few years.

There’s lots of money in well, sewer, roads and electric hookups. If you go mobile, be wise about their location so they can be used for the permanent house.

The only way I would do it is if I were building a permanent house on the same lot. But it would be cheaper to just rent a modest home close by and save until you have the cash to build. It would be like camping at a KOA. Not comfortable and kinda expensive.

In the Brainerd area there are literally thousands of mobile homes. Every lake in that area has its share of mobile homes and there,s lots of lakes in that area.
Lots of people buy a lake lot and put a trailer on it intending to use it as a summer get away and enjoy it so much they move into it full-time.
There,s lots of nice restaurants and bars in that area—go to a few and ask around—you’ Hear the good, bad and the ugly. Or you could just drive around and knock on doors and talk to people at places you like the look of— Minnesota nice might come thru for ya

Mine was built back '73 - it's a classic single wide - needs a little work .

In about '78 they came out with a new national code for mobiles. They got rid of aluminum wiring, foam insulation, & some other changes. In many states, maybe all of them, anything older than that is grandfathered in but you can't move it to another location. It sits where it is or you have to demolish it.

If the property already has a septic and well set up, or sewage and city water, what have you, how about find an older, used mobile home for minimal cash outlay, slap it on the property, then start working on your stick home, pay to pay? If you're comfortable living in a mobile home, which are generally less than 1000 square feet, then building a small home of similar proportions would cost you very little if you do the work yourself, you would be surprised.

As far as new mobile homes go, a coworker friend of mine was deeded 10 acres from his parents on their farm, and he put a brand new one in a few years back. I think the dimensions are 16x80 (or close to that), 2x6 construction, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, cathedral ceilings, and a gas log fireplace. I will be the first to admit, it's pretty nice. The place is buttoned up pretty tight, and the windows are Anderson I believe. The downside is he paid almost fifty grand for it, which to me is far too much money for something like that.

Spend your whole life working and end up buying a trailer.

ROLL TIDE!!!

Kid Rock lives in a mobile home (manufactured) and he's worth 80 million..

bet it's a nice one...

She’s the queen of my double wide trailer with the polyester curtains and the redwood deck!

Going to see Sammy Kershaw this Friday night.

They still make trailer houses?


I would go modular.

As far as stick built vs modular.....I cant believe that they would be a similar price.

Not if Legacy construction anyway. Lightweight maybe.

They’re personal property unless on a permanent foundation.

You make a good point Triggernosis, but I think we're going to want something just a bit bigger. We want room for our kids to stay when they come to visit. My son and his wife have two kids, and there may be more coming. I'm thinking we'll want three bedrooms or two bedrooms and a living room adequate to sleep a couple rug rats if necessary.

No way!

I love that song. Sammy had some great songs.

Songs of my childhood.

Like everything else, there's a big difference in quality in mobiles. It's like comparing a Yugo to a Toyota. You have to do your homework. Some are built much better than others. The hard part is finding out what's under the skin.

Years ago, we looked at one set up on a dealer's lot. It was actually funny how crappy it was. For example, the kitchen had formica countertops. The stuff had either shrunk or was cut too small because there were 1/8 to 1/4" gaps between the pieces. It make it worse, they'd filled the gaps with PINK silicone, on top of a BLUE countertop. The paneling on the walls was stapled on and the staples were working their way out. I guessed that they'd missed the studs. This was on a brand new house. You can imagine what it looked like in 5 years.

It's all camo ...

I think a lot of garbage gets pumped out and called "stick built" as well.

Does Adair build homes in that area? With Adair, at least how it works here, you can help with the construction and get sweat equity before you move in, and they're stick-built. They save money by offering one of their pre-planned houses. Since they build them before they know what goes into it and how to save money. You still get to choose finishes, etc and can alter their plans to a degree.

If they work out their I'd check them out.

This area was settled starting in 1905. Sears was selling kit homes at that time and there are quite a few of them here. The pieces would come in by rail. They had some pretty high quality houses for sale that way and most are still standing. Of course they've all been remodeled any number of times with addition of modern wiring, plumbing, etc.

I was a single e 6, 2 other single e 5,s
Unit gave us single rate bah and bas to move out of barracks and live off post.
About 12 of us nco,s in the company told ta get out of barracks and get paid for it.
Scheeeettttttt . Im packing!!!!
Im moving on up like the jeffersons!!!
Had ta make room for single e1 to e4 in barracks after desert storm buildup.
Manning roster versus billet space issues.

Rent shared double wide in belleglade trailer park.

Living life large!!!!
4th of july in that park.
Pen flares, parachute flares, star clusters, regular fireworks.

LOL!!!

Lots of single nco,s division wide had ta move outta the barracks.

He be at the Big Texas Saloon in Spring on Friday night!

Tornadoes luv ‘em!

lol..... edit, I just googled it.... looks great!

what a Bohemian lifestyle

Red Carpet lounge, 1 mile away north
Mouse Trap and The Pink Lady 1 mile south

For the OP, a couple litters of beagle hounds and mama dogs inside the under-pinning will keep the pipes warm

laughing

Dude it was da schitt!!!!!


Then i married khan/ wife......
Fuggg.....
But now the kids are grown and gone and succesful.
I have money to spend again. But not on booze.
Homie dont play dat pissing money away down the toliet / hangover game anymore.
Im seeing deer still at hematite rd.
Ones and two,s coming thru hitting soft browse.
Had one doe bout 10 mins ago eating checking her backtrail.
Then hauled ass outta the blue.
Nothing has come in on her hoofscent so far.

LOL!!!

Tornadoes seem to zero in on a trailer park. I would be afraid every time a thunder storm came up!!!

Buy a used all season camper and live in that while you build the house yourself. When you are done building sell the camper

I'll take the hit. We live in one, my folks live in one, 75% of the neighbors do to. They work just fine. In fact, a hell of a lot nicer than a lot of folks trudge through life in. Didn't buy new so can't help you spec, but ours is rated for the cold and snow, has 2x6 walls and is on a full foundation. It has updated floors, textured walls, premium roofing, pek plumbing, quality windows, a dandy 12x12 sunroom addition. And you know what, it all ours, and the bank's. Don't mind it a bit, zero complaints, none, nada.

If you are the age I think you are, buy what you can and live out your days.

Mine came with a view of my Montana.


Both of them....

Live within your long term financial stuff

Live comfortable.

Dont sweat what others have ta say.

Dont worry about a sudden outburst of tornado,s in minnesota just cause you buy a trailer.


LOL!!!

Be aware that it's fairly common for many areas to have codes that prohibit certain construction type homes, specifically mobile, or, "manufactured" homes (as that industry terms them nowadays), and the like, regardless how elaborate and expensive.

Also, as a rule, homeowner's insurance for 'manufactured' homes is more expensive than traditional stick built homes.

Other than initial cost, the only advantage of 'manufactured' versus on-site stick built homes is time from closing to moving in

In general, appreciation, or lack of, typically runs commensurate with that of other properties in and around a given area, also regardless how elaborate and expensive.

My advice as well.

====================

But that does not answer the question. A buddy of mine inherited a trailer park when a family member passed. He learned very quickly about that business and mobile homes in general.

A new MH is a bad investment.

Mobile homes in good enough repair to rent out or live in will cost a minimum of X dollars. Back when & where I spoke with him, that was $15k. He had bought several used MHs and they all worked out that way. He'd pay close to $X and with a little more cash could get it up to code and serviceable. Others, he'd pay a fraction of $X but have to sink serious cash into it to get it rent-able.

He hated double-wides, as the cost/sqft he could rent them for was less than a single.

Get ready to be cold in the winter and hot in the summer.

*Shrapnel does not approve of this message

Jeff,

Good luck with whatever you decide on.

I think you'll find that for what you're going to pay for 15 - 25 acres of land in the Brainerd lakes area would go a long ways towards a stick built house or an existing house on a smaller lot.

Boomer....is that a trailer or a modular?

You gonna gitchu one son???
Purty dang nice
😄

Get that Duck Dynasty model

Living room is big enough for rabbit cages.

😄😄

We couldn't afford it.

However....at 1000 bucks a month for heat between my rickety old house and garage/shop............might pay for itself.

Gophergunner,

Check the local builders. We have a local outfit called Adair Homes which builds on a slab for about the same price as a manufactured home.

They have limited floor plans, and limited options, and everything is layed out to take full advantage 4x8 building materials while minimizing waste. But when they are done, you have an actual house sitting on the concrete slab.

Jeff,

Feel free to PM me with questions about the area. I've been up here for 20+ years now.

Jeff

Per the financiers, it's a Manufacturered.. Basic doublewide ya'll. Has like a bizzilion jacks on poured pillars below and a poured wall perimeter. We rented a much chittier one for a time in town. There's definitely variations. Built in Minnesota, LOL.

I'm not claiming it's better than other options, just works and fit the bill for us. Came with a pole barn, insulated garage, perimeter fencing and mature landscaping. Views and 300 yards from the folks sweetened the deal.

Might note if it weren't for the wife I'd be content in a fuggin camper! Next to a bigass pole barn.

Is there a difference between a modular and a double wide?


Maybe the foundation?

It was my understanding that modular is 100% removed from the transport frame. A manufacturered, mobile, doublewide still sits on the "trailer" frame. There's multiple modular options I'd assume. Just means it's constructed elsewhere and assembled on the location.

We don't have axles still ya'll!

That sounds like a good way to do it if your gonna do it.

Driving around the country, I've seen two half double wides, alone, boarded up and being lived in. Musta got bargains! A darn nice step up from the tar-pappered shacks of yore.

I wish the best for the OP...

A well made stick-built house, paid for and in a good area, would be a wonderful investment for your retirement account.

Try finding a well made stick built house.

"I'll huff and I'll pufff!"

I fished a tournament on a reservation in SD one time. The trailers some of those people lived in were unbelievable. I can't believe they don't freeze to death in the winter.

One had a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood nailed over the windows and on it, written in spray paint, was "Beer sold here! Free 24 hour porn!" lmao

Like most political threads on here... clueless..

Huge difference... ones a trailer, the other is a stick built home made in a factory.

One has title, the other on a deed...

Nothin like a tongue cuttin party. Wooooooo hooooo

let the pabst blue ribbon flow,


Gerald wants the wheels for a car hauler he's gonna make. Got a new engine for that chevy monza

They attract tornadoes

This is what I did and have no regrets.... not an easy path though.

I definitely agree with the stick built crowd.. investment wise

If you want easy, cheap and relatively comfortable with no concern for resale the mobile may be a good solution....

Although I understand pabst blue ribbon is some gourmet chit in Idaho.

Go figure

A doublewide is a stick built on a metal frame. BFD.

No sign policy here in our sub... That chit would never fly.

Grumpy Jenkins ran a Monza - fastest car in the quarter .

I'd build a 30x80 metal pole barn

1st 1/3 of make it dope, pimped out, extra insulated, tile floor or concrete, finished out. Maybe two bedrooms.


Other 2/3 workshop, garage. Keep tractor, boat, pickup, cars. Have myself a walkin deer cooler in there, oil change pit, engine hoist gantry, 40 linear ft of workbench across the front wall.

Fuggit go 40x100, add a paint booth on the end.

Damn rite!!!

My stepfather did this with his most recent bldg. He put a 600 sq ft 2 story apartment on one end of the shop he built.
When he decided not to move his operation into it and listed with a realtor it was under contract in less than 24 hours.

gophergunner;
Good morning to you from the north side of the medicine line, I hope all is well with you and your family on what will be a clear but cool Remembrance Day up here.

Please understand before I launch into this long answer that I'm coming at this from a Canuck background, so for sure there's local and state building codes which will apply for us that don't for you and vice versa.

My background in this is as follows, for 27 years I worked in a cabinet shop which supplied a couple local modular home plants with kitchen cabinets and cabinet doors. After that, I worked for more than 5 years for a local construction company which did stick framing, pre-built panel construction and for the final 2 years modular home construction.

Oh, as well my late parents lived in a modular home made up the valley, our son in law works for one of the modular home plant I used to supply cabinets to, our daughter works in a plumbing and electrical supply dealership who supply contractors of all types and lastly my good wife has worked for one of the larger local construction companies for more than 30 years.

The advantages of pre-building either a modular or panelized structure in a factory are as follows:

One isn't dependent on weather to keep production going, so everyone from the rough in plumbers to the roofers can go full out regardless of whether it's 105° outside or -25° and snowing.

When one is stick framing, the crew battle the elements enough of the time that it does affect the bottom line of the contractor. We always took weather variables into account when stick framing projects as opposed to showing up with pre-built panels and a crane truck which resulted in a house ready for lockup in 2-3 days.

Typically a factory will have purchasing power that only the largest local contractors will approach, so they'll get volume pricing on everything from light switches to hot water heaters and IF THEY CHOOSE can pass that savings onto the purchaser.

Here in BC, we're required to insulate the floor and seal it, we used a blown in, two part foam type insulation which was put in after the HVac, plumbing and electrical was installed - we built the floor upside down, the insulated it and then flipped it for walls. The entire floor then was sheeted top and bottom of the TGI joists.

We found it easier to get trades, especially younger trades folks, to work inside rather than on site in all conditions. They'd often work for less of an hourly rate because of the working conditions and again IF THEY CHOOSE the manufacturer can pass those savings onto the consumer.

Up here, we're allowed to take the consumer through the factory to view their house on the line too, which is something that I'd ask for up front before putting in a down payment. That way it keeps everybody honest, no?

The cons in my view are mainly that the structure is somewhat limited in options because of the construction method. Better said perhaps if you want a tri-floor with odd angles, lots of dormers and such, then perhaps a stick frame is the way to go.

We did a few triple wides too, they're reasonably common up here and they end up being not too bad of a floor plan - again not as many options as as stick built, but workable for most purposes.

Some factories won't give the buyer a lot of trim package options too, so if you're looking for a steam shower, all oak baseboard and wainscoting, that might mean you're going to have to sub that all out and plan for the electrical and mechanical beforehand to do so.

The overall build quality of a modular should be no different from a stick frame build from what I've seen locally. The same tradesmen will work on both types, that is to say will work for a stick builder for a few years, then go to modular or vice versa.

The inspection of the homes is identical for all intents and purposes - up here.

If the foundation is poured incorrectly and/or out of spec, then it doesn't really matter what type of construction goes onto it, the finishing carpenters and cabinet guys are going to pull the remainder of their respective hair out trying to make it look even half ways decent. Been there, wrote the book and used the tshirt for a crying towel after the fiasco was done.....

Anyway sir, that's all I can conjure up for the first volley on the subject. Hopefully it was useful for you or someone else out there in ether space this morning. Good luck whichever way you decide and all the best to you folks as we head into the cold time of year.

Dwayne

Barndominium would be the way I'd built for damned sure. There's some great ones around here.

For lack of knowledge of the correct term a former coworker bought what I'll just call a sectional home, a two story Cape Cod style with dormers, and had it assembled on some rural acreage he'd bought.

First level was transported to site via semi in two half sections on wheels same as "double-wides" and assembled on a block foundation.

Second level (roof in half sections) also transported the same, a crane brought in that lifted each half from semi trailers and placed on top of corresponding 1st floor sections.

A full length front porch was added, too, but I can't recall now if he said if it was included in the initial package, an extra add-on option, or done independent.

When finished and landscaped most wouldn't have guessed it wasn't completely stick built on site unless seen it as assembly was in progress.

The mobile homes of today are a lot better built that they were years ago.

If they are set up right at the start they will last a long time.

Very true. They do have some deficiencies and the building code is different than with stick built houses but they do very well for the money.

More and more people are building shop/houses (shouse) like you describe. Some of them are pretty dang nice too. If I had to do it over again, that is what I would do.

If'n I wasn't so busy doing nothing, I'd picture up some barndominiums around here. Might get to it in a while...

Things happen. ...and it all stays here when you croak anyway.

They have those over there?

Fancy!

Several years back the father and mother of a local divorced young woman with two boys had a large metal outbuilding with skylights and power built up close to their house on their farm, bought a used, good condition and fairly good size single wide mobile home for daughter and kids to live in and had it set up inside said outbuilding.

Don't know if there were any farm related tax breaks or incentives for her parents per the outbuilding but their grand-kids could play outside the house but still inside the building, daughter could park her car and entertain friends and family as well, rain or shine 365. and no doubt helped with heating and cooling bills versus a mobile home outside in the weather exposed to direct summer sun and winter winds.

Yeppers. Pretty high fuluting out here at the Lake of the Upper Missouri Resort and Retirement Village aka Windswept Flat.

Or you and your wife can both get college degrees, work 2-3 jobs each. Run two business at once, each of us work a state govt job. Run your side business in the afternoons, nights and weekends, work on your birthday, work on kids' birthdays.

pay off a $250k home at age 29. Haven't had a car payment in 24 years.

It's all about hittin it and gettin it.

Some of the new high-end mobile homes are quite nice.
The biggest downside I see to mobile homes is that they depreciate in value.

Like others have mentioned, barndominium is a lot better idea.

There's an old style gambrel roof type barn down the road from me that's been overhauled. From the outside, it looks like they converted the entire top to an apartment. The big problem is that there's a BUNCH of steps getting up to it. It's not for old folks. There must be a half acre of space up there.

Standard.


One of the fanciest around here. Built in 2018 by a young couple.



Only one I have insight to. Apparently built for $95K,

no of years back the navajo and the hopi were having some disagreemts which resulted in relocation for some.
doublewides were provided by the gooberment to sweeten the deal.
few years later they were perfectly suited sheep barns.

A cousin did that, too.

He had been partners in a body and paint shop for a good number of years, but partnership broke up. He then had a big, nice looking new outbuilding/shop with efficiency apartment and full plumbing built on some rural acreage he already owned where he and wife planned to eventually build their dream house on.

While their new house was being planned and then built he and wife lived in the efficiency apartment and he continued to do wreck repair and paint jobs in main shop portion.

Now the shop is devoted entirely to his wreck repair and paint business and they live in their new dream house just a few steps away.

For the more modest of means.


One thing here on the 'Fire I despise are guys giving other guys crap for what they have or such when that person has not challenged a cock measuring. It's despicable really...

The Crow and N Cheyenne rezs are littered with such. EZ come EZ go....

That's impressive sir. Good job. 'Wish I could say the same.

Maybe find a used modular home and move it? If they loose value like many have stated, then see if you can find one already depreciated. Just a thought.

That's impressive sir. Good job. 'Wish I could say the same.

There's some going cheap in OK after that tornado I imagine.

Here, go ahead and insult.

gophergunner,

best of luck to you if you take the new job and move away from the city.

Don't let the negative comments here sway your decision making too much. Do a little research in your area and find out about "manufactured" homes in that area. Their not anything like the old metal "mobile homes" of the past, if your State is anything like the rest of today's world. Maybe check with some folks that own them in the area you're considering.

The folks that say you'll be cold in winter and hot in the summer must not know about modern manufactured housing. As an example, this morning the house was down to around 64 degrees after having put the last log on the fire yesterday morning at 0800. Temps around 65 yesterday for a high and down in the 20's last night. Been that way for 3 weeks now, sometimes as low as 11F. Kindling and maybe 4 good size chunks of wood and the house is good for the day. I make up the fire at night and the wife lights it off at 0530-0600 or so.

Summers here get up in the 90's regular and at times push/reach 100F. I put in one little window A/C unit in the master bedroom, turn it on when the bdrm gets up around 72-74. Open the windows when it cools down at night, run a couple of fans, and bingo, house is cooled back down to low 60's. Close up windows for the day. Of course, we spent a bit to put a nice cover on the deck on the west side of the house, to keep the setting sun off it and the west wall of the house which helped bunches.

Newer mfg homes, as others have noted, in cold climates generally come with 2x6 construction in the exterior walls and good insulation. Our is well insulated in the roof and the crawl space. As for pipes freezing, we might not get as cold as you will near Brainerd, but here's an example of what we saw the first winter we were here. Yes, -24.9F, in California even.



Ours sits on a perimeter foundation and is "converted to real property", so we don't pay the DMV for a license plate tag every year, just pay property tax like a regular building. Double glazed windows. Siding on ours is HardieBoard cement lap siding, which makes sense around here, surrounded by wildlands as we are. Our house has solid wood cabinet doors on all the cabinets in the house, metal clad exterior doors, electric furnace and water heater, outlets are as RockChuck described, right in the middle of the walls. I've been underneath and can second the motion to make the foundation high enough to make it easy to move around under. I can kneel mostly and am glad I didn't have to belly crawl. I'd have made it 3"-4" taller if I had been the original owner. Maybe even another full step on the entries even.

Having lived in all sorts of housing over the years, from actual camp trailers with additions built on the front of them, to 600 sq ft cabins, honest to goodness metal mobile homes, and more than my share of stick built houses I can tell you I'm as happy as Mt Boomer is with his situation. This place is WAY better than the stick built 70's house we lived in when my wife worked in the Sacramento area. That place had single pane windows that rattled when trucks hit a pothole 6 houses up the street where the main road crossed our street. No insulation, fiberboard cabinets, and generally shidty construction all the way around. The tract developer made his money on that community for sure. Our place is as well built as many site built homes, and better than a lot I've seen.

In our State at least, we had to go with a company that specialized in mortgages for mfg housing and we had NO problem getting insured either. After all , it's real property now.

If you want to spend your money on land, rather than getting a smaller property in order to buy a stick built home, don't be afraid of a newly manufactured "trailer" home. Not sure how old you are, but my wife and I are in our 60's and this likely will be the last place we live. I fully expect it to outlast us................at least by a year or two! We'd rather have our money to live on instead of getting it tied up in a house. If we had kids, I'd likely say "GFY, if the house is still standing when we go, then you can worry about it being a mfg home" .

Again, good luck with it all.

Geno

If I was going to live in a mobile home, I'd look around and buy used. I'd also spend the money to have it set on a concrete block foundation and anchored to it. Then I'd have the whole thing covered with one of these carport rigs. People talk mobile homes down. But if you buy them right and set them up right they can be decent dwellings.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/arrow-carport-20-x-20-charcoal-cphc202007

I had a couple of young friends a few years ago who were scraping by living cramped up in a cheap apartment. They found a very decent mobile home for rent on a half acre lot in a fairly private area. They were happy as could be about going from an apartment to a mobile home with a yard.

What Geno said. We bought a new 15,000-square-foot modular home two years ago and couldn't be happier. 2x6 construction, hardy plank siding, Anderson doors and windows, our choice of carpet and cabinets, whirlpool kitchen appliances, etc. Hauled in in two sections and set up on concrete slab. Solid as hell
Would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Insurance is no different than the stick-built homes down the road.

Do yourself a big favor and go visit a manufactured home dealer. You will be amazed at what they are.

I've lived in a few.

We tore down the 75 year old farmhouse (more like a two storey shack that had a porch added to it) and put a single wide on piles. Dad added a sizeable family room on the rear door side. Insulated skirting was used under the trailer. Water froze until Dad figured out how to insulate pipes and to be safe added heat tape which was plugged in for cold weather. It was the best made brand we could find. Dutchman out of Manitoba.

When we left the farm, we took the trailer with us as we were moving to a town where you could buy your trailer lots. While we were waiting for the lot to be prepared, Mom and Dad decided to buy an ATCO doublewide and have it placed on a basement.

Both brands were well built, but were still trailers.

While working for government agencies, I lived in several government trailers of various types. If well maintained, they were serviceable, without service, they deteriorate quickly and become wrecks.

Another thing to consider is how fast they burn. Very fast.

I would look at modular or stickbuilt. Sell your current house and buy one of those.

That's a heck of a big home, modular or mansion. You have room for a golf course and swimming pool all under 1 roof.

Either way, make certain that you place it on the second best view on the property...and save the best for the trophy home you buy or build later! All the best and go for it. Wife and I just bought some property close by, six acres. I am going to locate a used DW home in good condition. There are plenty of those around. Septics and utilities and good to go. We live at the lake in a real nice place(to us). So we can either rent the lake house vrbo style or lease the new property to create cash flow...fast. Good luck and enjoy.

please tell me you fat fingered that number, if not, how the hell did they move it down the highway in two pieces.

What kind of work and side businesses do y'all do?

A BIG truck

A VERY BIG Truck!

Something like they used to move the Space Shuttle across the country maybe?

Geno

Hey, there are triple wides for the uber types!

And I bet it's paid for.

I would live in a trailer in a heartbeat. My wife on the other hand...

I'll assure you it's been paid for three times since moving here. LOL I owe like a mofo working on four! Seriously, it's been owned by three retired couples, never trashed.... I am freaking pleased to have lived through it all and have a chance to have a home! Bigly.

Good times guys. Best I can recall, on a bare land here a mobile would not currently be the way to go.... But, no harm no foul if'n that's what will work for the OP. I hope he makes it happen. Cheers. Oh, when I drive by a singlewide, I just smile with my nose in the air.... LOL

Ok , ok, I fat-fingered an extra 0.

It's 1,500 SF, two bedroom, two bath and no swimming pool.

Owned one, lived in a lot more than that. Hell, was born in one. Brought my firstborn home to one.

I'd rather have a single wide with a view of the mountains and fresh air than live in town. Different folks have different priorities.

The square headed screws are a pain.

Licensed real estate agent

Licensed pest control operator termite, moisture/mold control

Roofing, general contracting

Property management, rentals

Winston Wolf type cleanup for nasty evictions, show up with goon squad gut all the tenant's effects.

Not even counting tree work or selling cordwood, used to cut wood at midnight with truck headlights 👍💪
Jobs and work came easy, never had to look for it or advertise. Somebody always wanting something. Especially if you interact with thousands of people. Most of my spinoff work came from my first two listed. I worked for county govt, city govt, wife worked for state govt. Lots of networking.
Anything for a buck

I took apart a roof on a double wide mobile home once. Redman brand. About 1980 vintage. 1x2 roof trusses. As in 1"x2". No joke. Interior walls, 1x3.

I've lived in a mobile home in upstate NY {cold and snowy} for the past 12 years. Mine is bolted to a wood {2x12"} platform that in turn is bolted to concrete pylons that go 4' into the ground. It ain't goin nowhere. It is situated so the water line comes straight out of the ground and right up into the trailer under the kitchen sink. From there all the water lines from the kitchen to the hot water tank to the bathroom run inside the trailer so we only have the 3' of exposed line. That line has a heat tape on it and we've not had any problems with frozen water lines down to 20 below. We heated the place entirely with a wood stove for the first couple of winters and it took 12-13 face cords of hardwood. One winter we heated entirely with the furnace {kero because the tank is outdoors} and it took two full tanks {275 gal.} to get us through. Pretty darn cheap to heat compared to my old 2 story 1800 sq. foot house.

I took apart a single wide

Found a Walter Payton rookie card behind some paneling

Sweet!!! ...ness

If you've got to do a mobile, you know the risks go ahead and do it. As said it won't be a money making venture, the mobile part the land different story. We started out in a 1965 Pontiac Chief! lmfao I chit you not that was the brand of the mobile. We bought it used for cheap lived in it for around 7 years and ended up giving it to a hippy but he had to pay to move it away.

Another thing to pencil out if the zoning isn't an issue is start small with stick frame. I know of guys that started out slapping up a garage real quick, living in it for a while then building a house on to it and moving in the house then using the garage for... a garage. Know another guy that built a shell with a tall bay door one side that he drove a 5th wheel into. He lived in that and over time finished off the shell in to rooms bit by bit as cash flow allowed. The end game obviously loose the 5th wheel and completely finish it all into a house. Just another option to chew on

Whether an East Texas divorce or a tornado, either one you still lose a house trailer.

I hear ya, brother!

you do what you have to do......nothing wrong with a trailer or modular......bob

First guy to figure put the solution to what every fugging
too good to live in a trailer snob says is a problem.

They lose value faster than a 40 year old stripper.

Make that your advantage.
People finance new ones they can't pay for all the time.
Pick up a 1-3 year old re-po at a huge discount.


Also, a trailer-toter made a great point one day.
"Ever see a stick built home get moved?
It takes a dam ling time and a lot of work to make it strong
enough to be moved down the road".

Give that a thought.

We lived in 23 year old trailer when we got married in '95.
5 years. It provided housing we could afford. $2500+ a few hundy to move.
$175 a month lot rent. Old, neglected, somewhat nasty, it worked fine.
But it didn't make others envious.

Back in the early '70s an acquaintance bought a brand new mobile home and had it setup in a local mobile home park.

The mobile home park had poured concrete bases for bracing and concrete piers with sunken eye-bolts to connect storm tie-down straps to on every lot. He went to connect his storm straps but all he could find was a foot or so of the tie-down straps hanging loose from beneath the outside of the metal siding. He pulled on them as hard as he could but no more strap would come out.

He then called the mobile home sales business where he bought his at and was told that the storm straps were just rolled up and secured behind the exterior siding to prevent them from getting loosened and possibly dragging the ground during transport and then was told to simply unscrew the exterior panel above each strap, release extra length and connect.

He did as told but discovered there was no extra length rolled up underneath. What he found was instead of running up inside the exterior siding and over the top of the mobile home and down the opposite side as one piece like they were supposed to, the storm tie down straps on his were cut off and stapled directly to wood framing just beneath the siding.

Ship it, we got bills to pay!

Not 100% sure but it could possibly be the original carpet in our bedroom.

House is 41 years old.

Why don't you contact a realtor in the area you like.
People get divorced fairly regularly. There should be lots of dream houses for sale.
Some people put up pole barns and finish off an apartment inside. From the outside nobody is the wiser. Keeps property taxes lower.
Mice are a real problem. I have a pole barn on a concrete slab and constantly putting out poison.
They will chew holes in everything you own.

Maybe someone has already suggested this, but I didn't read the entire thread: Find a 25 or 30 acre parcel with a conventional home already built on the property.

Gasp!

Guess the color Cuzzin'.

Whats living in your carpet? If video doesn't play, try it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACrLMtPyRM0&feature=emb_logo

Seafoam green.

Turquoise blue and puke green 4" shag Sam?

House I rented a room in while in school in the 90's still had it in the main house, leftover from the 70's. That's in the 41 year range now. Went great with avocado green kitchen appliances.

Geno

PS and a Lava Lamp.

Fuuck you Rock Chuck, I ain't clickin' on that.



Fuuck you too Jim.



Lovers red Cuzzin.

wait a few more years and it will be back in style. I'm holding out for orange shag to make a comeback.

Yeah, but is it shag?

If not, it's probably not original.

Geno

We had a wall painted red in our room. Wife called it an accent wall.


She had to paint it white again. Made me all antsy in my pantsy.

Ya got a blacklight? Wave it around in there.

Might look like It's a Small World After All boatride in there

😄😄

Our master bedroom is now half "Tahitian Breeze" (bluegreenish). Mine didn't like the grayish color it was. Painter friend came over today and got the tall walls done, short walls tomorrow. We have a bathroom with a bunch of cool ceramic fishes on the wall, we've gathered them over the years. Even have a wooden humuhumunukunukuapaua'a we picked up on vacation.

I told her now that the walls were blue green we have to move the fish back to the ocean.

I'm glad he's a painting contractor. I paint everything like it's an old tugboat. Paint is for protection, slop it on good and it's more protected, right. And if the main color gets on some trim, well that's better protected too.

Geno

The roaches and mice are HIV positive.

Cap'N D's Decor

Hahahahahaha

I have 40 acres and that is not enough if you have weird neighbors.

A full section is not enough when the neighbors are really weird.

Give me about a township then.

Plop my doublewide down right in the middle of it. Fence it good, that'll take 'em a while to reach the house. After they get through the tank traps, moats, etc.

Geno

I chit you not there was a Winnemucca section up last summer for like $65K.

We tore down two single wides on a property during the recession. Found two blow up dolls. One had a ball gag and her hands hancuffed behind her back. No schit. Weirdest thing I've seen possibly ever. Other thing was one of the bedrooms had like 30 old microwaves stacked up in it. Some weird schit going on at that place. Two older brothers lived there and their mother in the other one.

That would be a good price for land...anywhere but Winnemucca.
A couple years ago we drove around Mtn Home, ID just to see what was there. There are lots of acreages with bare land. And I mean BARE. There's no water available so they're all dirt and weeds.

Bout all it's worth Boomer.

Used to travel thru there regular.

Of course, an ambitious fella could put some doublewides out there and start a RANCH of a special type they allow in NV. Some good signage along I80, maybe in Hindi, Pashtu,Urdu, and Ukranian. Have some good truck parking and all, maybe fuel and DEF available too.

Geno

Geno's Pump and Hump....

As long as the receipt lists only 'fuel' it's all good....

Reminds me of our family, I do all the painting that needs doing, and I'm fairly good at it. I dont let my wife get near it, her painting technique looks likes she's killing snakes.

I hope ol'gg is getting his money's worth out of this thread because it"s spiraling! Seriously, I could do NW NV, singlewide, blowup doll, fresh paint, shag....

Maybe her technique isn't an accident?

Short hop down to the Ruby's to hunt up some of them snowCOCKs that 'sposed to be there too!

And I like the name of the new RANCH!

Geno

Mine isn't either.

It's similar to my standard response when someone asks if I can help them with an electrical issue.

I say "sure, but the only thing I really know about electricity is that if you do something wrong it shocks the scheidt out of you".

They usually find an electrician after that.

Geno

PS, to get this back on topic...................an electrical issue in a doublewide that is.

All I know is Tornadoes hate them.

Perfectly good job site trailers can usually be had for good prices once a construction job is completed.

Good points. I had a similar start to housing. When I got out of college and started my first real job I was broke but knew I didn't want to waste money paying rent.

I found a clean but older used mobile home that someone else had already taken big depreciation on and bought it. I had sell stuff to get a down payment but otherwise had no issue getting a loan for it and a few years later it was paid off I sold it for what I had paid for it using the proceeds to buy the land my dream home was built on.

All this land and house stuff is interesting and all but it's getting late out west here. Any photos of the blowup doll? Hands tied behind her back you say. Hmmmmmm.

please be gold.

Gopher, if you are patient you can buy up a FEMA trailer possibly by the end of next summer from various areas of MN, ND which will flood by biblical proportions in the spring.

Buy a tiny house in Miami Beach . Pipes freezing dilemma solved.

Poleshed homes are becoming more and more evident around here.. A lot cheaper to put up and maintain is what I'm hearing from the owners..

Some years ago, a friend got a book on how to build a straw house. You poured a foundation with 8' rebar sticking up out of it. Then you impaled bales of straw on the rebar, framing for doors and windows as you went. You ran wiring, etc along the inside of the straw then stuccoed it inside and out. It was supposed to be cheap, long lasting, and very well insulated, plus it was allowed by the code. He never built one so I didn't find out if it was good or bad.

sounds promising; but then the horses really COULD eat you out of house and home!

I'll huff and I'll puff....

Oh my..........
Maybe time to start a go-fund me for Boomer?

Knew a couple that built a home out of concrete and styrofoam mix. Walls were about 18" thick and quiet as a tomb inside. They said it took almost nothing to cool and heat it was so well insulated. Stucco outside. Always liked the idea of it.

If I was to do it again I would do the pole barn hybrid.....

I would build a Ger and heat with dung.

Ad a windmill and you would be livin large Jim.....

Try renting a trailer house in Northern Minnesota some winter and get back to us on how you like it.
I know a lady with a Park Model for sale north of Aitkin on a nice lake.

What many think of a 'trailer house' vs a modern manufactured home is the difference between a go cart and a late model sedan. The new ones aren't trailer houses any more. They're made for the climate.

Buncha lowbrows anyhow! Doncha know you have to have a lot of money to be a decent person? Or that's the opinion coming out of Montana.

There are lot's of those mobile homes around Dryden, Ontario. They seem to survive in them.

One time I was talking to a guy who had a good business as a mobile home repairman. Much of his business was fixing factory defects in new houses. He'd just finished a job where a stud in a bathroom wall was 1/4" off center and the medicine cabinet wouldn't fit. I asked why they didn't fix it at the factory and he had a very good answer. They build them on an assembly line, like they build cars. To fix it there, they had to stop the entire line and dozens of workers would be getting paid for drinking coffee while it was fixed. It was much cheaper for them to pay one man to fix it later.

Stick built houses are not perfect either.
It depends on how bad the crew is hungover.
Some things don't present themselves until you live in them awhile. Sometimes the workers are high school
Kids on a summer job.
Roofers seem to all be Mexicans.
Nothing is perfect.

We have had a lot of fun with all this. Likely Misses Gunner will put her foot down, and make the decision.

Quit picking on Jim... he is a nice guy.... jeesh

For a mobile home dweller?

Spent a few of my younger childhood years living in what were then called "house trailers" when dad was following construction jobs. Sometimes we rented and a few dad and mom bought and dad pulled around from job to job with a flathead V8 '52 Ford Sedan. That was well before they became "mobile homes" and nowadays "manufactured homes".

House trailers back in those days were no bigger than small to at most medium size camping trailers are nowadays and not many even had inside toilets let alone separate bathrooms. Most trailer parks back then had a central "bath/wash house" with a few toilets, showers and a some old clothes wringers and big sinks to do laundry in that served for the residents of the entire park. For late at night there was the old reliable, "Thunder Pot", carried over to the bath/wash house and dumped the next morning.

As a kid living in construction worker trailer parks you learned quick to stash some "equalizers" somewhere handy to get to around your usual areas of play and paths of travel.

Them yurts are cool. Coupla wives to keep you warm in the winter. Some yak ghee. Coupla golden eagles for hunting wolves and foxes. Short stocky pony easy for me to get my stumpy legs over for a ride with my eagle on my arm.

Hey, I live in steppe country........................I dream about this stuff.

Who needs a doublewide anyway.

Geno

Good grief Fireballz , Jim lives in a yurt/gert and burns Yak dung...

Boomer he is a Mt. mobile dweller.....

Hell , I lived in a travel trailer in Mt. for seven years... talk about cold trailer trash....

They are used up here, but here we don't get extreme weather

Im sure not going to read through 9 pages to see if anyone mentioned the savage hatred that tornadoes have for mobile homes, and just how far out of their way they will go to destroy them, either one at a time or when they flock together is some place called "Shady acres" , they hatem I tell ya !

I lived in an aluminum travel trailer in Soldotna, Alaska one winter. No heat, no power, just a place to throw down out of the snow. Hell, I was too stupid to realize how much fun I was havin'.

About 10 miles from Hinckley there is a gated community of homes about 1,200 I think
Pathfinder Village is the name.

People are friendly, they all have electric golf carts.
I was invited to see the fireworks one year. It was the best I have ever seen. I dare say they could tell you all about living in a factory built home.
Some live there year round some just use as a summer home.

I camped out in a '72 Nomad for a bit.
Yah, how dare people post if they're not retired.

Drive out any back road around here and about half the dwellings will be mobile homes. Not alot of good paying jobs in these rural areas so alot of folks don't have much money. Upstate NY ain't exactly warm in the winter, hell it's 20* here right now and it's been snowing on and off for the past week. You can count on a few days of negative 10-20* with wind chills of negative 30-40* most winters. Folks get by just fine in mobile homes and alot of them are nicer inside than most of the houses in the area.

I think many are confusing old mobile homes with new... wonder if Gopher got the info he was looking for?

I would look at Timber Ghost Realty.
They specialize in land and homes in Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.
It will give you someplace to start anyway.
I know where you can find a used Park Model for sale.

If your richest uncle gets a new home and you have to go help him take the wheels off of it. You might be a fire member...

Bb

Yeeehaww git git git... House parking party.

I bought a used single wide to live in right before I got married for $7k put it on my land where I’ve got my house now and lived in it for 3 years I live on a knoll and wind vs underpinning is a bitch at times you could feel the wind rock the trailer like a car driving down the road

Dontcha be knockin', if the trailer is rockin'.....

I was kicking around Harlem today.


Still some single wide's around with the tail fin styling and louvered windows.



Classic.

Spent a couple summers in Manhattan in one like that in the mid-70s...

Thanks for everyone's input. I most likely will find out if the job's a go tomorrow, then the heavy lifting begins. We found a small house with lake frontage that's in our price range, but it would have no hunting land with it. Still looking at our options here. I'd probably start working up there very soon. Would get a motel room intitially until I can find a small apartment and get Cathy moved up. We'll have to embark on selling our house very soon so we don't have to rent for more than a few months. Lots to think about.

Good luck! Fingers crossed for you.

Lead on Brother!

"A divorce in Mississippi or a tornado in Oklahoma- - - - - - - -either way, somebody's gonna lose a trailer!"

Check out Karsten or Clayton mobile homes - and modulars.

Now that's funny!

Was it the “Derailers” or the “Turnpike Troubadours “ that sing “It ain’t home til you take the wheels off”?

best of luck GG, this will be the second big life change in a short time for you!

I wish you the very best GG and sincerely hope you make a good move and end up for the better!

Lived in a Lancer for 14 years.

It can be done with the right purchase.

Hope things turn out like you want.

Back in the 70's it was cool to live in a tipi, a guy I knew did it year round, in the Adirondack Mts of NY yet (think COLD). Drove an old truck, had a hot girlfriend too, one of those guys who was all-around cooler than me.

Never saw it but I'm pretty sure he had a wood-burning stove in there somehow.

Sad deal, he was killed in a head-on collision with a drunk late one winter night there was a lot of drunks on the road up there back then.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I accepted the position yesterday and will start at the Baxter, Mn. clinic the Monday after Thanksgiving. Cathy and I went up and looked at 6 properties today in the Baxter area. We were pretty sure we'd end up buying a lakeside cabin we were eyeballing, but will be going another way. The lakeside property was a small cabin, not really suited for a year round residence. No basement, no garage, and no spot to build one. Typical lake lot-barely bigger that the footprint of the cabin, and at best two skinny parking spots. It's shoehorned in between two other cabins, and one's pretty messy. We weren't impressed.

We looked at three different properties with mobile homes on them and weren't impressed with any of them. All three needed lots of work, and two of them had septic issues.

We looked at two houses, and found one we both really like. Looks like we'll be putting in an offer on that one pending some detailed research on i'ts history, taxes, the neighborhood, etc. Sure looks nice to us, so we're cautiously optimistic. It ain't lake frontage, and it ain't huntable (1/2 acre lot) but for the money we have to work with, this house gives us the most bang for our buck.

Getting punch drunk from researching stuff on the project. Thanks again guys, your advice was greatly appreciated.

AWESOME! Good going and good luck GG!

Congratulations gg good stuff. Half acre with a decent house would be a far off dream for a lot of folks look at it that way and it'll be easier to sell down the road. Good luck with the haggling and if this one doesn't pan out you've learned a lot already and are narrowing down the field, its all good.

Cathy's a para in the schools here, and there's a school within easy walking distance of the house, so we're hoping if we get the house she can work there. We would have really liked to get the lakeside cabin, but it just wasn't really suitable for a year round residence. For one thing, it's on a shared private road, so no snow plowing. I'd have had to buy a plow truck, as from what we understand, neither of the other residences on the road are year round dwellings, so we'd be on the hook for keeping the quarter mile long road open ourselves.The house we're looking at is 5 minutes from my work. It's a good spot for us, I think.

Biggest mistake of my life was buying a HUD double wide, BOCA would have been better. I have block skirting and a slab underneath, learned about that from the single wide that was originally on the place. Short doors are a pain. I need to replace a slider, 72x76 isn't a normal size, most sliders are 72x80.

A stick built house you can put money into with improvements and expect to get some thing back. Since I don't plan to move until some one moves my body, I keep the place livable. The next owner can build their home on the property while living here and touch a match to my dw. I'll be looking down hopefully and giving them a thumbs up.

gophergunner,

best of luck to you and your family with the new jobs, and housing. let us know how it turns out. Perhaps, if you end up with the house without hunting land, you'll have enough left over for to spring for some acreage nearby you can hunt on until you're situated such to build a dream home there................or move a nice doublewide on!

Citi-data makes it look like a decent place to live.................enjoy life there.

Geno

We're going to be pretty much all in on the house by the time this is said and done. The money we'll get from selling our current home will have to go towards re-funding our retirement funds. We're paying cash for the new place.

Good Jeff, pictures?

I'll try to get some up once we get this finalized.

Congrats.

That's a great area. So much to do.

I discovered that, too. I replaced a slider with a 36" door and 2 sidelights. I had to overhaul the door to make it fit. This slider was 78", not 76, so I still had to take it down 2". Taking 2" off a prehung door isn't the easiest thing I've ever done.

I live in one as well,never had a desir to live in a stick built,we bought our doublewide brand new in 1999 and it has been fantastic,no issues except regular preventative maintenance,don't let the guys fool ya,they are built pretty well nowadays and are built in a controlled enviroment,so no wood getting rained on or weathered. I would do it all over again...

Great news today. We dickered on the house we put the offer in on, and our offer has been accepted! We close on the house Wednesday, pending tomorrow's homebuyer inspection. Can't wait to get moved! Process on this deal had come to a total standstill, and we actually went up today and looked at other houses with our real estate agent. She "shook the trees" after we left, and lo and behold,we got the deal done on the one we really wanted. Moving to the Baxter/Brainerd area. Can't wait to fish those lakes up there. All ready envisioning multiple runs to Leech Lake. It's only an hour from our new digs.

Good Jeff. It tickles me to you refer to that area as, "Up there".
Good luck, and happy moving.

Yeah your trip north is a wee bit longer.

Congrats!

What sort of house?

Three bedroom with a full basement. Basement is finished. It's in a nice neighborhood and backs up against a park. The area behind the house is open,and there's a hockey rink and several ball fields back behind us, but far enough away we shouldn't have any foot traffic on our back property line. It's about 5 minutes from my work. The house is directly across the street from a nice sized lake. We have a beautiful view of the lake from the picture window in the living room. Lots of mature oak trees on the lot too. Because we're not on the lakeshore side of the road, our property taxes are much lower.

Visualize the hand clapping emoji thingie here.!

Hope all goes well. Wish I had a HOCKEY rink behind my house and a lake out front.

Geno

Sounds fantastic!

Jeff, you could catch a limit while I burn a tank of gas.

That's great. High hopes for you GG!

Well that sounds pretty sweet! Let the good times roll

Good luck Jeff I am sure the people in Lakeville will miss you and Cathy. How do your kids feel about your pending move?

Ever since I moved up here from Ohio, I've wanted to move farther north, and out of the Twin Cities. There are all kinds of lakes, both big and small, as well as the Mississippi River within less than have an hour from my new home. Leech Lake is an hour away, and one of the best know walleye and musky lakes in the the state. I'm actually looking forward to finding some of small lakes off the beaten path a bit and just enjoying catching some panfish. As for hunting, there's a big State Forest right near by, and lots of other public access areas close to this area too. Can't wait to start learning the country. The clinic I'm going to work for was previously owned by a former employer of mine, Dr. Jerry Poland. Jerry was a great guy to work for, and just a hunting and fishing fool. We got along very well. Jerry definitely played on a higher field than I did. I went up and deer hunted with him one time, and my other party members that day included. Kent Hrbek of the Minnesota Twins, and Bud Grant, former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Different stories for different times. Doc got killed in a car accident a few years back. We gathered the old crew together for his funeral, and it was one of the toughest ones I ever attended. He was really a good boss and just a great guy. Now I get to go roam the halls of this clinic which he built from the ground up with his own hands. I won't be working for Jerry, but the new owner seems real nice. She's building a very solid ophthalmology practice, and I'm glad to be a part of it. I feel like I'm honoring Jerry's memory and giving a little back too.

Congrats Gopher!

You will love that area. Nice and clean and LOTS of outdoor activities. Should be more than enough public hunting. For fishing, just decide which direction you want to go that day.

The NHRA comes to town (Brainerd) every August. If you haven't experienced top fuel drag racing first hand, it is a must do.

The big ice fishing tournament on Gull Lake is a site to behold as well.

The Fleet Farm in Baxter is top notch (at least it was last time I was there)

There are a lot of little taverns that serve great food and the people are friendly.

It's an all around great area.

I want to do the races over there for sure. I've never seen the big boys run before. Looking forward to it. As a long ago retired sled racer, I'm looking forward to seeing some of that too. My brother and I ran sleds for a couple years in the late 70's. We had a mishmash of equipment-basically anything we could keep running for a few weeks and turn left. We ran lots of junk-Massey's, Speedway, Brut, Scorpions, and the like. Not even remotely competitive with that stuff. In 78 we pooled our funds and bought two tired Mercury Snow Twisters. We campaigned those sleds for a good two years, and did very well with them until Polaris rolled out their IFS RXL's in 1980. Just couldn't turn with them. It was a lot of fun, but I suffered two concussions, my brother got seriously injured in a race, and we hung it up. It was a ton of fun, and we made some great friends. Can't wait to go back to the races. Some of the guys we used to race against are team owners now, and I look forward to crossing paths with them again.