Welcome, new and established readers. I must apologize for not posting recently, as the mobile home has been occupying most of my time. I have not really had an opportunity to type up a new post recently. The good news for Historical Hillbilly fans is that we have been busy doing renovations, meaning there is plenty to post about. I will be doing several small installments to avoid a long droning post like last time. I think I prefer to have several quick reads, to set a better pace for myself, as well as readers. I also enjoy feedback, so let me know your thoughts in the comment section, or you can get in touch through the contact page.
Working in the mobile home has been quite a task. It is rewarding to know that I own my home. This blank canvas is very exciting, but I can’t help but wonder how Michelangelo felt looking at a block of marble. Is this trailer going to be my David? Perhaps I am being a bit facetious or even a little dramatic in that comparison, but it does feel a bit daunting at times. Of course, starting was the easy part, as there was an obvious starting point, and it was fresh and exciting to begin. I even wanted to begin tearing into some of the work before our home was home. We were able to tear out most of the old carpet before moving our home, while we waited for the weather to cooperate.
Master bedroom. Notice the bad subfloor, which is going to be the next post. 
Master bedroom. Notice the bad subfloor, which is going to be the next post. 
Master bath. 
Master bath shower. 
Hall leading from master bed to the kitchen. 
Laundry room. 
Living room, with wood burning fireplace (my favorite feature of this home). 
Guest room, possibly our future office. 
Guest room, possibly our future office. 
Guest bath. 
Guest room, probably going to be the nursery. 
Guest room, probably going to be the nursery. 
The first order of business when our home was delivered was to tie the home down. This was a simple task that took a couple hours. I found that the easiest way to hammer the tie downs was to place a piece of 2×6 scrap in the channel of the tie down. This serves two purposes. First, it gives you something to strike to drive the center stake into the ground. Second, it gives you something to hold on to – a kind of makeshift handle as you drive the larger stakes through the sides. Of course, for those of you familiar with the area, we ran into your typical Washington County topsoil. For those who are unfamiliar with good ol’ Washington County topsoil, you may be familiar with the term rock.
A mobile home tie down. 
How I drove the center stakes, and kept them from twisting when driving the side stakes.
The next order of business was to seal the skylight. I just used what was on hand at the time, which I have used with great success on previous repair jobs, Flex Seal. I have used this stuff before and it has yet to let me down, plus it dries quick, and I needed to get the skylight fixed before the rain hit the next morning. I finished this on the same day as the tie downs.
(Like an idiot, I forgot to take a picture when I was done patching it.)
Day two of working on the mobile home was mostly spent cleaning (there have been quite a few days that at least half the day was spent cleaning). The previous owners had remodeled the home, and some of the work had to be redone. A re-remodel, if you will. Definitely the phrase “Make due with what you’ve got” came to mind as we have been seeing some of the previous work. Granted, I don’t have any negative feelings towards the previous owners, or the person that did the work. I definitely believe that the previous owners were trying to keep costs low, and I will give them the benefit of the doubt. They did what they must have had to do. I will say there was quite a bit of ingenuity that went in to some of the previous work. And some of the previous work left me scratching my head in bewilderment. I will say, I have not once thought of using newspaper for underlayment, but I gaurantee they saved a lot of money in doing so. I’m also sure they did not spend much on screws and used what was on hand, as the screws in the subfloor were a hodgepodge of different sized Torx deck screws and Phillips drywall screws. I can respect the previous owners for using what was on hand. As for me, I would rather use the right tool for the right job, but to each his own.
A mess of newspaper that was under the vinyl flooring. 
Some old flooring from another remodel. (There’s even older stuff we found in other areas) 
All clean. (Some of the subfloor was replaced later)
Once again, I have droned on a bit too long. This seems to be a good stopping point, anyway, as the next post will be on the subfloor, which was a process that took a couple weeks and had its fair share of headaches. I appreciate those who continue to support me, and I would like to thank those first time visitors. Don’t forgot to like, share, comment or contact me for any input.
Thank you,
Wyatt Nickelson
The Historical Hillbilly 
Congratulations on your first home. I can definetly relate, looking at a house with so many things needing to be done can be overwhelming.
I’d bet that there’s more dirt on the 10,000 ft mountains in Whyoming than there is on those 1,000 ft mountains south of Potosi.
I’m looking forward to hearing more about your home improvement endeavors and wish you the best of luck.
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