Fire is probably the biggest factor against mobile homes in my opinion. They are truly tinder boxes. We loose several of them each winter here in
Another big problem is Propane, or more precisely Propane plumbing. Many of the older homes use compression fittings rather than flare. These have a tendency to loosen and leak. Propane is heavier than air so leaks often go undetected while buildup collects in lower cavities and under skirting. Maybe the pressure switch for the pump clicks on, or the heater fires, then BOOOM! What doesn’t just blow up becomes an inferno that few are fortunate enough to escape unless they are thrown clear by the initial blast.
One way to avoid these problems is to skip the mobile and satisfy the engineering requirements for new construction by providing a framework that is capable of standing on its own such as Post and Beam, or Pole Framed. The papercrete no longer has to prove structural at that point. Of course it is but it is no longer an issue, thus removing all the tests and proof necessary for non standardized materials.
If you still want a temporary place to live while building, a simple pole frame can be erected over the camper or mobile home and it can be removed later. If it were me I’d leave it outboard rather than have it in my way while working.
Janosh
I lived in a camper while building a barn/house in northern
The bank is requiring that the home be valued at as much as the land and that wouldn't be so hard on a small lot. I am trying to squeeze as many acres as possible into the formula for the horses and have enough left over to build the papercrete house.
I'm thinking that an older mobile home might fill the bill, if we incorporate the cost of bringing it up to codes. I don't know how the mobile homes can be considered more acceptable/valuable than papercrete. I watched a newer one burn this summer. It took less than 10 minutes to go from smolder to inferno.
Clarissa
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