Which Exterior Upgrades Matter Most for a Tampa Mobile Home?

Put Repairs Before Looks

It’s easy to focus on aesthetics first when you want to spruce up the exterior of your mobile home. But it’s important to tackle repairs first. After all, if you repaint your mobile home without addressing rotting wood or damaged siding, you’re only applying a temporary fix.

Before you make aesthetic changes, check your mobile home for:

• Cracked, warped, or loose siding
• Rusted nails or other hardware
• Discoloration around windows or under the eaves
• Puddles or soggy soil near your home
• Tears or gaps in your home’s skirting or where utility lines enter the structure
• Any damaged sections of awnings or the roof over your porch

Exterior problems can develop slowly, especially in a humid climate like Tampa’s. If water seeps under your roof or behind your siding, you may not even notice it. By the time you spot water damage on your ceilings or notice spongy-feeling walls, it may have been happening for quite some time.

What Tampa Weather Demands

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a fresh coat of paint, but there are many more ways to spruce up your mobile home’s exterior than that, and some upgrades are more important than others, particularly in Tampa’s hot, rainy weather.

The Roof: Your roof should be in good repair and able to effectively shed water.

The Siding: Inspect your siding for any gaps, tears, or other damage that could let rain seep into your home.

The Trim: Replace any rusted-out trim.

The Skirting: Your home’s skirting keeps out pests and protects your home’s underbelly from the elements. Make sure there aren’t any tears or gaps.

The Doors and Windows: Check for drafts or other signs your doors and windows need replacing.

Water Drainage: Make sure water drains away from your home effectively to avoid soggy soil or puddles that could damage your skirting or the structure of your home.

Roofing

Your mobile home’s roofing material shields your home from rain, sun, wind, and tree debris. Even if your roof looks fine, it’s worth having it checked over. Roofing seams, vents, and flashing can wear and deteriorate over time. If you notice peeling or bubbling roof material, lifted edges, dark streaks, or any other roof problems, consider having your roof repaired or even replaced. Also, check your ceilings (especially around light fixtures and near outside walls) for peeling paint, stains, or other signs of leaks.

You should also make sure gutters and other drainage are effectively moving rainwater away from your home. If rainwater pools next to your skirting, this could lead to soggy soil, erosion, and other problems underneath your home.

Siding

Siding gives your home its look, but it’s much more than a cosmetic upgrade. Your siding shields your home from pests and weather damage. Cracked, dented, faded, or warped siding can make your home look shabby and rundown. If your siding is damaged or worn out, consider replacing some or all of it. Sometimes it’s enough to replace siding just in certain areas (like around doors or windows, corners, near utility connections, or the bottom few feet of siding). On the other hand, if most of your siding is worn out, you might get better results replacing all of it.

When choosing a siding color, remember that Tampa gets a lot of bright sunshine. Lighter siding makes your home look less bulky and heavy. You can still incorporate darker colors for trim around your windows, doors, and rooflines, though. Stick with one or two siding/trim colors for a timeless look.

Skirting

Skirting is the material that covers up the area underneath your home. Like siding, skirting keeps animals and other intruders from getting under your home. Skirting also shields your insulation, pipes, and other components underneath your home. If your skirting is missing, cracked, warped, sagging, or has other problems, consider repairing or replacing it. Look closely for missing or damaged pieces, particularly around corners. Check your vents to make sure they aren’t cracked or otherwise damaged.

It’s important to ventilate the space under your home, especially since Tampa gets humid. On the other hand, skirting that’s missing or riddled with holes can let in too much wind, debris, and moisture.

Entryway

The entrance to your home includes more than just the door itself. It’s also the steps leading up to your door, handrails, your porch awning (if you have one), the lighting, etc. Check your steps to make sure they’re sturdy. Replace any loose or rotting handrails. Replace any rusted-out doorknob, house number, or other metal hardware. Consider giving your front door a fresh coat of paint (or replace it if it’s too worn out to refurbish). Make sure the lighting around your entrance is bright enough. Finally, make sure plants aren’t growing too close to your entrance, blocking it off or trapping moisture.

Small Maintenance Jobs That Matter

Look for other problems with your doors and windows.

If a window or door sticks or won’t close properly, the frame may be rotting or warped. If you see condensation between the glass on a window, that’s a sign that the sealant has failed. Check for cracks, holes, or other damage. If you see water damage or staining around your windows or doors, particularly on the wall underneath a window, have it looked at ASAP.

Which Projects Come First?

Tackle exterior projects in the right order.

Many people want to start with cosmetic exterior home improvement ideas for their mobile home. But before investing in curb appeal improvements, it’s best to take care of any repairs that are needed to keep your home structurally sound. Tackle these types of projects in this order:

1. Take care of any roof leaks, drainage problems, or siding repairs.
2. Tackle any other repairs, like skirting, steps, trim, gaps, etc.
3. Get to work on cosmetic exterior home improvement ideas, like painting your home, landscaping, adding or replacing exterior lighting, etc.

Start with an exterior inspection.

Before starting any exterior home improvement ideas for your mobile home, give your home a good once-over. Pay particular attention after a heavy rainstorm. Take note of any leaks, places where water collects, etc. Check under your mobile home if it’s safe to do so. Get an exterior inspection to get a handle on what type of condition your home is in before investing in aesthetic home improvement ideas.