Any sort of home will require some work to maintain it in its best condition, and a mobile home is no exception to that aspect. However, there are some very practical differences in the maintaining, repairs and in decorating a mobile home. But don’t worry; here are a few tips for you to help with tackling those tasks.
Leveling
One of the most significant tips to owning and maintaining a mobile residence is that it must be leveled properly. This should be do when the first time you set up your new mobile home but it should be check periodically and appropriate adjustments made to keep it level. When you notice that the doors are not shutting right, floors become squeaky, windows seem to fit improperly or cracks appear in the ceiling or on the walls may be a result from it becoming unlevel and you should check to make sure that it hasn’t become on level. There are varies products you can buy that will explain how do to yourself but hut hiring a professional to do this is also available to getting it done.
Skirting Repairs
To make your mobile home more energy efficient it is important to have a skirting around the base of your home. Check the skirting frequently and always make sure to repair any damage you find. You can seal holes in it by taping the interior side of the hole with a strong tape and then apply caulk, in a matched color to the skirt, to the outer side scraping it smooth with a paint scraper. Let dry completely, sand it and wipe away any remanding residue.
Interior Home Improvements
When you are doing interior improvement projects to your mobile home remember that some materials that are used throughout a mobile dwelling may be different from material used in a conventional type home. This may include vinyl or panel covered walls. Vinyl and treated paneling can be tricky to change if you need to restore them and want the matching style. They are generally quick to be discontinued as styles change, they also can be difficult to try to paint over, but there is a variety of products and many different techniques that are available to assist in making this process easier.
Painting Vinyl Covered Walls
If you are going to paint over vinyl covered walls there are a few things you must do. First you have to lightly sand the walls, then you must clean them thoroughly and last you should completely cover the walls with a coat or two using a stain blocking primer. If you find that you still have spots that the pattern of the vinyl is still coming through, try doing some camouflage painting with a textured paint or some different techniques with faux painting.
Painting Over Paneled Walls
Just like in painting over vinyl covered walls you must completely sand over the walls. If your paneling has a grove, fill in the grooves with a joint compound using a paint scraper and then sand the walls smooth. Then wash the wash completely and cover with a few good coats of primer. Let dry completely and then your walls should be ready for paint.
There’s nothing quite like relaxing in a hot springs pool with a Colorado ghost town on your right and a yurt on your left. That’s the setting for Colorado’s hot springs in Chaffee County. Central Colorado offers the best of the west with a twist of the east, just three-hours from Denver. Among the 14,000-foot collegiate mountains, you’ll find several hot springs pools and spas featuring eastern healing techniques including Shiatsu, Jin Shin Do, Ancient Thia Massage, Watsu and new age services ranging from ear candling to aura videos to iridology. More traditional Colorado offerings - such gold mining sites, hiking trails, ski resorts and white water rafting - are also at your fingertips. This guide will help you make the most of your visit to Central Colorado’s hot springs. Buena Vista
Entering Buena Vista is like stepping onto the Hollywood set of a Western movie. This is a quaint town of about 2,100 that has, in an architectural respect, not changed much over the past 100 years. Visit the Buena Vista Heritage Museum at 512 Main St. and you will see that much of the historic town has been preserved. There are more than a dozen churches and about half a dozen art galleries. Wooden posts with the names branded into them mark each street.
The only stoplight in town, at the intersection of Highway 24 and Main St., is the gateway to all your needs. Head east on Main Street and you’ll find antique shops, cafes and the Barbara Whipple Trail, which is a scenic and moderately steep hike of about a mile. It connects with several biking trails including Midland, a trail that runs along a railroad bed. As you head west on Main Street, you pass historic Victorian homes, luxurious log cabins, mobile home parks and the Comanche Drive-In movie theater before the road winds into the mountains.
Buena Vista is also known as the whitewater capital of Colorado. There is whitewater rafting for all skill levels on the Arkansas River during the warmer months.
Buena Vista Hot Springs
Take Main Street west for just over five miles and, on the right side of the road, you’ll find Cottonwood Hot Springs. The inn and creek-side cabins with fading paint and aging wood sit in a canyon. Rabbits hop throughout the property and ducks sit in some of the private hot springs tubs. The natural stone-lined soaking pools sit behind trees adjacent to the road. The nearby traffic prevents complete silence, but the setting is far from being urban. The inn offers a range of therapeutic and healing services. Hot Stones, a technique used by the Ute Native Americans, uses heated stones with massage. Cottonwood also offers a variety of other massages and therapeutic services. More information is available at www.cottonwood-hot-springs.com.
Salida
Salida sits in a valley between two mountain ranges: the Sawatch Range, including the 14,000-foot Continental Divide, on the west and the Mosquito Range to the east. Downtown Salida is Colorado’s largest historic district. While churches seem to be on every corner in Buena Vista, about two dozen art galleries are spattered throughout Salida. The annual Salida Art Walk is held June 24 through 26. Art of all forms – poetry, performance, culinary, musical, painting, metal works, weaving, stamping – is displayed and demonstrated as thousands travel to the town of 5,500.
It’s no wonder that artists galore are drawn here. The views of the Collegiate Peaks and the Continental Divide – mountains more than 14,000 feet high – are astonishing. Salida also offers hiking and biking trails, as well as whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River. Monarch Ski Resort is only a 20-minute drive away. There are close to a dozen lodging options available.
Salida’s Hot Springs
The Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center is conveniently located in town on Highway 50. The covered hot springs pools are open year round and it is the largest indoor hot springs pool facility in the state. The center also has six private baths that can be rented by the hour. The main pool is six lanes and is kept between 82 and 88 degrees. A smaller pool is 4-feet deep and kept between 92 and 102 degrees. www.salidapool.com
Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa is about an hour south of Salida. Take highway 285 over Poncha Pass, a relaxing drive through mountains above 9,000 feet.
The most striking aspect of Joyful Journey Hot Springs Spa is the quiet. Sounds that many urbanites are rarely able to escape – traffic hums, distant music, neighbor’s voices – are undetectable. The hot springs spa feels like an island unto itself. Wooden fences block the sight of modern amenities while the spa’s three pools, each an intimate size lined with tiles, look across the high-altitude plain to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The facility is immaculate, and the water pristine and chemical-free. The spa rents out yurts and there is a retreat center available for workshops. This spa offers a variety of massage techniques, including Hot Stone, Raindrop, Shiatsu and Jin Shin Do. www.joyfuljourneyhotsprings.com
Nathrop
Nathrop sits between Buena Vista and Salida. Take a right on County Road 162 from Highway 285. The paved road you start out on eventually narrows into twisting dirt road – sans guardrails – as you ascend to a tiny ghost town at 10,000 feet. St. Elmo has eight year-round residents and, aside from one collapsing building that is being remodeled, the town is in tact. There are 24 original buildings including a general store, saloon, courthouse and several private houses. The town looks over a hall of enveloping mountains that fold down into the valley like a row of waterfalls. There is horseback riding, fishing, rafting and hiking available in this canyon.
Nathrop’s Hot Springs
Lloyd’s Inn & Hot Springs sits behind a pristine pond. An indoor hot springs pool is next to this bed and breakfast and kept at 100 degrees. No chemicals are needed because the water runs through to the adjacent Chalk River. The owners say that the smaller size leads to a more quiet and personal experience and does not have the institutional feel that the more public pools have. Guests enjoy a full breakfast on a porch overlooking the river with an incredible view of the Chalk Cliffs, a ridge of grey rock towering above forest. An antique bathtub sits in the front lawn and wooden statues of the three bears are huddled in a nearby cluster of trees. The inn is proud to offer the only elevator in a private home in all of Chaffee County. The rooms are clean and quaint, decorated in a blend of antique and Western flavors. One features a brass bed frame, leftover from the miners who lived in the area. American Indian quilts, arrows and elk horns adorn the walls. A living area with a fireplace and porch overlooking the lake is the only shared space. www.lloydsinn.com
Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort is perfect if you’re just spending the day in Nathrop. The hot springs resort has two mineral pools that are kept between 85 and 105 degrees. Guests also enjoy the creek-side pools that are enclosed in rocks. In the summer, the upper cool pool with a water slide is open. The resort has three massage therapists to make the most of your visit. Guests can also rent mountain bikes here and the staff will give you a few tips before sending you out on your choice of trails. www.mtprinceton.com
Getting to the Hot Springs
Directions from Denver Take US Highway 285 from Denver. It’s about a three-hour drive.
Elder residents of the Plymouth County town of Middleborough are up in arms over a statewide proposal to repeal rent control for mobile-home parks, the Enterprise in Brockton reports. A bill will go before the Legislature this fall to repeal rent …
Elder residents of the Plymouth County town of Middleborough are up in arms over a statewide proposal to repeal rent control for mobile-home parks, the Enterprise in Brockton reports.
MARTINSBURG - Berkeley County’s commissioners adopted revisions to the county’s subdivision regulations at their meeting Thursday morning by a vote of 2-1. Commissioner Tony Petrucci voted against approving the changes. While agreeing that …
Despite its second consecutive quarterly loss, Cavco Industries Inc., a Phoenix-based maker of manufactured homes, is attempting to buy part of a large competitor, Fleetwood Enterprises Inc.
An attempt to repeal rent control at mobile home parks statewide has area seniors prepared to lobby the State House when the change will be considered at a public hearing in the fall. A bill being proposed by Sen.
Despite its second consecutive quarterly loss, Cavco Industries Inc., a Phoenix-based maker of manufactured homes, is attempting to buy part of a large competitor, Fleetwood Enterprises Inc.
EMMETT, Idaho–(BUSINESS WIRE)– T.J.T., Inc. (the Company), (Pink Sheets: AXLE ), a major supplier of axles, tires, and set-up supplies to the manufactured housing industry announced a net loss of $261,000, or $.06 per diluted share, for the third …
