Properly taking care of a mobile home can mean years of inexpensive living. Any program of mobile home maintenance involves adding underpinning, also known as skirting. Skirting covers the space between the ground and the home, giving the manufactured home the look of a traditional home, one with a sturdy foundation. Installation can make sense for many homeowners, so consider the five benefits of adding mobile home skirting before making a decision.

Appearance

Mobile home skirting is an attractive way to hide the structural elements of a home. From aluminum to brick veneer to faux stone, skirting improves the curb appeal of your manufactured home instantly while giving it a sense of permanence. Also, skirting is available in a variety of styles and colors to suit any taste.

Manufactured housing has come a long way from the 1950s image of the poorly constructed, plain white “trailer.” Mobile homes now are a popular alternative to traditional housing, having most of the traditional home’s best features at half the cost. Plus, additional savings on mobile home insurance, as compared to traditional home insurance, might be available in some areas. Yet, even with their new, sleek designs and amenities, mobile homes must still combat myths about their safety, appearance and construction. Here are six mobile home myths and the realities that disprove them.

1. Myth: Mobile homes are more vulnerable to fire than traditional, single-family homes.

Reality: According to numerous studies by insurance companies, fire marshalls and fire protection agencies, the strict construction standards of mobile homes have made them no more susceptible to fire than traditional homes. Since 1976, mobile homes are the only homes with a national building code set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.

Don’t believe the naysayers. Manufactured homes can be remodeled and revitalized just like conventional homes. If you have the desire and creativity, you can remodel and turn it into the mobile home of your dreams. Doing so will allow you to give a generic and sterile mobile home personality, and could increase its value and improve your Texas mobile home insurance rates. Here are nine ways to revamp the inside of your mobile home.

Walls

Revamping the walls is one of the fastest ways to transform a room in your mobile home. After sanding and priming paneled walls, paint with the color of your choice or wallpaper them. If you prefer a smooth surface, cover old walls with new Sheetrock or beadboard. Molding near the floor and ceiling adds a finishing touch.

Tired of the basic white exterior of your mobile home? You’re not a plain person, so why should your home be? People too often think mobile home remodeling can’t be done. With the right know-how and determination anyone can accomplish an attractive mobile-home exterior remodel. Doing so might even save you money in the long run on your electric bill and your Texas mobile home insurance. Here are seven ways to make over the outside of your mobile home and enhance its appeal.

1. Doors

Fancy or plain, steel or glass, replacement doors can be found at your local mobile home parts supply center or one on the Internet. Coupled with an attractive storm door, a replacement door for your mobile home can help prevent break-ins and add to your home’s energy efficiency. If you buy a door for a standard home, be aware that it might not fit and will have to be trimmed.

Friday the 13th evokes terrifying images of danger and fear in a surprising number of people all over the world. The fear stems from a wide range of sources, from the Old Testament to a cult-classic slasher film franchise from the 1980s, and it results in extreme changes in behavior from refusing to step foot on an airplane to refusing to step foot out of bed.

In fact, the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina estimates that losses of nearly $800 million in business revenue occur on Fridays that fall on the 13th – losses that can be attributed to superstition and fear.

In response to this surprising phenomenon, one insurance company in Sweden, Trygg Hansa, set out to prove that Friday the 13th is no different than any other day when it comes to accidents and claims. What the research actually proved is that this often-dreaded date is actually one of the safest days on the calendar.