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Repairing Smoke Damage

slumlord44slumlord44 Member Posts: 3,702 ✭✭✭
edited July 2015 in General Discussion
I had a fire in a rental mobile home last week. 10x50 Made in 1960. Fire damage confined to the back bedroom. Serious smoke damage throughout the rest. No structural damage. $400 a month rental paid for a long time ago. Fire started by Glade Plug in Air Freshener. I recommending getting rid of anything like that if you have them. $5000 coming from insurance company. My options are to re build it. I can do it for the amount of the insurance if I do a lot of the work. Second option is to scrap it and put a new modular home on the property for around $70000 using the insurance and lot for down payment. Wife not thrilled about going that far into debt. I can gut bedroom and dry wall it. Patch floor and go over with 1/4 plywood to seal the floor. I am thinking oil based Kilz throughout the rest of the trailer including the inside of the closets. Replace kitchen cabinets partly because they need updating anyhow. Remove & replace laminate flooring and vinyl tile and Kilz on sub floor before re doing. Replace window AC's with good used units that I have on hand. Clean stove and fridge. Replace 3 broken windows. A lot of scrubing and cleaning. What am I missing and will I still have smoke smell problem? This is the place I had cat smell problem before that I managed to get rid of. Good news is definitely got rid of cat smell. I am personally leaning to scraping it if I can get wife to go along. Cash flow on the new modular would be close to what I had before the fire but I am looking about a large debt for a long time. Would be great when paid off thought but no way to know if I will live to see it paid off at 70 years old.
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Comments

  • fishkiller41fishkiller41 Member Posts: 50,608
    edited November -1
    It's a gamble,for sure.Have U considered scrapping the 60's MH and
    selling the lot? Then,maybe picking up another property to rent out?
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  • montanajoemontanajoe Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 60,209 ******
    edited November -1
    Smoke gets into the insulation in the walls. To truly get rid of smoke damage,,you go down to the bare stud walls and start over. Same with the ceiling.
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  • proappproapp Member Posts: 3,264
    edited November -1
    I am personally leaning to scraping it

    yes.
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  • fishkiller41fishkiller41 Member Posts: 50,608
    edited November -1
    1960?[:0] That baby is a YEAR older'n me!!
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  • montanajoemontanajoe Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 60,209 ******
    edited November -1
    I'm really surprised the insurance company didn't total it given the age and size. [:0][:0]
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  • GuvamintCheeseGuvamintCheese Member Posts: 38,932 ✭
    edited November -1
    The smoke smell goes away in about a year +/- . Use an ozone machine and kilz any dark areas. Your call on scrapping.
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  • NOAHNOAH Member Posts: 9,690
    edited November -1
    you are thinking of putting a 55 year old mobile back on line are you nuts??? scrape it you got your money your 70 years old (you said)clear the lot and rent the lot, let someone else worry about a mobile .

    also there are other mobils/modulars for less than 70k and if you are only getting a tad bit more than 400 a month then i personally think it is not a good move to spend 70k

    mho ymmv.

    experiance speaking i once bought 10 rentals from a man ,5 were mobils and 5 were older 2br houses . the mobils were old too, and in very much need of repair every time i turned around . those old mobiles are not worth it,old wiring,roofs always manage to leak,floors rot out by doorways/bathrooms ,and toilets /tubs suck floors bad. you can't find parts to fix plumbing sucks.

    go ahead fix it up and get your 400 a month rent[V]if it's the only rental you have. why get into a loan at your age
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  • slumlord44slumlord44 Member Posts: 3,702 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Really don't want to sell the lot. Can't rent the lot to anyone else. City won't let me put another mobile home on it. That would be the best return for my money. Would have to put a modular or stick built house on it. Possibly cheaper modulars out there. Just started looking. Just ran the rough numbers and I would have about $100 less a month clear than I have now. That's without figuring the tax breaks for the depreciation and the higher real estate taxes. I could be pretty much where I am now on a cash flow basis and end up with a property worth over $100,000 when its paid for IF I live that long. If I die before that my family will be able to sell the house easier and for a lot more than the old mobile home and lot. To me its a no brainer. Just got to convince the wife that she will be better off going this way if she out lives me. I have no debt at this time. Got 8 other rentals paid off and my home was paid off a long time ago. Got a couple different guys willing to remove the mobile for the scrap iron. Just got to convince the better half to go into hock again.
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  • select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,518 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Your return is not good on 70k putting a modular in. I would hire a cleaning service, smoke cleanup .. and spend the rest repairing it. OR put up a small slab 800/1000 square foot stick built building for a rental. Hire some local repair carpenters needing work . Buy the materials and let them construct it.
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  • OakieOakie Member Posts: 40,565 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by montanajoe
    Smoke gets into the insulation in the walls. To truly get rid of smoke damage,,you go down to the bare stud walls and start over. Same with the ceiling.


    Joe is correct. I deal with this sometimes doing whole house repairs. Getting that smoke smell out is a *. Kilz will work sometimes. You really need to do a complete gut job in my opinion only. I tried a few short cuts and it came back to bite me in the *.
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