Terminology Tuesday (Tricks of the Trade) – Ceiling Repair

(Note: I think it’s important to know the terminology and words used when learning any new business including mobile home investing. I came up with ‘Terminology Tuesday’ as a way to go over the terminology used in the mobile home business. It’s important to know the terminology when talking to people in the business so you’re all on the same page).

**** Tricks of the Trade is a new series I have started that will be included with “Terminology Tuesday” posts. The goal of this series is to share with you the “tricks of the trade” I have learned in the mobile home business.

Ceiling repair work is a common issue when it comes to mobile homes. Many times, there are areas that can become damp due to poor roof maintenance.

When inspecting mobile homes, be sure to check the ceilings in all rooms including the closets. Rings on the ceiling indicating water spots are sure signs of roof repair issues. Here’s an example:

(Note: For those interested, more details about the types of things I look for when inspecting mobile homes can be found in my book.)

For the most part, I only tackle minor ceiling repair issues — I don’t do major repairs. Here’s a pic of a home I passed on due to major ceiling and roof work needed:

Ceiling

Water bucket from dripping water from ceiling and roof damage

Regarding ceiling repair, the first part is to locate the source of the damage. Usually, this is due to poor roof maintenance. So, the first thing that will need to be addressed is the roof including any repairs needed.

For the ceiling repair damage in the first picture above (all the way to the beginning of the post), the source of the damage was due to the shingles. Apparently, there were small nail holes found in the shingles when the roof was inspected. Here’s a pic:

Once the damaged shingles were replaced, then I was able to tackle the ceiling repair needed on the inside of the home. Upon further inspection, I noticed only a small area of the ceiling panel was soft — not the entire ceiling.

After talking to my contractor, I had two options:

1. Remove and replace the entire ceiling with new mobile home ceiling paneling. Apparently, finding one to match the existing one is pretty difficult.

2. Patch up and paint the small area of the affected ceiling that needed repair.

I chose option 2 which seemed much more practical. Here are the results:

Damaged area of ceiling:

Ceiling repair patch up work

Finished work with paint

(Note: Though it’s never going to be exactly a perfect match, it definitely looks better than how it was before!)

For painting repaired ceilings, here’s what I use:

I hope this “Terminology Tuesday” post has been helpful and has given you some useful information – it definitely has for me.

Happy investing!