Here is a bit of info about static caravans, mobile offices and mobile homes.
All these type of “building” are essentially temporary structures, and in most cases, do not require planning permission and are exempt from normal taxes and rates, although many are sited on a plot that is rented or leased.
A mortgage is not possible on most of these types of structures, although for some of the smaller ones, such as a static caravan for holidays, a personal loan is available to purchase one.
Exterior wall finishes for park homes etc
The editor of NPA (Yes, the poor chap that is sat here writing this!), spent many happy years having the occasional family holiday at the Beer head Caravan park in east Devon, of which this photo is from, looking out on a sunny day towards Lyme Bay, in 2002. (and if you fancy more info about a park holiday, there is a link at the foot of this page)
I digress…….
updated 2020: Please note we do NOT offer exterior painting for park homes, sorry
Let’s start by defining what we mean by a mobile home or a park home and so on….
Firstly, as suggested above, the biggest difference, apart from what park homes (et al) are made of, is the fact that a traditional house like you and I live in, is classed as a PERMANENT structure.
Whereas the topic we are discussing here, are TEMPORARY structures. In many cases, temporary can last a little bit longer than 1st planned!
There are any prefab homes built after the 2nd world war, supposed to be for 15 years lifespan, which are still in situ today.
So what types of temporary structures are there?
Exterior coatings for Mobile homes.
A mobile home is roughly defined as a large static caravan, often sited on raised blocks but with a chassis and wheels underneath.
They are quite often found in special residential parks or on holiday park grounds and can be surprisingly spacious and comfortable, albeit a bit cold in the winter!
Mortgages are not available on these types of homes.
External wall finishes for Park homes.
A “park home” is often a choice for retired people in the UK and can bring home ownership to the budgets of the most cash strapped individuals or couples.
These types of houses are normally constructed in sections in a factory, and then shipped to the site on a lorry, quite similar to a prefab, or pre-fabricated house.
Many Mcdonalds Drive-thru “restaurants” (?!) are made this way, assembled in a factory and then erected on site in a matter of hours.
These are also sometimes known as “modular” as the sections made in the factory can be swapped and altered to suit the client, as each “module” or section, can be married with another to create a larger home.
This also can be utilised in actually re-arranging an existing home (subject to plot size and local planning laws and rules)
Special flexible exterior coatings for Porta*******
Port***** (Yes, their lawyers emailed us and told us we cant use the proper trademarked word!) are often a very handy, cost effective, and hassle free way of providing space.
They are usually connected to work, such as a cafe, toilets, showers, offices, stores and so on, and they are normally designed to be sited temporarily although they have an expected lifespan of around 25 years, according to a manufacturers website, however many now have exterior wall surface finishes that last up to 60 years.
They can also be linked together, horizontally or vertically, to create a larger space. The military often use these types of buildings for temporary bases as they are easy to export overseas and erect quickly. They normally come with electricity and plumbing also.
So what links all these “buildings” together?
The very fact that they are not built of “bricks and mortar” means that in theory, they will not last as long, and they will be more susceptible to the ravages of the UK weather like rain, frost and so on.
The exterior walls of these buildings need to repel the weather, the same as a normal house, so the coating or covering on the external wall surfaces of these need to be of a high quality.
Many porta****** and mobile homes are now made with a a special coating in the factory which provides insulation and also fire resistance.
For older mobile homes, quite often a stippled coating was applied to the exterior walls, which were often made of wood or something similar.
These coatings usually often only have a limited lifespan and to make sure the exterior of the building is weatherproof, the coating must be periodically re-applied.
To save having to do this every year, choose NEVER PAINT AGAIN exterior flexible wall system, which comes in a variety of colours and if tough enough to cope with the most demanding weather conditions.
Many of these buildings, as they are not made of brick etc, “move”, for example with hold, cold or wet climatic conditions, in addition to the necessary action of a building that is physically being moved, for example from one site to the next.
This means the structure will FLEX and if normal paint is applied to it, it will simply crack and fall off.
In some cases we can apply our exterior wall coatings to a park home, although usually the larger variety. We do not sell any product for you to do the job yourself though, sorry.
To get a quote for a flexible coating for a park home call us on 0800 970 4928