I would think that the first requirement to making it really permanent with using the addition would be to have the whole thing on a concrete slab. I think both sections are going to do some settling over time without a slab. It would be too bad to spend the money and then have things start to crack and fall apart. In some areas and with some companies a buyer can finance a mobile on a slab as a home rather than a mobile. Which possibly means lower interest rates. This could work in your favor if you ever want to sell...but probably don't count on that aspect. Before you spend a lot of money be sure that the home has copper wiring rather than aluminum. I think in a 1988 that it probably is copper,but not sure. Here in Vt I have seen homes of that age on private land....2 acre lot sell for $150,000 so they can have value if permanently set up. Mark

Hi. It would be great and helpful if you could post some pics of the exterior of the home and some pictures of the interior elements that reflect the Spanish/Mexican decor that you are referring to. This would give us existing styling cues and a color palette range. That being said, we like wood laminate as a material in general, and the idea of keeping the rustic concept, however introducing wood may be inconsistent with Mexican/South American decor which almost exclusively features ceramic tile or stone tile in the floor. Wood, when used, is generally reserved for furniture and structural accents such as beams, rafters, and lintels. Once you post some pics we will be able to sharpen our ideas. Our initial thoughts are to look for rustic tile. We define rustic as having texture and a color range between beige to brown. This could be ceramic tile or stone tile. Stone tile generally requires a thicker mud set, so it may affect the underside of your doors and other built in elements. Ceramic tile typically can be thin set (depending of the size format) and depending of the construction of your home may be the better option. Size: we recommend a standard to medium size tile, 12"x12" or 16"x16" However you choose to proceed please post the pics of the finished product. Good luck! -AS, Interior Designer

9h Lord- I forgot how stressed I was 25 years ago- and that was essentially a decent build atmosphere! This house will also be a 'small build'. 800-1,000 ft2. I am also against illegals working for any company that is used. Though the footprint will be small there are several upgrades that I want. I have been screwed so many times that I HAVE been better about "we're done check please until I inspect EVERYTHING!! And hopefully learn BEFOREHAND what I need to know about each phase. What I want is none of your business as long as architect approves and you have been told ahead of time. I may need drugs! Or at least many bottles of wine....... Two friends are in the process of building, one just broke ground and another to start in a couple months. I will probably have to live in a camper on site... Not fun that you cannot trust people. How about you need to come into my Emergency Room for something serious- but I don't give a rat's Add... Shall I give you half the cardiac meds? Use wrong suture on your facial laceration- align the wound edges unevenly or decide that I'll just not sew muscle edges- after all, you will never know.... 'Good enough' is not acceptable. 'Done correctly' is. Maybe I'll forget to give you pain medication..... No, I would never do that but am so frustrated at the work ethic of many. I hope I have good connections in Gainesville.... I hope your build goes well.

Your home is very 'warm' in colour. That means you have lots of yellows, oranges, reds, etc. going on. Right now, the trend is COOL. Gray, blue, cool greens, etc. The 'modern' looking stuff looks more modern because of the colour. So long as you have the trendy colours going for you, you will have a modern feel/look. If you are unsure as to how cold colours will work with your furniture, you can always prime the walls white. White primer is an excellent way to cover dark colours AND prepare the walls for new paint AND give you the proper visual to bring in newer looking stuff. For me, your tiles are fine. You will spend HORDES of money doing something 'wrong' (ie adding more tile on top of tile) only to be left with a house that still reads 'out of date' because of the paint colours. I'm a huge fan of Scandinavian Modern (like the stuff they sell at Ikea...yes...I spotted all those cute Ikea pieces...keep going with them and you will have Scandi modern down in no time). I love the look of WHITE WALLS, glass, chrome and light floors put together with STRONG colours. Like a red sofa. A blue arm chair. A turquoise area rug and big bold prints on the walls. Right now, Scandi Modern is cool in tone. That means the walls are still a crisp white colour but the floors are white or gray or very pale wood tones. You have one of the three colours already in situ. I would put the $15/sf towards a professional cleaning and a new grout colour. Pay someone to go white with the grout (it will turn gray again...but for a while you will have white). Then go cool on the walls. Now wait and see how you feel about all of this. If you really want new floors, then pay the price to get those tiles out permanently. I know. Expensive but well worth it. You do NOT want to know how much it costs to retrim every single door in the house. Including issues with balcony doors, etc. And then there are baseboards (must be removed and painted and reinstalled = more money than you care to imagine). And then there are the counter tops. If you add 1" to your floor, you counter tops will sit 1" LOWER than they are right now. The one good thing would be the stove will finally sit flush with the counter tops...but I digress.