The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a mobile home is a camper, caravan or caravan. At most, you can think of wooden houses and bungalows which, although without wheels, are easily movable because they are lighter than large houses.

Instead, there are real complex housing units, with all the comforts of a typical prefabricated wooden house, which are simply mounted on a sort of trolley and can be transported, more or less easily. Mobile homes, which are already spreading rapidly in the United States, represent for some a real residential and living alternative. All the services necessary for a practical, simple and comfortable life are concentrated in a small size.

Let’s try to get to know them better and understand how they are made, what are their characteristics and the regulatory framework that governs these miniature houses on wheels.

Let’s start from the bottom. What makes a house mobile, in fact, is that it is mounted on a structure with wheels. It is a metal frame, of different shapes and sizes, placed on a rubberized axle equipped with a drawbar for towing. The platform of the house is installed on this base , generally a wooden base that provides all the necessary precautions to guarantee resistance, stability and thermal and acoustic insulation to the overlying structure.

The frame walls are fixed to the base , finished and functional like those of a prefabricated wooden house, or with insulating panels, both for temperature and for noise; vapor barriers to avoid condensation and mold; external and internal coatings of different types to give strength and protection; specific cavities for systems and ventilation .

The roof can be single-pitched or double pitched, also adequately structured and insulated to ensure, in addition to absolute impermeability to water, excellent energy efficiency inside the house.

To finish everything, there are the fixtures, if desired with thermal break, with construction features capable of maintaining a high level of safety and energy insulation.

Space optimization

 The square footage of a mobile home is, of course, small. They range from very small houses, around 18 m2, to larger houses that reach 45 m2 . There are some models, made of several modules, which reach 60 m2.

The interior of a mobile home the internal layout and furnishings are designed and organized in an absolutely detailed way, in order to optimize the space and make the rooms practical and functional. However, the design and the technologies used have nothing to envy to the “real estate” houses, since furnishings, bathroom fixtures, lighting (often led), upholstery and other accessories are, contrary to what happens with caravans, completely ordinary and they do not give the impression of a cramped space.

Some companies provide telescopic wooden mobile homes for sale in UK, able, once they reach their destination, to increase the square footage with an enlargement system of the living space. In this way, for example, they are in compliance with the legislation for driving on the road.

What they are used for

 Mobile homes are often used, especially in United Kingdom, as a temporary residence for tourism. They are chosen because they are easily transportable, like a caravan, but at the same time, once positioned, they become a full-fledged home, with quick connections, even to the sewers, systems up to standard and comforts of all kinds. Some models give the possibility to hide the wheels and mount an external veranda which makes them totally similar to fixed houses. This is why they can also be used as a residence, if placed in private property, but, as we will see, not without building titles.

Costs, times and impact on the environment

Today more than ever, they are built according to ecological and energy-saving parameters, becoming eco-friendly houses that allow significant savings on energy consumption and low environmental impact. They can be integrated with many energy systems, such as photovoltaic, solar and heat pumps.

Construction times are very short and you can become the owner of a turnkey mobile home in less than three months, including customizations and tailor-made arrangements.

Construction times are very short and you can become the owner of a turnkey mobile home in less than three months, including customizations and tailor-made arrangements.

The cost of a mobile home obviously varies a lot according to the size and complexity of the set-up. In general, we can say that it ranges from a minimum of £ 5,000, for small and minimal projects, to over £ 40,000 for the most structured and equipped houses.

However, there are also many sites and companies from which it is possible to find used mobile homes, sometimes renovated, which allow considerable savings.

Authorizations, permits and regulatory framework

Let’s start by saying that the fact that a house is mobile, and therefore easily transportable, does not mean that it can always go on the street, at least in United Kingdom, where the Highway Code provides for some restrictions.

Read Also: How to furnish a wooden house: 5 ideas and creative ideas for a green furniture

The “home trailer “must have a license plate , be approved for transport and have a maximum width of 2.55 m . The other dimensions must also comply with the homologation specifications of the trailer type. Furthermore, this apparatus requires periodic reviews by the Civil Motorization.

Non-approved mobile homes can only stay in areas used for tourist reception, such as villages, campsites and farmhouses.

With regard to the positioning of the mobile home, as for other housing classes, the provision of the Consolidated Law on Construction applies, which identifies as ” new construction interventions “, and therefore subject to building titles, also “the installation of light artifacts, including prefabricated ones, and structures of any kind, such as caravans, campers, mobile homes, boats, which are used as homes, workplaces, or as deposits, warehouses and the like, with the exception of those that they are aimed at satisfying merely temporary needs or are included in outdoor accommodation facilities for the rest and stay of tourists, previously authorized in terms of urban planning, construction and, where applicable, landscape, in compliance with regional sector regulations “.

Therefore, installing a vehicle or a mobile home for residential use, or in any case in a stable way, determines a permanent and not merely temporary transformation of the territory and requires all the building and housing titles provided for the properties : Building Permit,  certifications for connections, authorizations from local administrations.

Furthermore, if the area of ​​the affected area is subject to some landscape or urban planning constraint, the authorization of the Administration that regulates the constraint is also required.

In practice, a mobile home does not require building ownership only if it meets these requirements:

  • it is positioned on wheels and approved for road transport;
  • meets only transitional needs ;
  • it can be moved quickly , therefore not anchored or connected to plant networks.