The Wingham Advance-Times, 1974-11-07, Page 17Crouaada
' M
Sie wed* bolo
yew L
lasiaser, Wim rtAasasass-
lima sod Ifireal
illersne is rem .
the "Iteardiegi e1 Seiltisahors
rise.
(Illesed ess.8its MA if
►MMr besmoe. )
Bev ander Rae.vod into
Mobile hone on * farms in E
mont Townp atter." t►; were
'Married in August of`.thy' esr,
fir„ ' Miimie . Rinne
owned a home for "28 Yeartt before
rFf' #
v. into
MfR:.
•theylno ;suis a'mobilo home in
a mobile•home Park in Harriston
four years ,aflf
The couples are at le)sst two w
o
generations apart. The), relre-
„
sent the age scope of Canadians
who find mobile home( snit,
r a variety -
Able ,den a y of
festoons and,wboat the end of last
year occupied 146 750 of them 'ian
Canada, 245,000 In Ontario.
"It. is good for elderly people,'"
Mr., Rome, who be married
y
5a ears,ln the spring, .rinng noted bean
interview. We like it. We don't,
have ° togo- u and down the
1�
stairs."
,�
,And it iseasykee c can
ta P i
Mrs. .,1 Rome obs l'It doesn't
take leng to get your work done.
The couple sat m the living
l
il
'room shortly after'
Mr.
.me,
had
finished watering the garden. For
all practice, ptlrposies, Mr...and.
Mrs. Rome don't intend to move
back into a conventional home.
"Sernetimesyou'can usea little
more space,,x Mrs. Rome ob-
l' t`
asi�ved, bu it's a good Place
to
-V ,r n
e•
RELAXING—Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Rome, Harriston, moved.into a mobile homeafter
owning a conventional one for 28 years. They have lived in the mobile for four years and
say it's good for elderly people. yhey will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary
next spring.
Niro.
'fin Segios„* *soft
it
s
mobile �� � within ;
throw th w froom the Pike,.Iske Golf
mid:;
Country 004141061g, RR 3,
Clifford,sat in the
..� sittingroom
low at the woods through the
window in obvione'comf' . .
R
It has
-c convenience" f
all theon kd � o
a conventional
.home e`
t
wasted space," ;she, said.
Then . waired lels'`
.13
tf
the.;�-tot,
12 x
t
three,
borne, pointing
out theeonveni ces a 13,8 cubic
foot .refrigerator, . a ,, standard
electric stove, a. standard ;sloe_
double sink . and shelves .nu
around the top. '
"This is supposed .to be a bed- .
room," she observed, "butuse
it as a 1 utility room.",
In there was a freezer,,,which
she said will hold "half a'beal".
the master bedroom, at the,
back she displayed they clots
and in the bathroom the wwar
and dryer. 'They; are :all smn-
daird," she noted. "There spaie
for everything."'
Having lived in an apart
for a year and a half;, Mrs-,
thoughta mobile home compares
favorably in size. But it is easier
to keep clean and •besides,
`Something is always going
wrong in apartments and nothing
ever seems to get fixed."
Commenting on the differences
between a mobile home ands an
apartment, Mrs. Stan Klemp of
Harriston. said, "There isn't
muchdifference" n The living�roam
or; ►d h b" dIF�e
ftfit
rt.same + ��+ ` „
But then she noted a major dif-
ference. "I've always wanted
flowers and now . I have them."
She bent down and continued with
her weeding.
Mrs. Klemp and her husband
moved into a mobile home "when
the family grew up".
The main reasons for living in a
mobile home are, by and large,
tied up with money and a desire
for people to own a home of their
own.
"It is cheaper than buying a
house," Mr. Rae observed. "It
esyery retobile home dweller interviewed ex-
preiSed adMiration for space available. Mrs. Norm Seguss,
RR 3, Clifford, dlffot'd, std she likes the furniahiIna and other equip.
ment, which are all standard, Here She Works in the
kitchen.. `
•comesi fully�s d;and takes a
cotes of Weeks to arrive; friss,
wife, , added, "And' every
thing. isyours," while Mr;' Selguss
pointed out:that the- down :
pay
mentfor a mobile home is lower
and is. the-totalos;
:eo �;� t.
Op the other.pith. studies con
ducted in Canada ;have shown
stances wer
e mobile hon.
es are
not actually cheaper than con
ven t
o iomes
squarefeet.'
age.
It is impossible to taut about a
conventional , home ..costing less
than its per square foot, A ex 12
foot mobile home f selling " at
$15,000 will cost about $20.83 per
square foot,. .
A modular home builder who
also builds mobile homes in
Stratford, said mobile homes
have a life of about 40 years de-
pending "on who lives in them
and, whether they take care of
:them."
Prejudice and durability of
mobile' homes affect financing.
' A bank employee recalls his bank
"telling him he couldn't get any
loan from them to buy a mobile
home. That was three years ago.
• The,,; banks entertain loans
thoughsing their decisions on
the borrower's ability to repay.
One hank has a policy which re-
quires between 15 to 20 per cent
down • payment on loans to
purchase ' mobile homes. These
loans are expected to be repaid
between five and seven years.
Once a mobile home is bought,
there as the problem of location.
. Some:i uu'r �ilitiesdiad
,: except electricity -:at
monthly
til. .the parkis within
��. Mani' w,alltin
g distance, ` '
v
area sn ;o
eta .a
. °gym& r d ,,
r ve
.and'as geue�a�lYy good Y:ew+,
it
well.
l
:to
• According , the clerk's office,
in erewas very little opposition
to
its establishment, ..
• Mr, Rome, who is Wiled
by the
residents;
Mayor" park �,
said that the. people ate friendly
and make good<m elghbors.+detspite
lack ;of fences. Besides tta
flower arde
g some: � :ren .
dents have made modificationst )
their homes.
There are two privately .opera-
ted Mobile'borne parks in Elma
Township. One it in an aban-
doned drive-in cinema and has 25
homes. The other' in a private
property. It has. six homes and a,
proposed total of 20 ;
Township Clerk -treasurer
George Tucker said :that the need
for a. cheap form otf�housing was a
major factor in the; oouneil'sr de-
cision to allow the parks.' -
The Township council has noth-
ing to do with the parks except to,
pass a by-law, the same as it: does
for a sub -division, and•to levy a
$10 fee per home a month.
The by-law stipulates that the
location of the park must be ap-
proved by council and once it is
approved, a license will be; issued
stipulating the conditions .under
which. the park is to be operated
Th condition, elate to the site "
of the'lots the::, nto e, :t
been
'liana, between lie -no*
distant �" tt/ten "theT'hoiiies and
public highways, existing build-
ings and adjacent property and
that there should be electricity,
telephone service, fire extin-
guishers, driveways and streets
and of what sizes.
thiiiii"', lbgssiity . whiles
Severance by-laws make it im-
possible for an individual to buy
half an acre on which to place a
mobile home. •
The town of Mount Forest, for
example, has a by-law banning
mobile homes inside the munici-
pality. The bylaw, passed in
1959, prohibits using a trailer (a
mobile home falls within this
definition) for "sleeping or eating
or letting."
Town Clerk -treasurer Ross
F. McLellan said the only time a
mobile home, can be 4 used for
living in, in town, is fora period
of up to 60 days in a year when a
person has obtained a building
permit and a home is under con-
struction.
The reasons for banning mobile
homes, Mr. McLellan added, is
because they cause depreciation
of property adjoining them. "Our
zoning by-laws," he emphasized,
"try to keep homes of relatively
the same value together."
Under the official plan current-
ly under consideration for Mount
Forest, a provision for a mobile
home park exists, a five -acre -lot
south of Waterloo Street at the
western outskirts of town.
While Wingham doesn't have a
by-law banning mobile homes in
the municipality, Town Clerk -
treasurer William Renwick said
they are "discouraged"' by a $20
monthly rental fee. He added that
next year Wingham town council
will be considering a by-law on
mobile homes assessment.
Mr. Renwick said that should
someone wish to establish a
mobile home park, the munici-
pality wouldn't mind providing
the services, but he pointed out
that there isn't space for such a
venture within the municipality.
Listowel has a resolution
governing mobile homes, ac-
cording to Clerk -treasurer H. A.
Fischer. Although this resolution
would allow them on a founda-
tion, there isn't a mobile home
within the town limits.
Egremont Township severance
by-laws require that any parcel
of land sold be at least 50 acres.
This did not affect the Raes since
they located their mobile home
on their farm.
Severance by-laws made it im-
possible for Mr. Seguss to buy a
small piece of land on which to
locatelis mobile home. He has it
located on Pike Lake Golf &
Country Club property.
The only other place to locate a
mobile horse is a mobile home
park These parks are either
operated privately or by a muni-
cipality.
In Rarriston, the municipality
ownk the park, provides `all the
cervices, including street light -
"1 "Mr.'' u
tori 'don't e
the conditions stipulatedin the 11-.
coup lcan always tlx:
onemobile
cker noted,
one as � as
installing a _ sewage.
:treatment
plant.
�
He addedthat
there as neoP.
.�►evcal
,shim hent x oft,the "tq .'
While people living tuohtie
homesenjoy . them, are
.,prOhletus inherent in thatsle-
lives that t Ontario °^
i near is concerned ani sL In fact,.
Sorberg said 'tom ' intern-.
hien. int a '
statement Airing this '
parliament session.
Tin
e governor t oes not :loot,
at mobile` home ash alterna-
tive • 3 the Si.. shortage
though, `,hwe feel: #hetC.`,# -
son who wutants" ` to live ohne
should:beable to do 71.1:11:
Mr. l tor*=
berg saidf w.` '
The:an eas in which he .govern 7:
ment` ass concerned rige' frm ,
construction, cost,, the rights .of
the. mobile. home owners' in he
:parks,: planning `control ,of :the
park locations, warranty'protec-
tion to the ,transportation of
14 -foot wide mobile homes,.
5 ,
nowWhil: needethea pOltee,oeseett,1 a ,
► n de Arno»
the
P in
,
no
whatsoever'. his
View i On the bads ,`ot mew,
ous i
....ud Canada,
official felt that veal casi be
dope to the`mot* heme
dwellers until somethisot iNt clone
about the rights to lead se
vddch they are
It 1* not unusual at pn
bile homes are
ered superior tb' thou made m'
the United, States, the manufae
flur,ing standards,' are voluntary.
They ore set by the Cdr
Mob'eHomes 4 Trait'
ori
aA�ti
isiist mi oetiide body that efl5ti ees
• they are adhered to.
There have been, .cases : where
the _mobile home ownershave
been evicted . froth' privately
owned homes. An official of the
OHC, who, declined to be quoted,
CHEAPER—One of the leading attractions to Mobile homes is the cost. Mr. and Mil. '
Rae moved into •their new home on a farm in Egrernont Township shortly after they we
married. Mrs. Rae prefers a mobile home to en apartment and her husband says if is
cheaper than buying a house.