Most manufactured homes are installed on a foundation consisting of piers of stacked concrete blocks on top of a plastic or concrete foundation pad. Protection against uplift forces and lateral stability is provided by tie-down anchors and lateral arm systems secured to the home’s steel beam undercarriage. The entire foundation system is above-ground, except for steel anchor rods into the soil at the base of the anchor straps and some foundation pads. This means that a mobile home foundation is more susceptible to problems caused by surface soil movement than a site-built home foundation, which is typically totally underground and runs continuously around the perimeter of the home.

    So surface soil movement is the scourge of manufactured home foundations. This is why HUD requires a home to be installed on a raised soil pad that slopes a minimum of 1/2-inch per foot away from the home for 10-feet on all sides. See our article What are the HUD requirements for site drainage when installing a mobile/manufactured home? for more on this.

    Unfortunately, many older manufactured homes were not installed to that site drainage standard, and rain water runs across under the home or pools in a low spot. Also, many have no gutter and downspout system to move roof water away from the home. But the good news is that a manufactured home foundation is easily accessible to check and repair as necessary because it is totally above ground in the crawl space. And a foundation tune-up is part of the occasional re-leveling process for manufactured homes as they age.

    Also see How can I tell if a mobile/manufactured home will pass a foundation certification inspection? and What are the most common defects in mobile/manufactured home foundation piers? and What are the tie-down requirements for a mobile home?

Here’s links to a collection of our blog posts about MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOMES:

• Where can I file a complaint if I have problems with my new or used manufactured/mobile home in Florida?

• Can a mobile home permanent foundation be concrete blocks on pads and screw-in anchors? 

• How do I determine the age of a very old mobile home? 

• Is it safe to go under a mobile home? 

• Are older mobile homes unsafe? 

• What do I need to know about buying a foreclosed mobile home? 

• Does it make sense to buy an older mobile home and remodel it? 

• Where do I find the vehicle identification number (VIN) on a mobile home? 

• How energy efficient is a mobile home?

• What size air conditioner is right for my mobile home? 

• Can you move an older mobile home in Florida? 

• What does the HUD tag look like and where do I find it on a mobile home? 

• What is a D-sticker mobile home? 

• What are the tie-down requirements for a mobile home?

• How fireproof is a mobile home?  

• Can I install a mobile home myself?

       Visit our MOBILE/MANUFACTURED HOMES  page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.