2007-05-14 15:48:50 · 8 answers · asked by Mobile 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Ive done a LOT of work on mobile homes, and I've also had to re-level many of them.
The only areas you can get away with no foundation, are the areas that have no winter. When the ground freezes, it expands. When it thaws back out, it shrinks... not necessarily always the same as it expanded, which means a house becomes unlevel, if it is simply set on top of the dirt, with no foundation.
Anywhere else, you need a foundation... and the more concrete you have, the more stable it will be. It has been my experience that full basements settle the least. Usually, you only see these under double-wide, or modular homes. The next best is a full slab, 4 to 6 inches thick. Homes set on a good slab may see the slab move a bit, but the home as a whole is supported very well. And shift in the slab itself is minimal, typically. The most popular foundation, by far, for mobile homes would be the "runners". Trenches are dug to below the frost line, about 2 ft wide. The trenches are located under the steel I-beams of the mobile home. Piers would be the next common approach with single-wide homes. A series of holes are drilled to below the frost line. These holes are located in line with the steel I-beams. The least desired method of setting a home anywhere you have winter weather, would be to set the home on top of the dirt...often on a plastic pad, or concrete patio blocks.
Runners are considered adequate by the industry in general. I've had to do less work on homes that were set on full slabs. If you intend to only live in the home a few years or so, then by all means, go with piers. If you want it to last longer, with less work required on it, go with more concrete.
I'll point out one more advantage of a full slab too... that is when it comes to anchoring the home. Anchors can be embedded in the concrete, giving you very good hold, in any weather....not true of all "dirt" anchors. Your local building codes will tell you what type of anchor is considered acceptable in your area. (There are different kinds of anchors for different types of soil).
Once you have your home set.... be sure to install a vapor barrier under it. A layer of 6 mil thick plastic will work just fine. Trim it to fit around the block stacks, plumbing, etc, and weight it down with anything at hand (rocks, gravel, etc).
If you are buying this home new...then the dealership should have the manufacturer's requirements in a set-up manual. You can also contact your local building codes to see what is required in your area. If you are buying this home used -- see if the seller has the owner's manual for the home -- it should have a copy of the set-up plan in it.
Check the local building code, and try to contact the manufacturer. A local dealership can also help.
Good Luck
2007-05-14 18:06:14 · answer #1 · answered by thewrangler_sw 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I'm in a 14 x 60 in Florida, on soil that's basically dirty sand. There is no slab or gravel poured under and the supports are concrete block. Leveling the plot first os important of course as is the settling process.
The mobile is 23 years old and as I'm remodeling it, I find everything to still be plumb and level.
Certainly whoever sells a mobile or does the moving for them would also have info, pertinant to setting them.
A slab under would be a useless expense pretty much unless at some point your intent was to build a house on it.
Steven Wolf
2007-05-14 16:08:32 · answer #2 · answered by DIY Doc 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You do not need a pad or foundation for a mobile home. Just a reasonably flat surface. When the home is leveled, it will be supported with blocking which is normally on top of plastic grids to avoid sinking.
2007-05-14 15:56:24 · answer #3 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is a caliche dirt pad sustainable under a mobile home?
2016-12-04 09:29:02 · answer #4 · answered by Carrie 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
14x60 Mobile Home
2016-11-12 05:48:55 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't buy one that is installed inside. Go with an outdoor gas-pac. You will get a better efficiency rating . The interior mobile home furnaces are poorly designed due to the construction of the home.
2016-03-19 05:16:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it would depend on your local geology. Where I live, Las Vegas, placing them on bare dirt seems to work as good as putting them on a 4" concrete pad.
2007-05-14 15:56:47 · answer #7 · answered by torklugnutz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
what size do I need for a 16 by 8o mobile home?
2016-01-19 00:44:07 · answer #8 · answered by Ruth 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋