Manufactured and Mobile Home Inspections
It's crucial to check a mobile home's undercarriage, tie downs, and vapor barriers.
Inspection of Undercarriage and crawl space of mobile home
Included in the undercarriage examination are:
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Looking for slack in the straps, which should be straight and tight.
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Examining straps and anchors for corrosion or other deterioration.
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Making sure that the straps and ground anchors are not rusted or broken.
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Ensuring that the straps are not unduly stressed, kinked, bent, or otherwise.
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Ensuring that the vapor barriers are intact and not ripped or damaged.
Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and the surrounding areas are serviced by HomeSmart Inspections LLC's skilled manufactured and mobile home inspection services.
The same standards for inspecting a home apply to mobile homes. But when it comes to mobile homes, we also look at the vapor barrier, tie downs, and undercarriage. Due to Florida's high levels of moisture and hurricane risk, it is crucial to evaluate these items.
Vapor barriers aid in lowering the amount of moisture that may otherwise infiltrate through the floor from the ground below. These frequently have a chance to tear or fall apart.
Heavy-duty anchors and strap systems called "tie-downs" are used to stabilize manufactured and mobile homes during strong winds. Reduced ability to resist sliding and overturning could be the result of improperly installed or badly maintained tie-downs. Manufactured homes need tie-downs to stay stable since they are more prone to flipping over or being destroyed during windstorms than site-built homes. Manufactured homes are also lighter and raised than site-built homes, which makes them more susceptible to wind uplift if they aren't skirted. Such homes' roofs can be further exacerbated by wind.
The square footage and age of the home determine the price of a prefabricated or mobile home inspection. You enter the square footage and the year the house was built when you arrange an inspection online, and you will then be shown the inspection's price. You will also have the option of choosing the inspection day and time that works best for you. Alternatively, you can call our office at 941.413.6600 to request an estimate and/or schedule your home inspection.
For a sample of one of our home inspection reports, click here.
Optional Inspection Services available upon request:
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Tests for Lead-Based Paint
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Reports from 4 Point Insurance
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Outside Structures / Separate Buildings
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Docks
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Testing VOC
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Sewer Range
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Mold/Air Quality
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Termite (WDO)- supplied by an outside pest control business
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Water and Well Testing
Important Information Regarding Manufactured Home Tie-Downs
There are Two Types of Tie-Downs:
• Over-the-top tie-downs, which are straps that are placed over the siding and roof.
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Some manufactured homes include disguised over-the-top tie-downs that are situated right beneath the metal roof and siding on the exterior. The strap's end is visible underneath the manufactured home. Although this is a useful system, the aesthetics of the house may suffer. Due to their small weight, single-wide manufactured homes typically need frame anchors as well as over-the-top tie-downs.
• Frame anchors, which are straps that attach to the home’s frame rails.
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​ Many more recent manufactured homes can be anchored only with frame anchors because they are structurally superior than earlier types. Although frame anchors are necessary, double-wide models are typically heavy enough to withstand winds without the use of excessive tie-downs.
Tie-Down Components:
• Ground anchors are metal rods driven into the ground to secure the tie-down tightly in place.
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​ There are numerous types of ground anchors that can be used for varied soil conditions. For instance, auger anchors are suitable for usage in both soft and hard soil. The attachment to a rock or coral base is made possible by rock anchors or drive anchors. The type of anchor utilized won't be visible to inspectors because only a few inches of the anchors will be above the ground.
• Hook-up and tension devices work in conjunction with tie-downs.
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A method that enables tension adjustment must be used to join the tie-down to the anchor. Additionally, for this system to support the same amount of weight as the anchor and tie-down, it must be weatherproof and robust. The tie-down should be made of 1⁄2 inch or bigger galvanized steel if it is attached to a ground anchor with a drop-forged turnbuckle. The tie-down could slip from hook ends, hence the turnbuckle should have forged or welded eyes instead of hook ends.
• Roof protectors are placed under the strap at the edge of the roof for exposed over-the-top tie-downs.
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These guard against the tie-down strap hurting the roof and stopping the tie-down from being cut by the edge of the roof.