|
|
 How to Inspect the Exteriors of Mobile Homes, Double wides, Trailers
- Mobile home exterior siding, windows, doors, steps, railings: inspection guide - Exterior Defects
- Common mobile home, double-wide or trailer exterior defects in siding, windows, doors, entrances, steps, and railings
- Safety and building codes for mobile homes
- Door & Window Defects on Caravans, Mobile Homes, Double-wides & Trailers
- Siding Defects, Leaks, Problems on Trailes, Double-wides, Caravans, Mobile Homes
- Site & Surface Drainage Problems at Doublewides & Mobile Homes
- Skirting Defects at the Base of Caravans, Doublewides, Mobile Homes
- Stairs, steps & railing safety hazards at Caravans, Doublewides, Mobile Homes, Trailers
- Questions & answers about how to troubleshoot & fix problems in manufactured home or mobile home exteriors
- References
|
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
How to Inspect Mobile Homes or Manufactured Housing for Exterior Defects in Siding, Windows, Trim, Entry Porches, Steps, Railings: detailed procedures, defect lists, references to standards.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
EXTERIOR DEFECTS - Guide to Inspecting Mobile Homes for Exterior Defects
Ver.3.5 - 04/25/07, updated through 2012 - Steve Vermilye, New Paltz NY and Daniel Friedman, Poughkeepsie NY,
Hudson Valley ASHI Chapter Seminar, Newburgh NY, January 4, 2000, NY Metro ASHI Fall 99 Seminar, Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October
2, 1999.
Door & Window Defects on Caravans, Mobile Homes, Double-wides & Trailers
- Damaged, drafty, or inoperative mobile home windows; windows in bedrooms may be required to open as emergency fire exits. Leaks at windows and doors are among the most common mobile home and trailer defects we observe. Our photo at above left shows broken windows and at above right we show windows that were taped-over, probably to stop winter drafts.
- Leaks at mobile home or trailer windows and doors are common on older structures, often a source of hidden structural damage to walls and floors. Window and door leaks are increased on mobile homes that were constructed with no roof overhang (unlike the home end windows in our photos above) - roof runoff spilling down sides of the structure readily enter at any opening in the wall.
In turn, leaks at windows and doors of mobile homes, trailers, and doublewides, also on campers, often cause still more extensive damage including collapsing of particle board subfloors, wet moldy insulation in wall and floor cavities, damaged electrical components, and on occasion, insect damage as well.
|
|
- Especially on older units, bad leaky windows and doors and missing window or door components.
Watch out: leaks into walls invite rot and insect damage. Check
the floor below windows and doors, and inspect this area carefully from the crawl space. |
Site & Surface Drainage Problems or Hazards at Doublewides & Mobile Homes or Static Caravans
- SITE & SURFACE DRAINAGE defects risk undermining supporting piers below mobile homes
- Location & Site Setbacks: Building officials should have checked the home location for proper setbacks from property boundaries etc. - a buyer should be sure that this information has been reviewed and that a CO is on file.
- The building address needs to be visible from the road, letters 4" high and reflective on contrasting background for recognition of the property by emergency vehicles
  |
- Open or exposed septic tanks, drywells, cesspools lacking a save secure cover
Watch out: these hazards pose a very high risk of fatality - anyone falling into a septic tank or cesspool is likely to die quickly.
- Doublewide or trailer site concerns: [in process]
- Site debris around or beneath a mobile home, caravan, trailer, doublewide: may be unsafe, a sanitary or other Building code violation, source of rodents, or otherwise a cost to a buyer to have removed.en septics; inadequate. frost protection for supply or DWV; shared wells, shared septics, possibly not tested nor
maintained; (photo above right)
Stairs, steps & railing safety hazards at Caravans, Doublewides, Mobile Homes, Trailers
- Steps and rails on mobile homes, trailers, doublewides: mobile homes and trailers need 2 exit doors/steps/rails, usual step and platform issues; doors usually at either end of one side or at opposite ends and opposite sides; 30 ft apart.
Our photo, left, shows the required two exits, though the railings at both of these exit doors look dangerously loose, even from a distance.
A sound sturdy railing is not necessary at building stairs and landings - until someone is about to fall. At that time a loose flimsy railing can result in even greater injury. See STAIRS, RAILINGS, LANDING INSPECTIONS, CODES for more information.
|
|
- Emergency Fire Escape from trailers and mobile homes: assure that there is a functional second egress door,
steps, rails. In many homes a bedroom window is required to function as an emergency fire exit.
- Unsafe mobile home steps and rails: We have found doors that didn't open or that opened to
tall drops where deck was rotted and then removed. Our photos (above left and right) show Steve Vermilye noting unsafe exit stairs at two trailer homes: missing top platform, missing railings, open railings (right photo), and steps with uneven riser height - a trip hazard.
- Missing stairs: - we found exit doors on trailers where the old steps had been removed entirely, perhaps because of decay; the result was the occupant faced at six foot drop if exiting during an emergency. There must be an exit platform and stairway at every exterior door.
Skirting Defects at the Base of Caravans, Doublewides, Mobile Homes
- Mobile home or caravan skirt condition, missing, avenue for insect attack and rodent entry.
- In cold climates a
missing skirt can lead to frozen burst pipes and related damage.
Find opening(s)
|
Siding Defects, Leaks, Problems on Trailes, Double-wides, Caravans, Mobile Homes
- Mobile home / caravan siding: vinyl preferred over metal or hardboard (C. r.)
- Look for loose siding, torn siding (below left) holes, punctures (below right), missing siding, mechanical damage, cuts where people have installed exterior lighting, steps and railings, or cut holes for vents
- Siding is often torn or pulled away during movement or relocation, leaving exposure to leaks, weather damage, insects or even rodents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about mobile home exteriors: inspection, leaks, troubleshooting
...
Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Use the search box below to ask a question or to search the InspectApedia.com website.
Ask a Question or Enter Search Terms in the InspectApedia search box just below.
Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- [1] Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, web search 1/5/2012, original source: portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/ih/homeownership/184 - Quoting:
The Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program is a home mortgage specifically designed for American Indian and Alaska Native families, Alaska Villages, Tribes, or Tribally Designated Housing Entities. Section 184 loans can be used, both on and off native lands, for new construction, rehabilitation, purchase of an existing home, or refinance.
Also see Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae
- [2] Native American Housing Loan Guarantee Program HUD Section 184 Loans At A Glance, FannieMae, web search 1/5/12, original source: efanniemae.com/sf/mortgageproducts/pdf/section184aag.pdf
- [3] Mobile Home Inspections - Daniel Friedman & Steven T. Vermilye
- [4] Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
- [5] "Modular Home Construction, special defects and inspection methods" Dan Friedman, NY Metro ASHI Seminar, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 4, 1996
- [6] MOBILE HOME INSPECTIONS
- [7] Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
- [8] "Modular Home Construction, special defects and inspection methods" Dan Friedman, NY Metro ASHI Seminar, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 4, 1996
- [9] New York State: "Manufactured Homes: an installation guide for the code enforcement official," undated. [Div. of Code Enforcement & Admin. - 518-474-4073, George E. Clark, Jr., Director] - this is a guide tool, not an enforcement code or standard.
- [10] HUD State Administrative Agency (for 36 states) (NY: 518-474-4073) - for complaints
- [11] Manufactured Housing Institute, 2101 Wilson Blvd. Ste. 610, Arlington VA 22201 703-558-0400 www.mfghome.org
- [12] NYMHA, 35 Commerce Ave., Albany NY 12206-2015 518-435-9859 800-721-HOME (they want the Star Program to provide for separate assessment of manufactured homes)
- [13] Consumer Reports: www.consumerreports.org - special report 2/98
- [14] Mobile Home Inspection Checklist, Florida, Town of Lady Lake Building Department
- [15] Thanks to home inspector Peter Bennett for eagle-eye editing assistance regarding spelling at this web article series. Little Silver, NJ 07739 Office 732-758-9887 Fax 732-758-8993 Cell 732-245-9817 afullhouseinspectionco@gmail.com
- [16] Wikipedia provided background information about some topics discussed at this website provided this citation is also found in the same article along with a " retrieved on" date. NOTE: because Wikipedia entries are fluid and can be amended in real time, we cite the retrieval date of Wikipedia citations and we do not assert that the information found there is necessarily authoritative. - Entry on Mobile Homes, original source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_home#Regulation, retrieved 8/14/2012
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
|
- Crawl Space Moisture Control, U.S. Department of Energy
- Defects and Deterioration in Buildings: A Practical Guide to the Science and Technology of Material Failure, Barry Richardson, Spon Press; 2d Ed (2001), ISBN-10: 041925210X, ISBN-13: 978-0419252108. Quoting:
A professional reference designed to assist surveyors, engineers, architects and contractors in diagnosing existing problems and avoiding them in new buildings. Fully revised and updated, this edition, in new clearer format, covers developments in building defects, and problems such as sick building syndrome. Well liked for its mixture of theory and practice the new edition will complement Hinks and Cook's student textbook on defects at the practitioner level.
- ...
|
