How to Inspect & Troubleshoot Manufactured Homes, Mobile Homes, Double wides, & Trailers
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Mobile home, trailer, doublewide, manufactured home inspection guide
Lists of defects found on mobile homes, trailers, double-wides
Guide to Safety and building codes for mobile homes
Questions & answers about inspection of the condition of manufactured homes, mobile homes, mobile home or trailer or doublewide problem diagnosis procedures, & their care, repair, & maintenance

How to Inspect Double-Wides, Mobile Homes, Trailers or Manufactured Housing for Defects: detailed procedures, defect lists, references to standards. Here we explain where to look for costly or dangerous problems on mobile homes, trailers, or double-wides. We address all of the major parts and systems of mobile home structures and suggest field inspection procedures as well as common hidden problem and common repair procedures.

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INTRODUCTION- to the Inspection of Mobile Homes for 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.

With deep sorrow we report that our friend and associate, Steven T. Vermilye of New Paltz NY (photo at the top of htis page) passed away on 19 June 2001, so of course you will have difficulty contacting him by normal means.

Steve was a leader in our profession, recognized nationally as well as among New York State professional home inspectors for his competence, kindness, honesty, humility, humor, and for his unequivocal commitment to the welfare of his clients.

Steve led our interest in mobile home inspections by offering us an opportunity to join with him to work pro-bono in behalf of agricultural workers in the Hudson Valley -- a service which we continue in his memory.

We found so many unsafe and un-healthy conditions in the trailers and mobile homes occupied by migrant farm workers that there was almost no safe habitable housing at the facility.

The facility owner, responding to suggestions from our report and from the N.Y. Office of the Attorney General and an attorney representing farm workers made extensive improvements in farm worker housing as a result of Steve's initiative. Many of the photographs used to illustrate defects and needed repairs at these mobile homes, trailers, and double-wides came from Steve or from our own photos when we worked together.

We all miss Steve Vermilye and his passing remains a great loss. If the information in this report assists anyone in assuring that their home is more safe and secure than it would have been otherwise, that benefit is thanks to Steven Vermilye -- this information is one of his many gifts to the people for whom he cared deeply -- Daniel Friedman. See InspectAPedia.com/mobileinspections.htm for latest version of this report.

Consumer Reports (2/98) points out common weak spots surveyed and recommends that buyers hire a home inspector. But many inspectors are not familiar with the special problems found in mobile homes.

Price: $15-$70K; 15 million in U.S.;
"mobile homes" aka "manufactured housing" per the industry - confused with modulars & panelized.
single mobile home vs. double-wide trailers (specs)
single wide mobile homes

typical 1000 sq ft, $24,000.,
more problems with floors, roofs, windows, doors

multi-wide mobile homes, double wide trailers, popout trailers and manufactured homes

typical 1600 sq ft, $43,000.
more problems with joining of the sections

1x lumber and siding "trailer" construction vs. more recent
land often not-owned; rented 50% of the time
1974 HUD Code (Red seal certification label on newer units); inspections @ factory; HUD-complying homes do not have to comply with local Building codes! HUD regulations have loopholes and need work.
7 States: AZ, AR, CA, FL, TX, VA, W. Va. - have funds for warranty claims; NOT NYS.
82% of respondents reported overall satisfaction with M. H. (C. R. survey)
But more than 50% report at least one major problem, even for homes less than 5 years old. (C. r. survey)

Definitions: What is a Mobile Home, Trailer, Camper, Doublewide mobile home, Modular Home, Factory-Built Home, Panelized-Construction-Built Home?

These terms are defined at Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.

PRIORITIES OF INSPECTION & Reporting of Mobile Home Defects

MOBILE HOME FIRE SAFETY - Fire Safety Defects in Mobile Homes

Electrical - aluminum wiring, owner-modified or otherwise unsafe wiring
Heating, flues, chimneys
Safety Exits - doors and push-out windows; unsafe steps and rails at entry doors;
Smoke detectors critical - short exit time for this construction

Mobile Home & Trailer STRUCTURAL & SAFETY DEFECTS in Mobile Homes

Movement (impacts electrical & flues)
Storm Damage
Floor Collapse (particle board, exterior & plumbing leaks)
Mobile home & manufactured home tie-downs - to secure the structure against wind damage

OTHER COMMON MOBILE HOME & TRAILER DEFECTS

Roof leaks
Leaks at windows and doors (photo at left)
Plumbing leaks
Heating systems not maintained, possibly unsafe
Rot and insect damage at points of leakage into walls and floors
Wet or contaminated crawl areas, especially where enclosed

MOBILE HOME LABELS - Mobile Homes and Manufactured Housing Labels & Certifications

INSTALLATION MANUAL - For new/recent mobile home, every manufacturer is required to provide instructions on site preparation, installation and anchoring.
Manufacturer's CERTIFYING LABEL - on rear section outside or near the main entry door, HUD Insignia

DATA PLATE - near the main electrical panel or other visible & accessible location (under sink for many manufactured homes): name of mfg., serial and HUD ID, zone information (see Structure discussion)

DAMAGE DURING TRANSPORT: if the unit was damaged during transport it no longer conforms to the standards and should not be accepted by the code official;

Definitions: What is a Mobile Home, Trailer, Doublewide, Modular Home, Factory-Built Home, Panelized-Construction-Built Home?

The following is the opinion of the author and has not had a technical review by other industry experts. Various trailer, mobile home, and modular housing manufacturers may disagree with some of these views. Corrections and content suggestions are welcome.

Characteristics of Trailers as Living Space

Trailer traditionally describes a usually small, wheeled, home with a history and image of flimsy construction such as wooden 1x3 wall framing clad with aluminum siding, virtually no insulation, and low quality leaky windows.

"Trailers" up until the 1970's (my estimate) included both campers which really were intended to be towed by a car or truck and moved often from site to site (though some were left parked for decades at campgrounds), and also lightweight factory-made homes which were intended to be towed once to a home site and then kept there.

Our photo (left) shows a trailer that was finally abandoned as a living space. The little blue structure used as an addition to the left of the small house in the photo at the top of this page was undoubtedly a small camper.

No one building "trailers" calls them that any longer because of the "flimsy" image. The closest thing to a "trailer" in current products on the market are motor homes and campers. The least-costly campers (such as our pickup truck "slide-on camper") built after 2000 are probably considerably better constructed than the "trailers" of old.

In current language (2009), a "trailer" is either a "mobile home" that is more than 20 years old (see below), or it is a camper designed to be moved easily and often from site to site. (Or in different usage, a "utility trailer" is a utility vehicle intended to haul goods or large items and designed to be fastened to the back of a car or truck, and a "tractor trailer" is of course a larger (typically 40 ft long) hauling system for moving goods by highway from city to city.)

Trailers may have had their wheels left on, but normally they'd be set on a masonry pier foundation and a skirt installed around to hide the under-trailer area.

Characteristics of Mobile Homes as Living Space

In the past few decades (to 2006), "trailer" manufacturers have considerably improved the quality of construction of such homes. The national manufacturing and building code standards for these structures have also been improved. Perhaps in part to escape the less than wholesome image of "trailer", manufacturers use the term "mobile home" to describe what is usually larger and better made home than "trailers" of old, though perhaps with similar materials.

Mobile homes are built in a factory and are designed to be moved (once and uncommonly, perhaps once again) on its own wheels attached to its own frame to a site where a foundation is prepared and connections to utilities are made. In the U.S., states have regulations about the siting, foundation, steps and entry, wiring, plumbing, tie-downs for wind and storm safety that apply to these homes. Some examples of mobile home regulations for New York State are this website. Individual state regulations will vary - you'll want to see what your state requires. Even within states regulations vary as wind and weather conditions do also.

Examples of mobile home improvements include stronger overall wall and roof construction, less leaky roof covering, and windows that are less notoriously leaky. In addition newer mobile homes have, for fire safety, bedroom windows that can be pushed out to a wide opening for emergency exit in case of fire - an important safety improvement. Usually building departments grandfather in older structures, but sometimes they will insist that certain life-safety improvements be made, for example if an older mobile home is being brought to a new site in a new community. If this is the case one or two windows may need to be replaced to provide this important safety improvement.

When there is a severe storm or hurricane, mobile home communities are among the worst damaged as a strong wind can completely turn over or demolish mobile homes. For this reason, mobile homes set up in high wind-risk zones have extra requirements for tie-downs to secure the building against upset during a storm.

Mobile homes may arrive on wheels but they will be jacked enough to be set on some type of approved building foundation, such as masonry piers or a masonry foundation.

In case these terms are not confusing enough, some mobile home makers like to call these "factory built homes". But that use of "factory-built homes" is confusing too since modular homes are also "factory built" but are quite different from trailers or mobile homes.

Characteristics of a "Doublewide" Mobile Home or Trailer

Some manufacturers provide mobile homes constructed to be joined together, side by side to form a double-width living unit. While a double-wide mobile home is basically constructed by the same materials and methods just described above, the tie-down and connection requirements for these living units may be different in some jurisdictions, since their risk of being blown away in high winds is different. Other installation and support requirements, such as connection of the two units and placement of foundation support will also have to accommodate this variation.

Characteristics of Modular Homes or Modular Housing

Modular homes, too, enjoyed a less than stellar reputation several decades ago, having the reputation of flimsy construction. That is certainly no longer the case.

A modular home is constructed in a factory of one or more sections which are carried to the building site on a trailer and lifted by a crane to be set upon a foundation which has been prepared ahead of time.

Modular homes can be quite large, involving four or quite a few more individual sections which are lifted and "set" into place at the site. Some manufacturers provide custom architectural services and can deliver unique, but factory-built homes in sections.

Contemporary modular construction of homes have these attributes:

The home is built indoors in a factory under controlled conditions, usually resulting in straight and square construction of walls, ceilings, roofs, and floors.
Exterior wall sheathing and roof sheathing are glued as well as nailed to the surfaces of their respective studs or rafters. Interior sub flooring and drywall on walls and ceilings are also glued as well as nailed or screwed to their joists or studs. Some models by some manufacturers also install a double layer of interior drywall. These methods result in a very stiff and strong construction.
The home is probably built to meet the building code requirements of all U.S. states, or at least all of the states within a manufacturer's shipping area. You'll find an identifying label for the home with this information, often on a kitchen sink cabinet wall.
The home is built strong enough to be lifted at the factory by crane for setting atop a steel trailer for transport, then driven at 65 MPH down a highway, pushed or dragged on its trailer over an often hilly and rough construction site, and lifted again by crane for final "set" atop its foundation. Without falling apart. (Try this with a stick-built house.) At the Contempri factory in Pennsylvania on a modular home construction tour about a decade ago, suddenly all of the workers and managers dropped their tools, ran to their cars, and drove madly out of the factory parking lot. We followed to see what was happening.

One of their modular sections was being towed on U.S. interstate I84 when the trailer disconnected from the towing tractor. The tractor drove ahead. The trailer ran off the highway at 65 MPH. The trailer ran head on into the end of a steel guard rail. The trailer stopped. The modular home section kept going, and impaled itself centered atop the guard rail. When we got to the accident, there was no debris anywhere except where the guardrail had punched out of the rear wall of the modular home section. You could look in windows into the kitchen where the cabinets and appliances were perfectly in place.
When the modular home is transported to its site, it is moved by being lifted and set onto an independent steel frame which has its own independent wheels. At the destination the modular home or home section is lifted by crane and set onto an independent foundation, and the steel frame/wheel set returns to the factory for re-use.
A modular home is normally set on a foundation which has already been placed at the building site.
If the modular home is placed over a basement or if there is to be an attached or detached garage, often that construction is performed by a local building contractor rather than by the modular home manufacturer (sometimes resulting in different quality of workmanship).
A modular home can be difficult to recognize once its construction has been completed. However these clues will work every time:
- In the basement, if the ceiling is not fully enclosed, look at the main girder. Since most modular homes use at least two long sections that have to be built and transported to the site, there will be at least two completely independent floor framing systems, and at their mating point over the basement center, you'll see an unusually wide built-up girder with (if properly installed) through bolts connecting the two building sections.
- In the living area, if the building is a two-story unit, as you walk up the stairs from first to second level, notice that there are a few more steps than usual between floors? Since each of the four stacked sections in a four-section two-story modular home has been framed with a complete floor, wall, and ceiling structure, the "ceiling" between the first and second floors will be double the normal depth since it is comprised of both the first floor section ceiling framing and the second floor section floor framing. So if 2x10 joists were used, there will be about 20" of ceiling thickness between floor (a great place to run wires and ducts).
- In the attic is the fail-safe way to always identify a modular-built home unless there is simply no attic access or all surfaces are covered. You'll find one, possibly two or even three features unique to modular home construction:
  - (1) there will be a mating joint of the front and rear sections of the home visible as two girders in the attic floor, running along the long dimension of the building, usually with a small gap between them, hopefully with insulation or other fire blocking stuffed into the gap. The reason for the gap is that properly placed, the sections are set with their bottom girders touching tightly, which may leave the top sections slightly separated at their highest point.
  - (2) there may be hinged roof rafters. Many modular homes have roof slopes which would be much too high for the upper roof-bearing sections to travel up the highway. They travel with the roof laid flat atop the upper floor module. The roof rafters are hinged, roughly 18-24" from the eaves of the home, and are lifted up at the site, then supported by an attic knee wall. So you'll see two knee walls, one supporting the front and one the back roof section. You may see the hinges on the rafters down near the eaves as well.
  - (3) One modular home we inspected had fallen off of its trailer while being lifted by the crane. It rolled over on its face. Like the unit which had impaled itself on the guard rail, there was little damage other than broken windows. But there was a slight crease in all of the roof shingles about 24" up from the eaves. The rafter hinges had all been slightly bent when the section toppled. Outside, even on a modular section which has not fallen, you may see this telltale line of slight shingle anomaly, parallel to the eaves

Frequently-Asked Questions about inspection of the condition of manufactured homes, mobile homes, mobile home or trailers or doublewide homes

Question: where can I find the HUD Section 184 Red Tag on my Home?

Where would the section 184 Red Tag be located on a 1983-West single wide? - Suzanne

Reply: first see if your home qualifies under HUD Section 184 financing rules

Suzanne,

Section 184 refers to manufactured home financing assistance available in the United States from HUD. A red tag indicating that the home qualifies for financing under Section 184 is installed on homes that are eleigible. If the Section 184 red tag is missing, the house is not eligible for Section 184 financing. Only manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976 qualify. The tag is mounted outside on the rear of the unit.

This HUD financing pertains to manufactured homes sometimes referred to as "doublewides". So even though your 1983 single wide is newer than the 1976 cutoff year, it may not qualify as qualifying housing by the HUD rules, and it won't bear the RED TAG you are asking about.

Other HUD Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee Program rules that determine if a home qualifies for 184 financing (and thus will bear a red tag) include: [1]

The manufactured home bears a red tag certifying that its construction complies with the Federal Manufactrued Home Construction & Safety Standards
The home mortgage term is for 30 years or less, covers the unit and its building site or an appropriate site lease document was executed
The home was built after 15 June 1976
One- to four-family principal residences that qualify as standard housing under Section 184 (including units in condominiums, planned unit developments, and manufactured housing that is permanently affixed to the property, but not including cooperatives), fee simple properties located on Indian trust land or land located in an "Indian area"
The home is classified and taxed as "real estate" - this will exclude
- single-wides
- homes lacking a suitable skirt and adequate insulation (in freezing climates) to protect the mechanicals
- homes that are not new and/or that were moved from another site and homes not mounted on a permanently-attached foundation system with their transportation axles and tongue removed (i.e. the home can't easily be simply towed to another site)
- homes located in a 100 year flood plain (including the level of ground below the home or its basement or crawl space

Question: what types of windows are found on mobile homes?

I have a question not a comment. Hope you can get back to me on this. We are buying a 1974 mobile home. What kind of windows are in that type of home. Are they roll outs or pull up windows? - Linda

Reply:

You can see some common mobile home window types in this article:

- sliders
- double hung windows
- single hung windows
- jalousie windows

Watch out: At least on older homes these windows are often leaky and may have caused hidden wall and floor damage. Check under the carpet or in the crawl area of your home, especially in floor areas below windows or doors.

Question: Who is responsible for the mailbox serving my mobile home ?

problem who is responsible for mail boxes the property owner o the resident ? ranaheim@roadrunner.com

Reply:

Ranaheim

I don't think there is a single right answer to the mailbox responsibility question as it varies perhaps by local jurisdiction and certainly by the practical matter of where the mailboxes are physically located.

In general a building or home owner is responsible for the condition of a mailbox that is attached to or part of their home or that is on their own property.

If the mailboxes at your home are grouped in a gang in a row at the front of your complex, you might expect the property owner to maintain the support system for the mailboxes. But certainly any individual who cares about their mail delivery will want to make sure that their box is secure, and that it remains accessible in all weather (such as deep snow cover).

Question: How can I track down what's causing high moisture in a doublewide manufactured home?

I have a double wide manufactured home that I'm renovated. It has vinyl siding and perforated soffits common on manufactured homes. We've noticed moisture high in the walls all around the home and can't identify the cause. Any ideas? Thank you, - T.B. - Colorado

Reply:

A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem with too much moisture in a home. That said, gee, with absolutely no information whatsoever about the home you mention, I'd be just arm-waving to offer a specific diagnosis.

But I can suggest some directions of investigation for tracking down a moisture problem:

Generally the approach is to find the water sources and water or moisture traps.

That is, high indoor moisture, enough to put condensation on walls, might be tracked down to one or both of:

Leaks or moisture sources that are wetting the building interior or its ceiling, wall or floor cavities or space below. These could be leaks from outside or moisture generation (cooking, showers, plants, even plumbing leaks) inside.
Traps that keep moisture in the building because it is not adequately vented. Indeed from your note I infer that there is a gabled (peaked/sloped) roof over the home, but we can't be sure that it has working venting or just some perforated soffit panels placed over solid plywood soffits. Or you may have soffit intake but no ridge outlet venting.

If I'm right that you're in Colorado, you're not in such a high humidity area as the Southeastern U.S. That in turn makes me wonder if there is not either water below the home or leaks in or into it from roof, windows or doors (notorious leakers on older manufactured homes).

If the moisture is uniform around all of the interior of the home I suspect it could be coming from a source that would equally wet the whole structure - below the entire structure up through floors, or leaks across a wide area of roof. Observing moisture high on walls may just indicate where the cool walls are in contact with warmer, high-moisture-content air inside the home. (Warm moist air rises).

If your renovation permits, you might need to make some test cuts to be sure you know where water is and is not, and to be sure you're not renovating by putting a new skin over a rotting or inset infested structure.

Sorry I can't be smarter but that's about as much arm-waving as I can dare with no more information. If you'd like to send some photos or further description of what's there and what you're seeing, that may permit some further suggestions.

At WATER ENTRY in BUILDINGS we collect a series of building moisture or water entry diagnosis & cure articles that might be helpful.

Follow-Up: wet walls traced to frost or ice in the home eaves and attic

Thanks for the reply. I managed to find a manufactured home installer who immediately knew what I was talking about. It turns out all this is a universal problem with manufactured homes (and some stick built homes) in cold, high wind areas.

The soffits are vented continuously. Snow actually drifts inside the soffit then, when the weather warms, melts and some water runs down the walls. As this can happen many days after the initial precipitation it’s often mistaken for a condensation issue.

The installer didn’t have any suggestions for a solution. In fact, he said if I came up with anything to let him know. Any ideas?

Reply:

We have seen several points of frost or even ice accumlulation at house eaves ane even deeper into the attic in uninsulated HVAC ductwork.

Clues that point to the attic ice or frost accumulation as the source of indoor leaks and moisture

I think a diagnostic clue that can help track down apparent building leaks or moisture on walls that originates in the attic may be the observation of leaks in a warming weather trend after a long cold spell. Also the moisture shows up only on the exterior walls, not on building interior walls. It doesn't have to be snow blowing into the soffits - which is unusual; anything that allows moisture condense, collect, and freeze in the attic or in attic HVAC ducts can produce such leaks when things thaw out.

The cause your installer cited, snow drifts in the soffits, is possible but more common are some of these other problems that can produce the same symptoms:

ICE DAM PREVENTION - a combination of inadequate insulation and/or improper attic ventilation causes ice dams along roof edges or eaves; water backs up above the ice dam and leaks through the roof, into attic and walls below.
WIND WASHING INSULATION At EAVES - in high wind areas and homes using blown-in or loose-fill attic insulation, winds can push back insulation from the outer edges of the attic, exposing the wall top and ceiling area close to exterior walls to heat loss, condensation, ice and frost formation, and later, when weather wams, melting ice and frost show up as leaks in the interior
WATER & ICE IN DUCT WORK - occurs when uninsulated or under-insulated HVAC ducts in a cold attic ceiling receive moist indoor air during freezing weather.

How do we fix these problems of ice and frost formation in the attic ... it depends. First let's accurately diagnose the cause by a careful inspection in the attic. Wind-wash will be obvious - insulation will have been disturbed. Ice dam leaks leave characteristic stains that we illustrate in that article.

Fixing ice dam leaks: add insulation, or add ice and water shield under shingles at roof eaves; improve attic venting, including not just soffit intake but adequate ridge outlet
Fixing wind-washed insulation at house eaves: replace insulation, or replace loose fill with batt insulation, held in place or air flow above assured using baffles in the eaves that let soffit intake air pass over not through the insulation
Fixing ice and frost in ductwork: correct indoor moisture sources, close off ceiling registers for A/C systems that are not used in cold weather; insulate the HVAC duct work

Details about these attic frost, ice, or moisture problems that show up as "leaks or moisture on building walls" and how they are fixed are in the articles cited above.

At Inspect Attics for Moisture or Mold we discuss inspecting (and correcting) building attics for evidence of condensation, moisture, or even ice.

Questions & Answers regarding this article

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MOBILE HOMES, DOUBLEWIDES, TRAILERS

[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
Mobile Home Inspections - Daniel Friedman & Steven T. Vermilye
Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
"Modular Home Construction, special defects and inspection methods" Dan Friedman, NY Metro ASHI Seminar, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 4, 1996
MOBILE HOME INSPECTIONS
Trailer vs Mobile Home vs Modular vs Panelized Construction an explanation of terms and how to identify these structures.
"Modular Home Construction, special defects and inspection methods" Dan Friedman, NY Metro ASHI Seminar, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 4, 1996
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.
HUD State Administrative Agency (for 36 states) (NY: 518-474-4073) - for complaints
Manufactured Housing Institute, 2101 Wilson Blvd. Ste. 610, Arlington VA 22201 703-558-0400 www.mfghome.org
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)
Consumer Reports: www.consumerreports.org - special report 2/98
Mobile Home Inspection Checklist, Florida, Town of Lady Lake Building Department
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

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book 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. InspectAPedia.com ^® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.

Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
Decks and Porches, the JLC Guide to, Best Practices for Outdoor Spaces, Steve Bliss (Editor), The Journal of Light Construction, Williston VT, 2010 ISBN 10: 1-928580-42-4, ISBN 13: 978-1-928580-42-3, available from Amazon.com
The Journal of Light Construction has generously given reprint permission to InspectAPedia.com for certain articles found at this website. All rights and contents to those materials are ©Journal of Light Construction and may not be reproduced in any form.
Appliances and Home Electronics, - energy savings, U.S. Department of Energy
Crawl Space Moisture Control, U.S. Department of Energy
Diagnosing & Repairing House Structure Problems, Edgar O. Seaquist, McGraw Hill, 1980 ISBN 0-07-056013-7 (obsolete, incomplete, missing most diagnosis steps, but very good reading; out of print but used copies are available at Amazon.com, and reprints are available from some inspection tool suppliers). Ed Seaquist was among the first speakers invited to a series of educational conferences organized by D Friedman for ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, where the topic of inspecting the in-service condition of building structures was first addressed.
Domestic Building Surveys, Andrew R. Williams, Kindle book, Amazon.com
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.
"Avoiding Foundation Failures," Robert Marshall, Journal of Light Construction, July, 1996 (Highly recommend this article-DF)
"A Foundation for Unstable Soils," Harris Hyman, P.E., Journal of Light Construction, May 1995
"Backfilling Basics," Buck Bartley, Journal of Light Construction, October 1994
"Inspecting Block Foundations," Donald V. Cohen, P.E., ASHI Reporter, December 1998. This article in turn cites the Fine Homebuilding article noted below.
"When Block Foundations go Bad," Fine Homebuilding, June/July 1998
Manual for the Inspection of Residential Wood Decks and Balconies, by Cheryl Anderson, Frank Woeste (Forest Products Society), & Joseph Loferski, October 2003, ISBN-13: 978-1892529343, $39.00 at Amazon.com or at the InspectAPediaBookstore
Moisture Control in Buildings, U.S. Department of Energy
Moisture Control in Walls, U.S. Department of Energy
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INTRODUCTION- to the Inspection of Mobile Homes for Defects

Definitions: What is a Mobile Home, Trailer, Camper, Doublewide mobile home, Modular Home, Factory-Built Home, Panelized-Construction-Built Home?

PRIORITIES OF INSPECTION & Reporting of Mobile Home Defects

MOBILE HOME FIRE SAFETY - Fire Safety Defects in Mobile Homes

Mobile Home & Trailer STRUCTURAL & SAFETY DEFECTS in Mobile Homes

OTHER COMMON MOBILE HOME & TRAILER DEFECTS

MOBILE HOME LABELS - Mobile Homes and Manufactured Housing Labels & Certifications

Definitions: What is a Mobile Home, Trailer, Doublewide, Modular Home, Factory-Built Home, Panelized-Construction-Built Home?

Characteristics of Trailers as Living Space

Characteristics of Mobile Homes as Living Space

Characteristics of a "Doublewide" Mobile Home or Trailer

Characteristics of Modular Homes or Modular Housing

Contemporary modular construction of homes have these attributes:

Frequently-Asked Questions about inspection of the condition of manufactured homes, mobile homes, mobile home or trailers or doublewide homes

Question: where can I find the HUD Section 184 Red Tag on my Home?

Reply: first see if your home qualifies under HUD Section 184 financing rules

Question: what types of windows are found on mobile homes?

Reply:

Question: Who is responsible for the mailbox serving my mobile home ?

Reply:

Question: How can I track down what's causing high moisture in a doublewide manufactured home?

Reply:

Follow-Up: wet walls traced to frost or ice in the home eaves and attic

Reply:

Clues that point to the attic ice or frost accumulation as the source of indoor leaks and moisture

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