InspectAPedia® FREE Encyclopedia of Building & Environmental Construction, Diagnosis, Maintenance & Repair |
Question? Just ask us! InspectAPedia
|
How to Inspect the Interiors of Mobile Homes -
Manufactured Housing
Double wides, Trailers
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about how to troubleshoot & fix problems in manufactured home interiors or mobile home interiors
Mobile home interior inspections & troubleshooting:
This article explains how to look for defects in the interior of mobile homes, trailers, double-wide homes.
We discuss spotting evidence of roof, window, wall, and door leaks, trip hazards, sagging ceilings, rotted walls or floors.
InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
- Daniel Friedman, Publisher/Editor/Author - See WHO ARE WE?
INTERIOR DEFECTS Defects in Mobile Homes
Our page top photo shows a badly-sagging mobile home roof and a makeshift repair that the occupant has provided to protect against mobile home roof collapse during heavy snow loads.
Ver.4.0 - 07/13/2017 - Steve Vermilye, New Paltz NY and Daniel Friedman, Poughkeepsie NY, Hudson Valley ASHI Chapter Seminar, Newburgh NY, Original presentation, January 4, 2000, NY Metro ASHI Fall 99 Seminar, Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, White Plains NY, October 2, 1999.
- 32% of mobile homes report problems with windows or doors (C.R. survey)
- Hardboard floors - get wet, toilet falls through; plywood preferred; check especially floors at baths, kitchens, and below windows and doors
- Walls: paneling or drywall, typically over furring or 2x3 or smaller studs in older mobile homes; often insulation has become wet from leaks at the roof edges and around windows.
See MOBILE HOME INSULATION & VENTILATION - Windows: often single-glazed, glued or screwed frames (leaky); welded vinyl perform better; caulking often missing between window frames and sheathing (water damage) - same at doors; Caulk at door and window gaps (from factory) may break during transport;
- We often find floor rot below leaky windows
- We often find windows that are not operable, including unsafe egress in case of fire - windows in sleeping rooms must be operable to open for fire escape in emergency
- Be sure to check flooring in outside water heater closets - prolonged leakage often leads to rotted, collapsing floors and can bring insects in to attack the structure.
See MOBILE HOME STRUCTURAL DEFECTS
In the past few decades (to 2017), "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 used the term "mobile home" and presently Manufactured Home or Manufactured Housing 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. A manufactured home is built on a permanently-attached chassis.
More distinctions among these terms are
at DEFINITIONS of MOBILE HOME, DOUBLEWIDE, MODULAR, PANELIZED CONSTRUCTION
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.
...
Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above
Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.
Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs
Question: ceiling cracks in mobile home
(Jan 11, 2015) Gloria said:
my ceiling is cracked from on side to the other
Reply:
Gloria you may want to determine the cause as well as the effect or extent of damage. For example if the crack appeared due to snow loading or someone walking on the roof then the roof may be damaged and need repair.
...
Continue reading at MOBILE / MANUFACTURED HOME LABELS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Recommended Articles
Suggested citation for this web page
MOBILE HOME INTERIOR DEFECTS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
Or see this
INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MANUFACTURED & MOBILE HOMES
Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia
Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.
Search the InspectApedia website
Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.
Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
IF above you see "Comment Form is loading comments..." then COMMENT BOX - countable.ca / bawkbox.com IS NOT WORKING.
In any case you are welcome to send an email directly to us at InspectApedia.com at editor@inspectApedia.com
We'll reply to you directly. Please help us help you by noting, in your email, the URL of the InspectApedia page where you wanted to comment.
Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- [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
- [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
- [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 Web: 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
- CRAWL SPACE MOISTURE CONTROL [PDF] U.S. Department of Energy
- 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. - In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
 | HOME | ABOUT | ASK a QUESTION | CONTACT | CONTENT USE POLICY | DESCRIPTION | POLICIES | PRIVACY | |
| © 2024 - 1985 Publisher InspectApedia.com - Daniel Friedman | |||||||||