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.

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.

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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.

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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

• INTERIORS of BUILDINGS - home
• MOBILE HOME FIRE SAFETY
• MOBILE HOMES, DOUBLEWIDES, TRAILERS - home

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

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Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

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