Multiwide & doublewide structural connection inspections:

Here we describe defects found in multiwide & doublewide mobile home connections where it may be possible to find evidence of structural damage or even risk of dangerous collapse or lack of resistance to storm damage.

MULTI-WIDE CONNECTIONS - Multi-Wide Mobile Home unit connections:

Question: center joists separating beneath a doublewide: diagnosis & repair

5/1/2014 Anonymous said:

I have a older double wide and am doing floor repair work. The center two joists are connected with a long spick at an angle. The bottom is flush but there is a gap of about one inch on the top. What do I do ? leave it as is or bolt the top together ?

Reply:

Anon I'm sorry but I don't have a clear enough idea of what's going on with the structure of the doublewide to be confident of an answer. I can say in general that structural connections are very important to prevent a building collapse or to prevent dangerous movement that an open a gas line or rip an electrical wire.

I can't tell if the gap you describe has been there since original construction or if it indicates more worrisome ongoing movement.

If you are referring to the mating of the joists of the two halves of the doublewide at the center of the floor structure, it'd be normal for them to be bolted together. If they're through-bolted securely, say 18" on center (I'm not an engineer) I think they'd be quite secure.

Reader follow-up:

Dan,

Thanks for your quick response. The floor joists are not bolted together, but are connected with a spike driven at an angle of about 20 degrees from horizontal. The bottom of the joists are flush but the tops are separated by about an inch. I am wondering if I should bolt them at the top to bring them together again, or whether I am better off leaving things as they are.

I don't know how long the gap between the joists has existed. It is a 1979 unit that I bought a couple of years ago and I recently discovered the issue with the joists when I tore up some damaged sub-flooring.

Reply:

Anon,
Opposite side angled toe-nailing, if properly done, is quite strong. But when we see the sort of separation you describe going on I'd want to understand why before prescribing the "fix".

Picture two floor structures, say wood-framed, with their perimeter rim joists bolted together at the center of the combined area.

Picture a floor support on piers set both beneath the combined rim joist center girder and the outer perimeter rim joists that run parallel to the nailed-together center.

Imagine that the outer perimeter piers or foundation settled downwards beneath one or both of the floor sections.

That sort of settlement *could* explain the center joist separation you describe. If investigation shows that that's the case (start by checking for out of level floors), the trying to pull the nailed-together center joists with bolts would be futile and risks separating the rim joist from the floor joists.

Let me know what you find. Send along some sharp photos using our CONTACT link and I can comment further.

Look for these multiwide or doublewide mobile home connection & related structural defects

• Missing tie-downs required in wind and earthquake zones.
  
  See MOBILE HOME STABILIZING SYSTEMS
• Lag screws or through bolts at adjacent mate beams, especially important if the manufacturer has support columns under only half of the home;
• Hinged roof connections require that king posts be site-installed and metal uplift straps secured to the mate lien wall and roof assembly once the hinged roof is up; [ See DRAWINGS from the NYS book]

• Structural damage: for doublewides inspect the center mating girder for signs of separation that may indicate framing damage, rot, poor original construction, or settlement of the supporting piers of the home's perimeter.
• Roof, wall & floor specifications may also have special requirements in earthquake and wind damage zones
  
  See MOBILE HOME STRUCTURAL DEFECTS
• Tipped, missing or improperly-constructed supporting piers or piers not connected to the structure.
  
  See MOBILE HOME PIERS for more details.

References

• 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.


• Also seeReferences or Citations at the end of this article

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2019-10-09 - by (mod) -

Not necessarily, Johnny.

A doublewide or manufactured home is set in at least two sections (front and back) that are butted together at what's referred to as the "marriage wall".

Once the sections have been properly set, met, and leveled, the abutting sections floors may be joined by various means including

- bolts sent through abutting rim joists of the two sections (that's what you were looking for)

- panels of subflooring nailed across the marriage wall abutting rim joists by toe-nailing (nailing at an appropriate angle) down into the floor joists and rim joists

- bolts sent through abutting floor frame brackets pre-set by the manufacturer

So if you want to know the exact details for your specific home we'll need to identify the home's manufacturer and the specific home model and serial number and construction date. All of that information should be found on the home's data sheet - perhaps stuck to the back of a kitchen sink cabinet door or by the electrical panel as well as on an outdoor data tag at one corner of the home.

On 2019-10-09 by Johnny B

Do all doublewide homes roofline/ ceilings bolt or lag together? Ive been looking for bolts or lags but cant find any. Ive found them in the center floor joists at the marriage point and same for walls. Where can i find the roof/ celing ones...if any? Thanks

On 2018-05-02 - by (mod) -

Lynn

Dry laid blocks without footings are not stable, leaving your home unsafe regardless of whether or not anyone is enforcing building codes.

Cracking, IF it is coming from the structure, could indeed indicate that the home is sagging or moving further.

Stable, real footings would be poured concrete extending below the frost line depth for your are of BC.

Above use the live link for ARTICLE INDEX to MANUFACTURED & MOBILE HOMES to see articles on foundation and pier requirements - that is a place to start understanding what sort of support and tie downs would be recommended.

On 2018-05-02 by Lynn

We went under our deck last year, and found it to be sitting on blocks, no footings , and it had moved away from the house/front door area by approx.2 inches. I fitted in a board and did lag bolts and some footings and sistered up some lacking or rotting joists. Would this affect the house? In a previous comment I was concerned about cracking noises coming from the centre of the house. Everything is covered with insulation and plastic so cannot see under the house. my email is attune@telus.net Thanks again I live in BC and on Native land so building codes probably to not apply, lots of DIY done by previous home owners.

On 2017-09-04 by Clayton Buerkle

How do I find someone with experience in fixing a ridge beam separation problem? Or someone that could even just figure out how it might be remedied? Can some kind of super glue be used between the ridge beams? How do I know if the house needs 'rebalancing' which someone mentioned?

On 2017-07-22 - by (mod) -

It's possible that the lightning strike
Burned out one of the two power lines entering your panel or damaged one side of your electric panel.

You might ask your electrician to switch critical circuits over from the dead side to the live site until you can have an inspection and repair

On 2017-07-22 by Marie c

We got a close hit of lightning on Thursday. We are without 50 percent of our electric. The other wires in here installed for the cable got melted, blew the boxes out. And fried the tvs

On 2015-11-12 by Anonymous

Jami

Look under your home. The board may have been a structural connector or support between sections,

Or it may have been support for equipment hung below the unit.

Use the page bottom CONTACT link to send some pictures and we can comment further.

On 2015-11-12 by Jami

Hi, We are tearing out two walls in our double wide. On the INSIDE of one of the non weight baring walls there was a board about 2 ft in length/6 inches tall attached to the floor with 3 large bolts. Any idea what this is?

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Continue reading at MOBILE HOME PIERS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• MOBILE HOME DEMOLITION / REMOVAL / RELOCATION
• MOBILE HOME PIERS
• MOBILE HOME PIER INSPECTION
• MOBILE HOME STRUCTURAL DEFECTS - home

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MOBILE HOME CONNECTIONS, MULTI-WIDE at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MANUFACTURED & MOBILE HOMES

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Citations & References

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