Manufactured Home Foundation Types And Their Inspections

Manufactured homes were called mobile homes prior to 1976. The term changed, in part, to change the perception of mobile homes as low-quality housing. Today, the demand for manufactured homes is high. Although quality standards are stringent, before you take ownership of a manufactured home, you need to choose whether you want a temporary or a permanent foundation and set up a home inspection.

Manufactured Home Foundation Choices

Over 22 million Americans live in manufactured homes, whether built from scratch or bought used. Manufactured homes are built in factories to exact U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standards. Each manufactured home will have a metal frame or chassis that provides the home with structural support when it is installed on your onsite foundation. Homeowners have a choice to place their manufactured home on either a temporary or a permanent foundation.

• A pier and beam foundation uses strategically placed solid steel beams as the support structure. This foundation type is affordable and can be installed more quickly than other foundation types. The pier and beam foundation is wind-resistant and can stand up to flooding and seismic activity.
• A slab foundation is used as a support platform for manufactured housing. In traditional housing, slab is often the floor of the home. Like the pier and beam foundation, slab foundations are affordable and quickly installed. Also wind-resistant, slab foundations combat flooding and seismic activity. Slab foundations are not ideal for land that slopes.
• A basement foundation adds more space to your home and extends the structural support system. Basement foundations do cost more and take longer to install than other foundation types. Your return on investment, however, is higher in that you get extra living space and perhaps a higher resale value.
• A crawl space foundation lies underneath the floor and relies on poured concrete footers to secure the foundation. Mid-range in price and installation time, crawl spaces provide the same environmental perks as the other types of foundations: resistance to wind, seismic activity, and floods.

Whichever foundation you choose, you will be subject to having your manufactured home and its foundation inspected.

Manufactured Home Foundation Inspection

Manufactured home foundations must be inspected to make sure that certain requirements are met in most states before a lender will approve your home loan. A licensed inspector will look at how your home site was excavated, your manufactured home's foundational materials, its design, and structural requirements. Once the inspection process is complete, your lender will get a copy of the inspection. You will need an inspection in most states if you intend to buy a manufactured home or refinance the one you already own. 

For more information, contact a company that offers manufactured home inspections.