Complete Guide to Moving Your Mobile Home - Page 4
ESSENTIAL MOBILE HOME INSTALLATION
Probably the most important part of the move, assuming your home makes it there in one piece, is the installation. Good installation will assure you a lifetime (if you never move again) of proper usage. Bad installation will cost you a fortune in repairs and maybe even destroy your home over the long-term.
The following are the essential points of the installation process, and what you can do to ensure their success.
MOBILE HOME LOT DRAINAGE
Water is the key enemy of the mobile home. Moisture destroys mobile homes more than any other factor, other than vandalism. As the home is made of the minimum materials allowable under HUD, there is not much room for error, and moisture can take and buckle a mobile home floor, or rot the exterior siding, in a fairly short period of time.
Before the home even arrives, it is important that the lot be set up so that no water can stand under the home. The area where the home is to sit should be built up of dirt so that it is higher than the adjoining area. Additionally, there should be no drainage that runs under the house, such as a creek or stream that feeds a creek. If water gets under the home, you are asking for trouble. Your floors will get destroyed, and so will the way your home settles. You will be re-leveling it constantly.
SOIL COMPACTION
Equally as important as drainage is soil compaction. If new dirt has been brought in to solve the drainage issue, it must be compacted before the home is delivered. Soft, loose soil will cause a huge problem with leveling of the home. Additionally, it may be hard to bring the home in if the soil is too soft. It is not uncommon, is such instances, for homes to sink to the axles in the dirt.
POSITIONING THE MOBILE HOME ON THE LOT
Where the home goes is, for the most part, is a matter of personal preference. However, there are many points to consider. For example, where are the utility hook-ups? If the home is very far from them, it may result in costly additional utility costs to run extra lines. Also, where is the parking space? You don’t want to put the home over your parking area. You will also want to consider such things as trees for shade, and the direction of the western sun (it drives some people crazy). Remember that once the home is in position, it will cost a fortune to move it again down the road. In fact, it will require all the steps to move it as it did on this move, except for the long highway ride. So give the positioning a huge amount of thought.
THE DELIVERY OF THE MOBILE HOME BY THE TRANSPORTER
One of the scariest parts of the move is the delivery of the home onto the new lot. All kinds of problems may come up when the driver tries to get it into position. For example, he may find he can’t turn his truck sharply enough to get into the street. Or he may hit a tree he doesn’t see when he backs up. We’ve even seen the driver hit other neighboring homes with your home. You will definitely want to be on-site when the home arrives to make sure that it is in the right spot.
Normally, the guys who set it up (which we will cover in a second) are different from the guy who delivers the home. So when the truck pulls out, your ability to re-position the home is erased. Be sure that you have talked to the manager of the park where you are going, to make sure they know when you are arriving and can prepare for your arrival (they may have to move parked cars on the street, etc.). If you wait and wait at the site and the home does not show up, you will be very glad that you have the driver’s cell phone number, like we talked about earlier.
SETTING THE MOBILE HOME UP
Setting the home is primarily focused on installing it such that the weight is safely and evenly supported on concrete halite blocks and other foundation tools. It is not really up to the installers’ discretion, but part of a state or national installation code.
During the setting of the home process the wheels (and sometimes axles) are removed and the tongue as well (unless it is an older home with a welded-on tongue). The home is leveled and everything is checked out. If all is O.K., then the installer fastens the home to the ground using a series of anchors that tie to the metal straps under the home, known as tie downs. MAKE SURE ALL UTILITIES HAVE BEEN LOCATED before this step is started. In tying down the home, the anchors will be screwed three of four feet into the earth and may sever any type of utility line nearby. You don’t want to ruin all of your good work by rupturing a gas line during the installation process. And the installer is generally going to hold you responsible for identifying these lines, so don’t depend on him to do the research for you. Normally the park manager will be the go-to-guy.
RECONNECTING ALL MOBILE HOME UTILITIES
Most of the time, a city inspector will have to green-tag either the move, or the electrical or other connections before you can get utility services. It is important that you know the requirements before you set about doing the utility connections. Some areas may require a licensed plumber do the water and sewer, and some don’t care who does it. You don’t want to do it yourself and then have to re-do it again because you were not licensed. You will need to find a licensed plumber and electrician to make the necessary connections in most markets. Like before, don’t try to save a few bucks and instead end up killing yourself or wrecking your home!
Of course, you’ll have to make application for service before the utility company will turn you on, and that probably means paying a deposit.
INSTALLING MOBILE HOME SKIRTING
If you saved the track and skirting pieces like we suggested earlier, you may be able to skirt the home using this salvage plus some additional pieces for areas that the existing skirting is too short to cover. This could save you $500 or more in parts. Installing skirting is very easy, if you are at all handy.
INSTALLING MOBILE HOME STAIRS AND DECKS
Hopefully, the mover brought with him the decks and stairs you had at the old location. In most cases, these items can be adapted to meet the new height of your new location. Be sure to check on the local laws regarding decks and stairs. Some municipalities require certain rails and guards that you may not currently have, and will have to modify what you’ve got. If possible, have the installer help you put on these decks and stairs – the guys are already there to do it, so tip them a little money and get it out of the way.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Be sure to install a new address number on your home almost immediately. Without it, nobody can find you, and that means the 911 ambulance driver!
You probably had some degree of damage from the move, even if it is nothing more than a shingle blowing off the roof. Make these repairs immediately, as they will let in water and moisture is your home’s number one enemy.
With the home safely sited, it is time to reinstall all those breakable lights and doors, and get your life back into order.
Now that wasn’t too bad was it? Well, we better move on to some things that may go wrong.