Mobile homes need re-leveling every so often in order to maintain mechanical veracity. Most mobile home manufacturers recommend re-leveling every 3-5 years. Furthermore, the likely reasons may be:
Frost heave causes pier settings to sink and tilt.
Moisture under the home and burrowing rodents can do the same thing.
Wood shims used to level the home initially can become compressed.
The most important maintenance aspect of your manufactured home is maintaining its level. Additionally, it can affect every component of your homes’ integral system.
For example, your floor, walls, doors, windows, cabinets, roof and crawl space and skirting. Not to mention it can even affect your drainpipes of your wastewater and sewer system.
An un-level manufactured home can cause exterior doors and windows not to seal properly. This can be detrimental to your heating bill allowing cold air to penetrate.
Moreover, an un-level manufactured home is a bad situation. The reason is some of your foundation supports are bearing more weight than other support piers.
Why Is Un-Even Supports Bad?
When more weight is bearing on a single pier this causes some of the supporting beams to be over-stressed. Sometimes to the point of failure in extreme cases. Besides, an un-level home is the leading contributor to the accelerated deterioration manufactured homes.
Re-Leveling Every 3-5 Years
Because of the fore mentioned, manufacturers recommend their homes be checked for level every 3-5 years. Moreover, they need re-leveling whenever there is more than a ¼” discrepancy in support pier heights.
Consequently, re-leveling your home is the greatest preventive factor to increased maintenance and energy costs.
Always Re-Level for The Following Reasons
Warning!
If any of these things are done while the home is out of level, then leveling will require many of these items to be replaced or adjusted. Keep in mind it may make it impossible to completely level your home when it does become necessary.
A springy feeling in the floors or floor squeaks may indicate an out of level condition.
Cabinets and back splashes are pulling away from the walls.
Cracks in the drywall at the marriage line (where the sections of the home are joined).
Cracks in the drywall around windows, doors or where walls meet the ceiling.
Decks seem to be higher or lower than normal.
Exterior doors stick or are hard to latch and don’t seal, letting cold air in.
Floor humps at the marriage line.
Interior doors don’t latch or swing open or closed by themselves.
Skirting begins to wrinkle, crush or bulge.
The sensation of walking up or down hill and hallways may seem crooked.
Windows are crooked in their frames and no longer seal or latch.
Water and items roll off counter tops.
What is Re-Leveling?
Your manufactured home is unique because it’s built on steel beams. Each section of your home is permanently attached to these beams. When your home was initially set-up it was jacked up onto the foundation piers using a water level.
So, when we re-level your home we repeat the same process. Only now we enter the crawl access, setup the water level and begin checking the entire length of each beam. Finally, we pick a start pier then begin documenting every pier whether it is higher or lower.
This documentation accurately portrays whether the home needs leveling. Then, using this information we can decide on the benchmark. The benchmark we use is determined by several factors including skirting, attached decks, attached awning or garages.
It’s also important to note sometimes an exact level may not be able to be achieved.
Need re-leveling in Washington state? Call MH Service & Supply 360-419-9909 or visit MHServiceandSupply.com
We have been releveling mobile homesin Washington State for many years. The things we find, from what I hear, are typically found under mobile homes all around the country. Moreover, it does surprise us when a home looks as if it was set up just yesterday, but this is not the norm. Mobile home re-leveling in Washington state is typical.
Hire MH SERVICE & SUPPLY– mobile home re-leveling experts in Washington state! 360-419-9909
Many times, we open the crawl hatch and find dead animals, stashed needles, rodent droppings, and sometimes live animals. Cats either climb out or we find their carcasses.
One time we were re-leveling the mobile home and repairing the insulation when an opossum jumped on one of the guy’s chests and started hissing. From that day on it was called the Dracula house.
Aside from animals though, we often find leaky pipes, torn insulation, missing vapor barrier, and inadequate blocking. Occasionally there are missing or broken mobile home tie-downs too. The biggest cause we find for a mobile home becoming un-level is poor soil preparation.
Inadequate Soil Preparation Causes
Quite often we slink under a mobile home and find poorly prepared soils. Buried tree stumps are a huge culprit creating voids where support blocking falls away. Although, contractors who determined not to use a compactor or adequately remove organic debris are causes too.
Best Soil Preparation Practices
The right way to prepare the soil for holding the weight of a home is to remove the top layer of dirt. This layer has tree roots, plant mulch, and sometimes buried stumps. Removing the organics or materials that break down will assure a good foundation.
Soils preparation.
After removal of the topsoil layer, it is necessary to compact the stirred-up dirt. Subsequently, adding a gravel layer to the needed depth of no less than four inches. Now it’s time to compact everything once again.
Compacting the soils has another benefit as well. It seals the earth from absorbing moisture preventing a muddy work site.
Mobile Home Re-leveling in Washington – Prevention
To summarize what we’ve learned about mobile home re-leveling in Washington state is that we find many of the same causes. Soil preparation is key to preventing settling. Homes needing re-leveling probably were not properly prepared. For more tips and mobile home, upgrades stay tuned to DURASKIRT.com/blog/.
Looking For An Outstanding Mobile Home Re-leveling Service?
One of the best ways of maintaining your home is hiring an outstanding mobile home re-leveling service which is necessary when the home is out of level. Though mobile homes have become very popular in recent times it also requires a little maintenance to keep them in good condition.
One of the biggest reasons can be the settling of the soils creating a gap between the I-beam. Moreover, resulting in many kinds of problems if proper care is not taken. So if your mobile homes have become out of level, it is high time that you go for the re-leveling services which is the only option.
With time, even mobile homes tend to deteriorate and that is why it is essential to maintain them on a regular basis. Using the Mobile home re-leveling services, you can definitely keep your homes safe and away from any kind of damage.
There are lots of reasons why it is necessary to go for the re-leveling services; the first and foremost are cracks in walls following closely by rodent intrusion, jamming, squeaks, and many more. If you are facing any of these issues, it means that you need to hire professionals. Best of all, they are tie-down pros and offer manufactured home foundation certifications.
Hiring A Trusted Company for Re-leveling Services Is A Must
Hire an outstanding mobile home re-leveling service as I did.
When obtaining the outstanding mobile home re-leveling service, it is important to get associated with a trusted company. Though there are lots of companies that deal in this area MH Service & Supply has evolved as one of the best options. It is not only a reputed name but you can even look forward to the excellent re-leveling services too.
They have experienced professionals who can accomplish this work well and make sure that the customers are satisfied. MH Service & Supply is known to provide the finest Mobile home re-leveling services and that is why it is the first preference of the people. Even the cost factor is quite low and therefore the homeowners will not face any problem in availing the services.
So if your mobile homes out of level, you can definitely come to us. With MH Service & Supply, you can look forward to the top-notch re-leveling services which can certainly make a difference to your homes.
Value Added After Completing The Re-leveling
There is an added value after the re-leveling with MH Service & Supply. Simply save your receipt for up to $500.00 off DURASKIRT™ mobile home skirting kits. DURASIRT™ is the #1 skirting choice in the Northwest and made to last. So what are you waiting for? Call 360-419-9909 today!
My advice is to call an expert mobile home re-leveling service if you’re looking for ways to preserve your home investment. These services look for things like improper slab and pillar installation, leaky pipes, and rodent intrusion. If left these things can cost the homeowner and lead to extensive damage to other areas of the home. So hiring a mobile home re-leveling expert who is experienced at identifying existing or potential future problems makes sense.
You can look for the following before calling an expert re-leveling service:
Here is a list of reasons why mobile home re-leveling is important:
It can prevent roof damage, window damage, flood damage, and plumbing problems.
Improper slab and pillar installation is one cause of UN-level mobile.
The most common cause of UN-level mobile’s home is an unstable foundation.
Squeaky floors, doors, and windows that close improperly are commons signs.
Common Reasons Why A Mobile Home’s Foundation Will Change
Poor soil conditions, poor ground preparation, deteriorating pillars, and leaky plumbing can change the foundation under and around the home. Such damages can cause cracks around the existing wall foundation and cracks along the walls in the home. Homeowners should immediately contact a professional mobile home repair service when noticing such changes.
Calling an expert like MH Service & Supply is wise. Their experts can ensure professional services at a reasonable price. Here is their phone number 360-419-9909. Or call for expert consultation and detailed re-leveling pricing. These people know their stuff.
Are you interested in learning how to re-level a mobile home or trailer house? If you are please read on and I will try and explain all the steps in detail the best I know-how.
First, you will need a few essential tools to get started, here is a list:
Water Level Is Important to Re-Level a Mobile Home
Set up your water level (another article). Take the water level and start by checking all the outside corners and the middle of each beam’s length and find the high spot. Once you establish the highest point you need to begin working to jack the entire home up a level to this. If the home is more than an inch out of level, you will need to use more precautions.
We have witnessed some homes up to 8” out of level due to slabs settling under poorly compacted soils. Homes with this much work to bring to level may require a second day and may require a slab jacking company to aid in filling voids under the slab with grout (Usually this is not the norm). Furthermore, you may need to remove some mobile home skirting.
Your home may only require minor adjustments as do most that have been set up for several years. Start jacking from the area that makes the most sense which is usually from the highest point working outward toward the lowest point. Use blocks and wedges to secure the home at the correct level. If using a water level make sure that all the air bubbles are out of the line (hint: use a little surfactant in the water).
Keep An Eye Out for Other Problems
When you are under the home use the flashlight to check heat ducts, water lines for leaks, and underbelly wrap for holes. Any repair that is made to these things can save a homeowner hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Water leaks are usually the cause of tremendous ground settling.
During and after you finish leveling the home; check the tie-downs to make sure they are all secure. Let the homeowner know any of your findings so they can make informed decisions on their homes’ repair and costs.
Keep tuned in here for more mobile home insights. Visit us at www.Duraskirt.com
DIY Mobile Home Re-Leveling & Set-up / Retrofit Cart – A Do-It-Yourself Must
Have you ever installed new blocking on a re-level or seismic blocks under a used mobile home? Not a fun job is it? That’s why you need the Retrofit Cart for this very cumbersome task, making it less of a chore.
Installing new blocking when you Do-It-Yourself or DIY mobile home re-leveling is easy. With the mobile home re-leveling retrofit cart, seismic-blocks are simple too? Not a fun job is it? Creative Concrete, LLC, makers of Duraskirt™, has invented a Retrofit-Cart. This very cumbersome task is done in short order with this cart.
So…before beginning your DIY re-leveling on your mobile home you should know about the DURASKIRT™ re-level and seismic retrofit cart. The cart makes it easy to maneuver blocks and seismic blocks under homes through crawl spaces. This can be very time-consuming and back-breaking work without the Retrofit-Cart.
Another use for the cart is on new home sets like the new manufactured home in this video. Watch how the cart can be used with the tray insert to load blocks along the marriage line of this home. After seeing the cart in use pick up the phone and order yours today.
Professional Mobile Home Re-Leveling Experts Make A Huge Difference
Mobile homes provide a number of advantages for smart investors, but if you’re acquainted with the generalizations about factory-built housing let me explain. Let’s eliminate those misconceptions with some convincing information. Because the industry has been under a face-lift since the early ’90s and some businesses have grown out of this which includes professional mobile home re-leveling experts.
Mobile home anchoring and stabilizing are important items when considering buying a factory-built house. The question people ask is how often, if at all, they need to re-level their mobile home. Another element of this type of property is whether or not it is completely attached to the land. Most professionals suggest before buying this style of home to consider how you intend on anchoring tying it to the land or with older homes how well was the mobile home secured. Above all, this information is vital in securing a loan as for many new manufactured home buyers loans are a big consideration.
Conventional Methods for Building Mobile Homes
The mobile home sector’s conventional methods, when it comes to manufactured house sales and loans, may give rise to the thoughts of fast devaluation. New mobile home loans often consist of charges, factors, and costly, unwanted add-ins, such as cash discounts, and single-premium credit life, which hampers the stability of the loan but does not add value to the property. Used mobile houses are often topic to higher interest rates than new ones, which is generally not the case with site-built homes.
As for used mobile homes, mobile home re-leveling is the best choice for all kinds of individual homeowners. It’s advisable to get professional mobile home re-leveling experts to do this job. Since there are different concerns you have to consider, based on the kind of home brand you own, as it is not wise to make common declarations or generalized judgments. But there are many items that are common to each in a general way.
Foremost, the best advice is to do some reading and take a good look at what you own before calling a professional. For instance, when you call a professional appliance service because your dryer stopped working it’s helpful for them to know the make and model so they leave their shop prepared to make the rapid repair so you can get back to drying your laundry. Another valid point to think about is site-specific conditions that need to be addressed by a qualified engineer.
Engineered Methods To Re-Level A Mobile Home
Engineers are now getting in and illustrating plans for how mobile home re-leveling must be done. In some cases, technicians are required to acquire and sustain permits to do re-leveling. In Washington State, it is required to be a licensed manufactured home installer. If the property was not set up effectively, which happens in many cases, bringing the property up to current requirements will be necessary.
Homes that are set on dirt or gravel usually require re-leveling to be properly executed regularly and conducted by professionals. So, professional mobile home re-leveling experts must be called in. Be mindful, weather or climate conditions can play a huge factor in how often these kinds of homes need re-leveling?
The wetter the climate means it is more likely you will need re-leveling more often. As an ounce of prevention, it is preferable to make a more effectively developed gravel pad and not rest it simply on the dirt. Contacting certified installation specialists to examine your house site plans that will provide you with professional suggestions is recommended. Doing the proper homework ahead of your home project will improve the future life and improve your lifestyle.
Convenience Is Never Compromised Living In A Mobile Home
Living in one of these kinds of mobile homes does not mean you have to compromise conveniences either. Leased property in recreational areas is reasonable and in some cases offers lakes, parks, and recreation or golf course amenities; often providing a more splendid luxurious, and advantageous living than site-built communities do! We have seen recreational areas with entertainment facilities and community centers, regularly, and much more often. Some individuals choose to live this way because they can access high-class living standards at a lower cost.
Mobile home living also provides you with a means of versatility. I understand that mobile homes and manufactured houses are not all the same. Some can be transported by connecting them up to a vehicle. Others need to be delivered in sections by transport vehicles. The varying costs of these different solutions will play a factor in your choice of home. But all manufactured homes will need regularly scheduled re-leveling and periodic inspections by professionals to get the most out of your money spent.
The cost of mobile home re-leveling in Washington State or in any State varies in prices. The reason for the varying costs is the level of services performed. The best services to use are ones that offer a complete underfloor inspection. MH Service & Supply offers the best underfloor inspection and most complete services in our industry.
Obvious and Less Obvious Signs You Need A Mobile Home Re-Leveling Service
The need for Mobile home re-leveling comes after some time and not immediately after the home is built or transferred to a place. Initially, the home is properly measured from the ground and therefore leveled accordingly. But after some time, the need for leveling becomes evident when movements in the ground are causing the mobile home to stand on an uneven surface. This can result in damage to the property and must be remedied immediately.
When the house is tilting to one side, it looks unstable and therefore might even be declared unsafe for habitation. There are signs to find out if the house is tilting to one side and one of the most common is when you pour water on the floor and it tends to accumulate on one side. As much as possible, contact a home leveling expert when you notice that your house is no longer standing on an even ground.
It’s about time to re-level your mobile home. Get a senior discount! Call 360-419-9909.
When one or more of the doors are stuck and it is difficult to open them, it may already be a sign that you have home leveling problems. It may not be easily noticed at first especially if the door hinges are adjusted but when the problem persists, it is a sign that leveling is needed to remedy the situation.
When the wall shows cracks
It will start with hairline cracks that may not be noticeable at first. But the moment the crack grows and extends up in length, it is a sure sign that leveling is a problem.
There are those that prefer a DIY as it is economical. But mobile home re-leveling is a tedious job that it would be best to hire experts in this kind of job to make sure that it is done right and with the least damage to the structure. To hire an expert these days is simple by typing in a search engine the words “mobile home re-leveling service.”
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