Newer manufactured homes might seem like the perfect candidates for easy mobile home skirting installation: they’re fresh, new, and haven’t been exposed to the elements for years. However, while skirting is essential for protecting and enhancing the look of these homes, the installation process isn’t always as seamless as one might hope. Even new homes can have imperfections, and when installing skirting, these flaws may become more noticeable.
Here are three practical tips for installing skirting on a newer mobile or manufactured home and ensuring it looks professional:
1. Recognize that your home might not be perfectly square or level.
Mobile and manufactured homes are built in factories. Depending on the manufacturer, many homes may not be perfectly square or level. This is important to acknowledge before starting your mobile home skirting installation project. Knowing what to expect will help you plan appropriately and make adjustments as needed.
The good news? Advances in robotics and technology over the past 30 years have greatly improved the construction of mobile and manufactured homes. While imperfections may still exist, modern homes are significantly squarer and straighter than older models. Plus, they remain a cost-effective alternative to traditional stick-built homes, offering homeowners significant savings.
2. Shape the skirting material to match your home.
Even with modern advancements, your home may still have minor imperfections. When working on mobile home skirting installation, it’s important to shape the skirting material to fit the unique contours of your home. The finished look of the skirting will largely depend on how well you adapt the material to these imperfections. Taking the time to carefully shape and install the skirting will result in a more polished appearance.
The same principles apply to shed skirting. Sheds often have uneven surfaces or challenging layouts, but with careful attention to detail, you can achieve a clean and seamless look. Be patient, and don’t rush the process—your effort will pay off in the end.
3. Equip yourself with the right tools.
Each skirting material has specific tools recommended for installation, but these may not always be enough. For a successful mobile home skirting installation, you may also need additional tools to measure accurately, account for imperfections, and cut or shape the skirting material. Having the proper equipment on hand ensures you can adapt the skirting to your home’s unique needs.
When working with shed skirting, this tip is even more crucial. The smaller size and varied designs of sheds can make installation trickier, so having versatile tools is key to achieving a neat and durable finish.
Additional Tips on Tie-Downs
Before starting your skirting project, ensure that your home is properly secured. A solid tie-down system is essential for safety and can prevent damage to both your home and the skirting. For more guidance, check out our blog post on hiring a tie-down pro: Read more here.
Get Expert Help with Skirting Projects
Whether you’re tackling mobile home skirting installation or shed skirting, having the right support makes all the difference. If you’d like more information about skirting products or installation tips, contact DURASKIRT™ at (360) 964-9238. Our team has extensive experience working with both older and newer manufactured homes and is happy to assist you. Let us help you protect and beautify your home or shed with high-quality skirting solutions.
How Do You Skirt a Manufactured Home on a Sloped Lot?
Installing mobile home skirting on a sloped lot takes more than a basic skirting product. It takes a system built for uneven ground, long-term protection, and a clean finished appearance. After nearly 26 years of helping manufactured homeowners across the United States, DURASKIRT™ has become a trusted choice for challenging sloped installations.
Why Sloped Lots Need a Different Skirting Approach
Skirting a manufactured home on level ground is usually straightforward because the panel heights are often similar around the home. On a sloped lot, however, one side may sit much higher than the other, creating large openings, uneven gaps, and areas where ordinary skirting products can fall short. DURASKIRT™ is designed to solve those problems with durable concrete panels that can be adapted to the site.
On a slope, skirting must do more than hide the crawlspace. It should follow the grade, protect the underside of the home, resist damage, and give the home a finished, site-built appearance. DURASKIRT™ makes this easier because the panels can be planned around step-downs, framing, bracing, and uneven soil conditions.
As the manufacturer of DURASKIRT™, we are often asked, “How high can your mobile home skirting panels go?” Our answer is simple: “As high as you need.” With the right installation method, DURASKIRT™ can handle almost any height, making it an excellent option for homes placed on steep or uneven lots.
Plan Before Installation
Before installing mobile home skirting on a sloped lot, measure the height around the entire home. Start at the lowest point and continue to the highest point. These measurements will show where step-downs are needed and how tall the panels should be in each section.
Drainage is also important. Whenever possible, water should flow away from the home. Poor drainage can create moisture problems under the structure and shorten the life of some skirting materials. Because DURASKIRT™ concrete panels are designed for ground burial, they are especially useful where skirting must meet uneven soil, extend below grade, and still deliver a clean, professional look.
Choose DURASKIRT™ for Below-Grade Protection
Manufactured homeowners often want skirting that looks like a natural extension of the home—not an afterthought. That can be difficult with wood skirting because wood should not touch soil. On a sloped lot, this becomes an even bigger issue because some sections must extend lower than others. DURASKIRT™ solves this challenge by providing a concrete skirting solution that can safely extend below grade.
Why Ground Contact Matters
Ground contact is one of the biggest concerns when skirting a sloped lot. Many materials are not made to touch soil and may rot, warp, or deteriorate over time. Wood should stay at least 6 inches above the dirt, which often limits design options. DURASKIRT™ gives homeowners and installers more flexibility because it is made for below-grade use.
DURASKIRT™ is designed for ground burial, allowing the panels to be installed below grade and properly backfilled. This creates a stronger barrier around the base of the home, helps discourage rodents and pests from entering underneath, and provides the durability homeowners expect from a premium concrete skirting system.
Using DURASKIRT™ with wood can create the site-built appearance many manufactured homeowners want, even on a sloped lot. It also helps reduce the risk of rotting skirting, improves rodent prevention, and delivers a longer-lasting finish than many traditional skirting options. For the best results, keep wood at least 6 inches above the dirt and use DURASKIRT™ where below-grade protection is needed.
DURASKIRT™ Step-Down Framing for Sloped Lot Skirting
For a cleaner, stronger mobile home skirting installation on sloped lots, use standard framing materials with matching siding to create step-downs that follow the grade. This helps DURASKIRT™ concrete skirting panels deliver a finished, site-built appearance while supporting below-grade protection where the slope requires it. Install paper under the siding to help keep moisture out of the crawlspace. Important Step! After framing is installed beneath the home’s exterior rim joist, brace it back to the I-beams for added support. Proper bracing is essential. For 30″ of backfill, secure bracesto the steel beams no more than 24″ O.C. See photo.
Ready to solve your sloped-lot skirting challenge? Choose DURASKIRT™ concrete skirting panels for a stronger, cleaner, and longer-lasting mobile home skirting solution built for below-grade protection and a finished, site-built look. Contact DURASKIRT™ today to get expert help planning your project and order the right kit for your installation.
Get a Finished, Site-Built Look with DURASKIRT™
Many manufactured homeowners want their home to look more like a traditional site-built house, and DURASKIRT™ makes that goal easier to achieve—especially on sloped lots. When skirting simply follows uneven ground without a clear design plan, the result can look unfinished. Step-down framing allows the siding above the DURASKIRT™ panels to match the home, while the premium concrete skirting below handles the critical ground-contact area.
The result is a cleaner, stronger, and more permanent appearance that helps the home look like it was built that way from the start. Instead of one long, uneven skirting wall, step-downs create natural visual breaks that follow the slope. With the right layout for siding, lap reveals, trim, and DURASKIRT™ concrete panels, homeowners can achieve a durable, factory-direct skirting solution that adds curb appeal, below-grade protection, and long-lasting value.
Stop moisture, pests, and uneven skirting before they start. Choose DURASKIRT™ today for a stronger, below-grade concrete skirting solution. Contact us now to get the right factory-direct kit.
DURASKIRT™ Installation Tips for a Stronger Finished Look
Step-down framing follows the slope and prepares the home for DURASKIRT™ concrete skirting panels than install below.
Align framing with the home above for a cleaner manufactured home skirting installation.
Match the siding brand and style to help the home achieve a site-built appearance.
Keep lap siding reveals consistent for a professional, finished look.
Brace framing properly so backfilled DURASKIRT™ concrete panels perform as intended.
Keep wood at least 6 inches above soil and let DURASKIRT™ handle below-grade protection.
Use hot-dipped galvanized nails for a durable siding installation that complements DURASKIRT™ mobile home skirting.
Avoid Costly Skirting Mistakes with DURASKIRT™
One of the biggest mistakes in manufactured home skirting is placing wood skirting or framing too close to the soil. Moisture can lead to rot, repairs, and a shorter service life. DURASKIRT™ concrete skirting panels help solve this problem by giving homeowners a durable below-grade skirting solution where ground contact is required.
Backfilling before proper bracing is another costly mistake. DURASKIRT™ panels are built for strength, but the framing around them still needs solid support. Correct bracing, proper grading, and coarse rock backfill help create a stronger mobile home skirting installation that performs better over time.
Once the framing is braced, papered, and sided, install DURASKIRT™ as your premium mobile home skirting solution. For better below-grade protection, we recommend burying DURASKIRT™ at least 6 inches into the soil and backfilling with coarse rock to help block rodents from digging underneath.
DURASKIRT™ FAQs for Sloped Lot Skirting
Can manufactured home skirting be installed on a steep slope?
Yes. Manufactured home skirting can be installed on a steep slope, but the right system matters. Step-down framing, proper bracing, and DURASKIRT™ concrete panels designed for ground burial make sloped lot skirting cleaner, stronger, and more reliable.
How tall can mobile home skirting be?
Mobile home skirting height depends on the home, lot, and installation method. With DURASKIRT™, your skirting can be planned to fit the height your project needs, especially when installed with proper framing on sloped areas.
Should skirting be buried in the ground?
Some skirting materials should never be buried, but DURASKIRT™ is made for ground burial. Installing the panels at least 6 inches below grade and backfilling with coarse rock creates a stronger barrier and helps reduce rodent access under the home.
Why use a hybrid skirting method on a sloped lot?
A hybrid skirting method combines upper step-down framing and siding with DURASKIRT™ concrete panels near the ground. This keeps wood away from soil, improves below-grade protection, and helps the home achieve a clean, site-built look.
With proper step-down framing and DURASKIRT™ concrete skirting panels, a manufactured home on a sloped lot can look clean, permanent, and well protected. The finished result gives your home the site-built appearance many homeowners want, while adding the durability and below-grade protection ordinary skirting materials often lack. If you have not started shopping for a new mobile home, you may also want to read our article, “Finding The Best Mobile Home Brands.”
Don’t settle for skirting that fails on a slope. Choose DURASKIRT™ concrete skirting panels for lasting below-grade protection, a clean site-built look, and the strength your manufactured home deserves. Contact DURASKIRT™ today to get expert help and order the right factory-direct kit for your project.
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