Today’s manufactured homes are designed and built according to rigorous standards established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These spacious, durable, and luxurious homes are designed to provide a safe, comfortable living environment for many years. Proper site preparation, delivery, and setup will lead to fewer requests for service, lower costs, and happier homeowners. The purpose of this section is to support the experienced customer, provide basic information for the beginning customer, and to make available specific information that is needed to insure that proper installation is achieved. This section is not designed to cover all aspects of the setup and installation process (such as weather proofing, insulation, exterior siding, roofing, and connection of utilities). Here are a few questions and procedures that surface during Home Setup and Installation. Why does a home need vapor barriers and ventilation? Vapor barriers and proper ventilation help to prevent moisture from seeping up from the ground and into the floor cavity or walls. Vapor barriers It is strongly recommended that a layer of polyethylene sheeting be placed under the home to form a vapor barrier. A vapor barrier will greatly assist in controlling condensation and humidity in the home, prevent major repair costs, and help prevent moisture from seeping up from the ground and into the floor cavity or walls. Proper ventilation under the home It is very important that the space under the home be properly ventilated. To ensure cross ventilation, one vent should be installed in each corner of the home. * Clothes dryers should be vented out and away from the home. Clothes dryers should NOT discharge under the home. Venting dryers under the home will add moisture to this area. Who is responsible for verifying that the home and site are properly prepared? The pre-setup checks and site preparation inspections are the responsibility of both the retailer and the homeowner. Before the home is delivered and installed, it is the responsibility of the professional installer to verify that the home and site preparation have been properly performed. Pre-setup checks The importance of this step cannot be overstated. Pre-setup checks include: Verify that the zoning requirements and the permits or licenses have been obtained. Confirm that the road and access to the site will accommodate the home. Verify that the site has been properly prepared to receive the home. Determine the correct soil bearing capacity. Review the data plate. Quite simply, a home is not properly delivered and installed until all of these items have been fully coordinated and verified. Additional work and extra costs are sure to be involved if any of these items are ignored. What are footings? Footings are part of the support system of the home, and must be capable of withstanding the loads imposed on the home including furnishings, in addition to any temporary loads caused by climatic conditions, such as snow and wind. Like a snowshoe Footings evenly distribute loads to the ground. To illustrate this, think of the footing as a snowshoe. The snow has a low load bearing capacity, so when you walk on it, your feet sink in. However, adding snowshoes allows you to walk on top of the snow without sinking, because the bigger footprint distributes weight over a wider area. Similarly, if the soil bearing capacity under a home is low, a larger footing will be required to distribute the weight of the home. Always required Footings are always required under every pier — this includes piers under marriage walls and at other areas where support is required. Placement It is vital that pier spacing be determined before the footings are installed. Footings must be installed on firm, undisturbed soil or compacted fill. The bottom of the footing must be placed at, or below the frost line, regardless of the type of footing used. This ensures that winter frost heave does not cause movement of the footing, which can severely damage the home over time. What are piers? A pier is a structural column placed on top of footings to support a home. The pier receives the load from the frame of the house, and directs it, or transfers it to the footing for even distribution to the ground. There are two commonly used types of piers: single block and double block. When determing the number of piers the home requires, the following information must be used: the width of the floor the roof load the soil bearing capacity the size of the footings being used Marriage wall support piers Marriage wall support piers are used to support large openings on the marriage walls of the home. The wider the opening, the higher the load. Load capacities are labeled below the opening in the marriage wall (on the I-beam or underneath the home on the bottom board). The pier underneath these openings must be appropriate for the column weight noted on these labels. Depending on the height of the home from the ground, and the load that needs to be supported, you will use either single- or double- block piers. Additional support piers Additional support piers will sometimes be placed under the sidewalls, on either side of large openings, such as sliding glass doors, porches, and bay windows. It is also recommended that additional piers be placed under heavy furniture and appliances (i.e., waterbeds and freezers), and on each side of front and rear exterior doors. Why is anchoring required? The home must be anchored to the ground so that it cannot be pushed off of its support structure by the overturning and lifting effects of the wind. The anchoring system The anchoring system consists of ground anchors and tie-down straps. *Before installing ground anchors, check for electrical, gas, sewer, and water lines. Failing to do so, especially in the case of underground electrical cables or gas, could result in serious injury or death.