Below is a very general overview of the items that are required for compliance with the HUD guidelines for manufactured homes. The installer, lender, and/or borrower should know that other requirements may be applicable depending of the circumstances of the particular home. Also, it should be emphasized that, in general, the site is to be investigated first, before any construction is begun, and a site-specific design compiled for that home. This design is that which should be used by the installer and by the FHA fee-inspector for the installation of that home.
THOMSON ENGINEERING COMPANY
1015 Country Club Lane
Jackson, TN 38305
Phone 901/483-7750 Fax 731/668-0458 email: matt.4008@gmail.com
BASIC RULES FOR MANUFACTURED HOUSING
FOUNDATIONS (FOR NEW OR EXISTING HOMES):
1. In seismic areas (there are certain zones that have higher requirements for construction), the existing concrete block piers are to have a ¼” thick fiber-reinforced masonry coating product applied completely around their outsides. This can
be mortar mix bought from a lumber yard, Pool Crete, equal parts masory mix and portland cement or approved equal with some poly fibers bought from a local concrete company added to the mix. Add water to reach a moderately stiff and sticky consistency and coat the piers completely.
2. Pier footings are to be at least 8” thick, but the bottom of the footing must be at least 13” below the ground level. One option for not having to backfill with sand is to pour the concrete up level with the ground. Footings are to have reinforcing steel as per design and should be no greater than 8’0” c-c, and be at least 3 sf each.
3. The anchorage must be steel anchor straps set at designed distances into the concrete footings in both the transverse and longitudinal directions (or drilled into the proper-size footings, depending on whether this is a new home). Note that at this time, the tubular steel type anchorage system (Oliver Technologies, Minuteman Anchors, etc.) is not approved by HUD for this specific purpose.
4. No surface water can flow below the home. No standing water can exist under the home. Eroded areas may be required to be repaired.
5. Foundation vents must be installed at the rate of 1 s.f. per 150 s.f. of heated floor area.
6. The foundation walls must be of masonry construction, pressure treated wood anchored into the ground, or steel sheeting also anchored into the ground. No vinyl is allowed.
7. Any fill placed within the footprint of the home must be installed as an engineered fill – that is, it must be tested as it is installed to meet compaction requirements, or as an alternative, the footings can be drilled through the fill and into the virgin soil below.
8. The home cannot be built in a floodplain unless the ground below the home is elevated above the 100-year flood level (base flood elevation). If the home is built in this configuration, the homeowner will be required to purchase flood insur- ance, unless the property owner is granted a Letter of Map Revision based on Fill as issued by FEMA. The prospec- tive builder should verify this information with FEMA before proceeding.
9. Piers over 36” in height must be double-wythe. Piers over 67" in height must be specially engineered by a professional engineer.
10. The proper procedure for installing a new home is:
a.) As soon as the dealer
knows he is going to be installing a new home, certain documents (location
map, manufacturer’s proposed foundation layout sheet for the subject home,
site boundary survey showing the proposed location of the home) should be sent to the foundation engineer (Thomson Engineering Company).
b) TEC will visit the site, take representative soil samples as necessary for basic analysis, do a rough topo map, check the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps for flood zone determination, perform a design of the foundation for this home, and send back to the dealer for actual construction.
c) As construction of the home proceeds, the normal FHA construction inspection with local building codes
officials and the FHA fee inspector are notified as appropriate.
d) Once the home installation is finished, TEC is notified to make a final foundation inspection.
e) If all pertinent items are acceptable, an engineer’s letter of certification is then sent to the dealer or lender as appropriate.
Note: the above rules are general in nature only - other, more specific rules might apply according to the specific situation. This document is intended to be a simple guide as to the process and basic procedures for successfully installing an FHA -compliant manufactured home. Finally, it should be noted that FHA requires the same specifications be met for both new and existing homes that are utilizing a government-back mortgage, even existing homes that are merely securing new financing. Note, however, that homes that are re-financing existing FHA loans do not require an Engineer's certification.
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