Thread: attaching to a manufactured home

I did my first home inspection on a manufactured today. Are you allowed to permanently attach items such as decks, awnings rf coverings to a manufactured home? In this case the home was a single side.

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It needs to be attached but the structure should have its own posts for support.
The mobile home is supported by piers under the steel frame.
The walls of the M home have no support under them.
It is just ignorant to hang a structure there, but ....
more times than not, I call out missing posts under the addition.

Towards the end of last year, I did a Schult/Clayton plant tour here in Arizona. We asked if patio covers, etc. could be attached to their manufactured homes? The answer was “yes” if they were told about it when the unit was being ordered. They had to strengthen those areas in the wall while the unit was being built.

We then asked them, how could we tell if the manufactured home had been designed for attached items? Their answer was that we would not know unless we saw the original order.

Jeff

However if the manufactured home is installed on a permanent exterior foundation with pony i.e. knee walls similar to standard house construction then I understand that you can attach the exterior structures such as porches and decks

...........it's okay to attach to any manufactured home, provided the structure that is being attached is self-supporting..........Greg

Originally Posted by Gregory Booth

...........it's okay to attach to any manufactured home, provided the structure that is being attached is self-supporting..........Greg

Depends on your area.

In Florida - ALL of Florida - the structure is required to NOT be attached to the manufactured home ... except with "flashing" ... the addition, deck, etc., is required to be an independent structure (not just "self-supporting", but "independent") and may only be attached using "flashing".

Architects, contractors, engineers have come up with creative designs using trusses on the addition which cantilever over the manufactured home below them, yet the only connection between the trusses and roof to the manufactured home is a piece of flashing.

Where the end walls are next to the manufactured home end walls, the joint is connected using a piece of flashing.

The structures are independent, electric is treated as a separate structure, as is any plumbing and any air conditioning or heating system.

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

Depends on your area.

In Florida - ALL of Florida - the structure is required to NOT be attached to the manufactured home ... except with "flashing" ... the addition, deck, etc., is required to be an independent structure (not just "self-supporting", but "independent") and may only be attached using "flashing".

Architects, contractors, engineers have come up with creative designs using trusses on the addition which cantilever over the manufactured home below them, yet the only connection between the trusses and roof to the manufactured home is a piece of flashing.

Where the end walls are next to the manufactured home end walls, the joint is connected using a piece of flashing.

The structures are independent, electric is treated as a separate structure, as is any plumbing and any air conditioning or heating system.

Interesting however I have inspected manufactured homes that have had decks free standing and other that have been attached to the foundation wall and in both cases inspected and signed off by local building department with the explanation that the mfg home's foundation is under the jurisdiction of the building department and from the top of the wall upwards is governed by the guidelines of the mfg home which does not address anything more If you disagree I welcome additional information as there is "no ulterior motive what so ever "

Originally Posted by frazier jeffery

Interesting however I have inspected manufactured homes that have had decks free standing and other that have been attached to the foundation wall and in both cases inspected and signed off by local building department with the explanation that the mfg home's foundation is under the jurisdiction of the building department and from the top of the wall upwards is governed by the guidelines of the mfg home which does not address anything more If you disagree I welcome additional information as there is "no ulterior motive what so ever "

You are in CA, my post clearly stated Florida ... not sure why you posted your post for CA to mine about Florida ...

Porch deck and covering are permitted provided the installation meets code requirements, which, this particular installation method has failed. Compare the roof pitch of both. does the slope of the awning allow water to run off at the same rate as the roof system, or is it ponding at the roof-awning transition. This "single-wide" manufactured home has a roof side side-rail no larger than a nominal 2x4. the awning framing member is 2x6 bolted to roof side-rail and ???(bottom bolt is probably floating) at 32' oc, maybe, and where water has penetrated the awning, it has equally penetrated the roof and wall system.
So,slope of porch cover should be steeper or equal to roof system,4/12, for shingles, with wide flashing to prevent water from backing up. Connect awning to roof side-rail, bolted 8'oc and not in wall system where it may damage wiring. Use posts at four corners of porch from footing to roof Manufactured homes are site set with columns supporting the floor system on each side of all entryways and large openings of the exterior wall. Decks should be supported independently. Bolt deck to floor system in the same manner as the awning, staggering the bolts.