Important Things To Know

Want to maximize your living space? Well, besides buying a completely new home, you can opt for the more affordable option of building additions. This article will be your guide to building mobile home additions and it will also answer some of the frequently asked questions. Here’s where you can start looking at selling your mobile home nada. Without further ado, let’s take a look!

Additions are Not Meant to be Attached to a Mobile Home

Although they are termed additions, they are not meant for attachment to a mobile home. Instead, it has to be another separate unit, built right up next to the home and then sealed. The connection should be limited to prevent obstruction of separate movement as a mobile home addition requires mobility to move about freely apart from the home. As mentioned, there are no attachments but only sealing around the floor, siding, and door to prevent any leaks.

Footing Additions

Since the foundations of additions are built separately from that of the mobile home, the footers have to go underneath the frost line. There are cinder blocks, piles, slabs, and poured footers. To determine the footings for a mobile home, first examine the depth of your area’s frost line, even if there are no frost line footers to keep the shifting minimal.

Inspections and Permits

Before you begin to build a mobile home addition, it is important to research the rules and regulations. Make sure that you get the permits and inspections done, whether it’s before the process, during it, or after the whole process.

The Opening Between the Addition and the Home

When it comes to the opening, there is a need to determine the size. Doorways are usually preferred as they are easier to be closed up, in case the home needs to be moved or the addition has to be removed. However, if you intend to go for a wider opening, there will be support issues to look out for. This is because with wider openings, it involves the removal of studs and this requires support beams. Meanwhile, we would like to note that this is not ideal for the perimeter walls of your mobile home as they function as load-bearing walls. Hence, it is wiser to have the opening kept small.

Sealing Used

Once again, we would like to reiterate the fact that additions should not be attached to the mobile home but instead, they are placed next to the home and then sealed for the prevention of leaks.

As we move on to the sealing, there are many ways to go about it. To completely seal the connection between the addition and the home, gaps have to be covered using caulking flashing, lumber, backer rod, and weatherstripping, to name a few. For those who are not familiar with the term, the backer rod is really just another name for what we call round foaming. It is utilized as a barrier between two structures.

To connect the sliding of the home to the desired addition, there is a popular method that involves a 1×6 board. First, attach the board to the mobile home in a vertical manner such that the addition will be positioned upright against the board at the middle. Thereafter, attach another board, this time to the side of the addition instead. Next, add weatherstripping and get a screw to connect the edge of the addition to the board that is already on the house. Due to its ability to get the job done without too much damage to the mobile home, this method is popular among people. Last but not least, vinyl siding and flashing will cover everything up.

Sealing the Roof of the Addition to the Roof of the Mobile Home

Next up is the sealing of the addition roof to the mobile home roof. Going into the details, we shall look at some scenarios.

Firstly, If the height of the addition is lower in comparison to the roof of your mobile home, flashing is needed to seal the gaps. On the other hand, if the addition’s roof is higher as compared to the roof of your mobile home, the flashing has to be applied under the lip of the roof of the addition, as well as over the roof of your mobile home. This is also known as valleys and it requires special attention to prevent water from sitting in. If the two roofs are of the same height, flashing is still needed but it is more straightforward as you just need to screw and seal.

For metal roofs, we recommend tucking a length of 18” flashing that has been bend to the appropriate angle and place it under the mobile home’s roof edge, as well as over the addition’s roof. Following, use screws to attach to both. 2” neoprene flashing tape is recommended and the screws should also be sealed with weatherproof caulking.

Another thing to note about flashing is that even though a long piece is desirable, caution is needed because if it gets too long, cracks might occur.

Common FAQs

Can I add a garage next to my mobile home?

Answer: Building another garage should not be an issue, as long as it meets your local rules and regulations.

Am I allowed to live in the home amidst the building of the mobile home addition?

Answer: Yes, you can live in your mobile home while the building of the addition is going on. As mentioned above, the addition is a separate structure, so there is no need to be worried about getting caught in the construction process. The only time when there is any activity with the home itself is when you cut through to seal them up together.

Can I move the mobile home addition?

Answer: The answer depends on whether or not the addition is built properly. If yes, it can be transported using a flatbed truck, unless it is too large. It would be installed next to the home once the footers have been laid. Do note that companies in charge of transporting will charge extra for the service.

Conclusion

All in all, the basic concept to grasp for mobile home additions is that they are entirely a separate structure from your home and there are no attachments involved. But while that is said, there should be still some form of connecting that is leaking and weatherproof. This is just a condensed guide for interested parties at building mobile home additions.

If there are further inquiries, we recommend you to consult building consultants and inspectors found at your local and state agencies. After all, safety is most important and you would want your addition to last for a long time. Nonetheless, we wish you the best of luck!