Moving a Mobile Home: The Real Story.
Let's take a deeper look at the process of moving your manufactured home. List some of the challenges that you and professional manufactured home or mobile home movers will face. Whether you're relocating due to a change in circumstances or simply seeking a new location, here's a more detailed guide:
Gone are the days of moving a manufactured home or mobile home for a few hundred dollars. Inflation has made it difficult to keep prices low. The bigger picture is that a mobile home is still cheaper and moving one is still an affordable option for affordable housing or building your own house.
1. Consider Your Options
Transport-Only Move:
This option involves attaching the move-ready manufactured home to a towing vehicle.
Who did the takedown of the home? Are they a certified crew who prepared the home for transport? The trucker or transporter will be assuming a degree of liability from someone else's work.
The client provides necessary permits. The reason why the client gets the move permit is certain taxes need to be paid then a move permit will be issued. These taxes are homeowner's taxes, not transporters taxes. The actual move permit typically does not cost anything.
The Transporter is covered by liability insurance.
Ideal for shorter distances (up to 25 miles).
Do you have liability coverage for your work if you, the client, did a DIY teardown of the house to prepare it for the road?
Leave it to the professionals.
Full-Service Move- In addition to transport, this comprehensive service includes:
Takedown-
Disconnecting utilities (water, electricity, gas).
Use of an excavator to dig home out if the home is pit set.
Removing skirting, decking, and attached structures.
Hanging axles, tires, and tongues, splitting a home if it is a double or triple wide.
Welding if there are no tongues and the tongues need to be fabricated.
Welding broken axle hanger brackets.
Securing each half for transport.
Transport-
Transport with pilot cars, roadside assistance, delivery assistance.
Is it necessary to use a Robo Cat, or Translift? These are special equipment that is needed to get the home into and out of tight spaces or to make tight turns.
Roadside assistance is if the HUB on an axle breaks or if there is a flat tire. The roadside assistance crew will handle these issues if you purchase their services.
Delivery assistance is a crew on standby ready to lay cribbage or bridging down in ditches or other terrain to help the Truck, or Robo cat in pulling or placing the manufactured home. Delivery assistance crews are usually responsible for managing the wheels and axles of the manufactured home. The cost of these items is not included in the transporter's regular fee. If they are not onsite on the day of the original delivery and they are needed, then the home will need to stored someplace until a delivery assistance crew can be scheduled to come out. Additional fees may apply.
Setup- Basic setup
Home leveling, perimeter blocking, and blocking the home.
Joining the halves if the home is a doublewide or triple wide.
Securing the home with Tiedowns.
Connecting crossover wires and HVAC.
Included in a more involved setup is-
Reconnecting everything at the new site like utilities, water, electricity, gas, sewer, septic,
Building custom decks and skirting or just putting the simplest decks and skirting on the home.
The simplest decks include 4'x4" and 4'x6" landings.
The basic skirting is the vinyl skirting system.
2. Cost Estimates- These estimates are adjusted for today's environment of high inflation.
Transport-Only Move. Just trucking with pilot cars. Delivery assistance is not included.
Single-wide: approximately $3500-$5,500 up to 25 miles.
Double-wide: Approximately $6,500-$8,500 up to 25 miles.
Triple-wide: Typically $9,600-$15,500 (up to 25 miles).
Basic Service Move- This includes Takedown, Transport 25 miles, and Basic Setup.
Single-wide: Cost estimated between $12,000 and $17,000.
Double-wide: Ranges from $25,000-$35,000.
Triple-wide: $40,000 to $55,000 or more.
3. Factors Affecting Cost
Distance: Shorter moves are generally more cost-effective.
Labor costs: They vary depending on the size of your home, the type of moving materials you use, and how much setup service is required.
Permits and Regulations: Compliance with local laws and zoning.
Travel Distance: Long-distance moves incur additional fees.
Transportation Fees: Take into account towing vehicle and Pilot Car charges per mile.
Insurance: The cost for regular operational insurance increased by 60% to 300% in 2024. This insurance increase was a notion wide roll out for every sector and every type of insurance.
Fuel: The cost of fuel is a major factor for all transport vehicles. Truks, pilot cars, support vehicles, setup crews. Everyone needs gas to get to get the job done and get to the jobsite.
Labor: It is costly and time consuming to find the right person to hire and then train them. The cost of hiring employees has tripled. The minimum wage is now almost $20 an hour and no one wants a job at minimum wage. In order to retain a quality employee, you will have to pay them $30 to $40 per hour. Furthermore, this doesn't take into account for employee taxes Mobile Home Movers Pierce and employee insurance.
Inflation in Building Materials: For example, cinder block blocks used to cost.89 cents per block. They are now worth $2.50 or $3.50.
4. Basic Preparation Steps
Disconnect Utilities - Make sure that water, electricity and gas are disconnected properly.
Secure Loose Items: Remove interior belongings and secure interior and exterior features.
Split the Home: Professional mobile home movers will split the home into sections, if it is a doublewide or triplewide for and get it ready for transport.
5. Legal Considerations
Contact the Building Commissioner to learn about local requirements and zoning regulations.
Title and Permits - Obtain the necessary certificates and permits.
Hire Experienced Movers - Choose professionals who are familiar with the state laws.
Remember that these estimates may vary depending on the circumstances. Always consult professional movers and plan ahead for a successful move.
Things That Can Happen During Transport.
Some issues that can a arise from a manufactured home move. Professional manufactured home movers and mobile home movers rarely have problems, but if the takedown crew is a DIYer, then we may see some of these issues. Let's look at the challenges of moving a manufactured house.
Damage During Transportation:
Vulnerable components: Shutters and siding can be damaged during transport if they are not properly secured.
Underbelly and Mechanicals - Inspect the insulation and mechanical systems under the hood for any problems.
Interior Damage: Stress Cracks on Inner Walls or Broken Windows may occur as a result of movement. These are typical and fixable. These do not affect the manufactured home whatsoever.
Metal Frame Breaks (Very Rare): What is a frame break? Here is where the metal frame breaks. Nothing wooden. Wooden frames can be easily fixed and replaced. (But Also Rare)
While rare, metal frame breaks can lead to significant structural damage.
Professional movers take steps to prevent this.
Wind Tunnel Effect: Moving your home along the highway exposes you to strong winds.
While traveling across bridges a doublewide can be picked up by a gust of wind and tip the home over. The entire side of the doublewide that is covered in construction plastic can act like a sail. The weather forecast must be low-wind and the DOT must approve that it is safe to drive oversize loads on a particular day.
Repair Solutions:
Licensed Movers or Manufacturers: They handle repairs professionally.
Used Homes: If the damage is truck-related, then the transporter will usually cover repairs. If the damage was caused by poor workmanship and was done on a DIY basis, the homeowner is responsible for the repair. It's best to leave everything to the professionals.
New Homes: Manufacturers will address any damage.
While there are challenges, the majority of damage is cosmetic and minor.
What to do after your home is set up.
After your manufactured home is set up on blocks and properly leveled, here are the next steps to take:
1. Call in to get the Block and Tie downs inspected: Once this is completed you can them and the inspector sign off on it you can move to the next step. If the inspector does not approve the block-and-tiedowns, they will let you and the setup crew know why.
2. Utility Connections: After installation, connect utilities such as plumbing, electricity, and HVAC systems. Some jurisdictions will not allow a manufactured home crew to perform these steps. These tasks must be performed by plumbing or electrical journeymen. Once that is complete have your local code enforcement officials inspect this critical step to ensure compliance with safety standards.
3. Decks and skirting are now available for you to build and install. There are many different styles and options to choose from. But to just get your occupancy certification only 4'x4' landings are required for the regular doors and a 4'x6' landing is required for sliding glass doors. Vinyl skirting is the most affordable option. You can use these to pass your final inspection, and then upgrade to another material if you wish.
It is important to hire professionals for installation, utility connections and other services.
Moving a manufactured home can be a cost-effective choice for homeowners. Contrary to traditional site-built houses, which require extensive building, manufactured homes are constructed in a controlled environment. This streamlined process often translates to lower costs. Relocating a manufactured house can also be cheaper than buying a new home, especially if it is in good shape. Homeowners can reap the economic benefits by moving their home to a new location. Enjoy your new home!