Moving a Mobile Home: The Real Story.
Let's delve deeper into the process of moving a manufactured home and list some of the things that a homeowner and professional manufactured home movers or mobile home movers face with each move. Here's a detailed guide to help you relocate due to a change of circumstances or a desire for a new place.
The days of moving a mobile home or manufactured home for a few hundreds dollars are over. Inflation has made it difficult to keep prices low. But the bigger picture of things is that a manufactured home is still more affordable and moving a manufactured home is still a reasonable option to affordable housing or building a house.
1. Consider Your Options
Transport-Only Move:
This option involves attaching a move-ready manufactured house to a towing car.
Who did the takedown of the home? Was it a certified crew that prepared the home for transportation? The trucker, or transporter, will be taking on some liability for someone else's work.
The client must provide the 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 the homeowner's taxes and not a transporters tax. The actual move permit typically does not cost anything.
The Transporter will have 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?
Best to leave it all to the professionals.
Full-Service Move - This comprehensive service includes transport as well as:
Takedown-
Disconnecting utilities (water, electricity, gas).
If the home is pit-set, use an excavator for digging out the home.
Remove skirting, decking and any attached structures.
Hanging axles, tires, and tongues, splitting a home if it is a double or triple wide.
If there are no tongues, and the tongues must be made, weld.
Welding broken hanger brackets for the axles.
Securing each half for transport.
Transport-
Transport with pilot cars, roadside support, delivery assistance.
Is a Robo Cat or Translift needed? 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. If you purchase roadside assistance, the crew will take care of these issues.
Delivery assistance is the crew that is ready to lay cribbage, or bridges in ditches, or other terrains to assist the truck or robot cat in pulling or placing a manufactured home. Typically, the Delivery assist crew manages the axles and tires of the manufactured home. The cost of these items is not included in the transporter's regular fee. If they were not present on the day of delivery, but are required, the home must be stored until a delivery crew can be scheduled. Additional fees may apply.
Setup- Basic setup
Home leveling, perimeter blocking, and blocking the home.
Joining the halves of a home that is doublewide or triplewide.
Secure your home with Tiedowns
Connecting crossover wires and HVAC.
Included in a more involved setup is-
Reconnecting utilities at the new site, such as water, electricity, gas and sewer.
Build custom decks or skirting, or simply put the simplest decks on your 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: Estimated cost of $12,000-$17,000.
Double-wide: Ranges from $25,000-$35,000.
Triple-wide: $40,000-$55,000 or more.
3. Factors Affecting Cost
Distance: Shorter trips are more cost-effective.
Labor Costs: Vary based on setup services, moving materials, and home size.
Permits and Regulations - Compliance with local laws, zoning and regulations.
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 price of fuel is an important factor for all transport vehicle types. Truks, pilot cars, support vehicles, setup crews. Everyone needs gas to get to get the job done and get to the jobsite.
Labor: Finding the right person and training them is time-consuming and expensive. The cost of hiring new employees has tripled. The minimum wage is now almost $20 an hour and no one wants a job at The original source minimum wage. In order to retain a quality employee, you will have to pay them $30 to $40 per hour. This does not include employee taxes or 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 divide the home into sections if it's a triplewide or doublewide and prepare it for transport.
5. Legal Considerations
Contact the Building Commissioner to learn about local requirements and zoning regulations.
Title and Permits: Obtain 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.
Transport Accidents: What can happen?
Some issues that can a arise from a manufactured home move. Typically, professional manufactured home movers or mobile home movers do not have issues but if a takedown crew was a DIY'er then we can see some of these issues. Let's delve deeper into the challenges associated with moving a manufactured home:
Damage During Transport:
Vulnerable Components: Shutters, siding, and shingles are susceptible to damage during transit if they were not properly secured.
Underbelly and Mechanicals: Inspect the underbelly insulation and mechanical systems for any issues.
Interior Damage: Stress Cracks on Inner Walls or Broken Windows may occur as a result of movement. These are typical and fixable. These problems do not affect the manufactured homes in any way.
Metal Frame Breaks: What is a metal frame break? This is where the metal frame actually breaks. Nothing wooden. Wooden frames are easily repaired and replaced. But Also Rare
While rare, metal frame breaks can lead to significant structural damage.
Professional movers take precautions 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 construction plastic covering the entire side of a doublewide can act as a sail. So, a travel route that involves large bridges like I-90, The Narrows Bridge, Deception Pass all require that the weather forecast has a low wind factor, and the DOT authorizes that it is safe for oversize loads to cross the bridge on that particular day.
Repair Solutions:
Licensed Manufacturers or Movers: They handle repairs professionally.
Used Homes: The transporter typically covers repairs if the damage was something trucking related. If the damage was from poor work and was done by a DIY'er homeowner, then the homeowner pays for that fix. Best to leave it all 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 once your home is built?
Here are the steps you need to take after your manufactured home has been set up on blocks.
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 the installation, connect utilities like plumbing, electricity and HVAC systems. Some jurisdictions do not let a manufactured home crew do these particular steps. You have to have plumbing or electrical journeymen do these tasks. Once this is done, have your local code enforcement officials check the critical step to ensure it meets 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. You can use many different types of materials for skirting but the most affordable is a vinyl skirting package. These will get you to pass on your final inspection and later you can upgrade to something else if you choose.
It is important to hire professionals for installation, utility connections and other services.
A manufactured home can be an affordable option for homeowners. Unlike traditional site-built homes, which require extensive construction, manufactured homes are built in a controlled factory environment. This streamlined process often translates to lower costs. Additionally, relocating a manufactured home can be more affordable than purchasing a new one, especially if the existing home is in good condition. Homeowners can reap the economic benefits by moving their home to a new location. Enjoy your new home!