Who must have an engineering certificate for their manufactured home foundation? All foundation systems, new and existing, must meet the guidelines published in the Permanent Foundations Guide for
Manufactured Housing, dated September 1996. A certification attesting to compliance with this handbook must be obtained from
a licensed professional engineer and included in the insuring file. It is applicable for all re-sales. HUD-FHA
Single Family Housing, Homeownership Center Reference Guide
Revised October 31, 2005 Chapter 1 Appraisal and
Property Requirements Page 1-09d What does this mean?
It means that the foundation must meet the criteria as set forth in HUD manual Permanent
Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing, September 1996. This manual requires a site specific design for every manufactured
home. Dead loads, snow loads, wind loads and seismic
loads must also be taken into account. There must
be a perimeter, frost line protected strip foundation as well as frost line protected piers under the chassis. The stacked blocks that the unit actually sits on must not only be mortared, but they must be attached with rebar
to the footing and bolted and/or welded to the chassis frame, unless there is an alternate, site specific
engineered design (which can be provided and could save you hundreds to thousands of dollars).. The design must include protection against horizontal shearing forces and uplifting forces. This can require
additional strapping between the stacked blocks. Finally, it means that this design must be stamped
by a licensed professional engineer verifying that HUD requirements are met. What can happen if a manufactured home does not have an HUD compliant foundation? It is very likely that no US government guaranteed loan will be approved
for the home. It also may not qualify for other conventional loans. Even though the home may currently qualify with a lesser foundation, in the future it may be required to upgrade
to HUD compliance to receive any loan. The homeowner may pay more in home insurance
than necessary. What
difference does it make what kind of foundation I have under my manufactured home?
Different
loans have different requirements for the foundation supporting the home. A minimal foundation can prevent your home from
qualifying for a loan.
I’m knowledgeable about foundations and
I know this house does not require what I’m told it needs. Why do I have to put it in?
Most manufactured homes in the past were placed on grade and sat on dry stacked cinder blocks and often no particular
problems were noted. These more recent requirements for manufactured home foundations are based on national experience from
manufactured housing performance in hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes.
When the government mandates these
standards be met nationwide (there are local variations in requirements), they must be met. It is not a matter of what is
needed here to support a manufactured home, it is a matter of what is required to qualify for a loan.
My manufactured home qualified for a loan before. Isn’t it “grandfathered”
in for future loans?
Unfortunately, no. Your current foundation may be adequate for
your current loan, but new requirements must be met in order for a new loan to be issued. If it qualified for a loan previously,
it may not now without the foundation being upgraded, which can be extremely expensive. Our partners can provide
a lower cost solution for upgrading deficient foundations to meet current government standards.
What is an HUD compliant foundation?
That is a foundation
that meets the requirements of HUD manual Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing published September 1996. It
also has an Engineering Certificate stamped by a licensed engineer certifying that it meets those requirements.
Will an HUD compliant foundation meet the requirements for all existing loans?
Yes.
Is an HUD compliant foundation more expensive
than other foundations?
It depends on the foundation you are planning to use. Compared
to the minimum, It is a much more substantial foundation, so, yes, it is more expensive. You could save some money by putting
in a lesser foundation now (provided your loan allows you to do so), but, you could find yourself in the position that when
you want to sell your house, no bank will loan money on it until it is upgraded to an HUD compliant foundation. That could
require (1) lifting the house (and living somewhere else while this is done), (2) removing the existing foundation, and (3)
installing an HUD compliant foundation.
Compare
the extra cost of installing an HUD compliant foundation now with having to install it later. It will save you thousands of
dollars to do it now!
Why is an engineer required?
These foundations are complicated and require an engineered design for each site and house. The stamped Engineer
Certification is for your protection to ensure that these standards are met.
Can
anyone install an HUD compliant foundation?
As long as they meet state and local regulatory
requirements, any contractor who can read a blue print should be able to install an HUD compliant foundation.
Involving the engineer from the beginning will minimize the problems your contractor may incur in meeting HUD requirements.
I have a contractor in mind. How do I get him to install an HUD compliant foundation
for my home?
Have them contact us and our engineering partners will design
a foundation to meet your site requirements and answer any questions as he installs it.
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