what is a "Load bearing perimeter foundation"

[tjcouey]

We are currently looking at purchasing a manufactured home that is already setup in a subdivision but come to find out there is a lawsuit pending as to if the home (and other homes in the subdivision) is on a "load bearing perimeter foundation". There are concrete blocks all the way around the perimeter of the home with shims at the top of the blocks which press against the floor of the house (about 2 or 3 inches of shims). Also there are concrete footers every so many feet under the home supporting the floor. The question is do shims between the concrete blocks and the floor joists of the home classify as being a "load bearing perimeter foundation"?

Thanks,
T.J.

[roger g]

The outside walls ARE load bearing walls whether they have shims or not. Whether the foundation walls are good foundation walls are another matter. The floor being supported by shims which are in turn supported by the foundation wall does not sound like a good idea. It's the shims that appear to be the problem or maybe the foundation wall is not built properly. Either way the outside wall is the bearing wall unless it is built like an umbrella where the centre is the bearing wall. Maybe this is just a show home?

roger

[doyle]

Usually, on a mobile (manufactured) home, a perimeter foundation made of cinder block is only for looks as the metal frame itself supports the home. The only blocks necessary around the edge of the home are underneath any doorways to ensure that those doors remain trouble-free. Piers of stacked blocks underneath the main frame of the home every few feet are quite normal.

Perhaps this is only a frivolous lawsuit filed by a nearby home developer who is afraid that a community of modular homes might undermine the value of his property. If he sees the community as a threat, he could have filed a lawsuit using the code for foundation requirements in your area as the basis for his suit. If that's the case, I would think it would be thrown out as a load-bearing perimeter foundation just simply isn't necessary for a manufactured home.

I would call or visit one of your county inspectors for more information to get the lowdown on what's going on before buying. Many areas are banning mobile homes completely, and there could be a new law on the books, perhaps a zoning ordinance, created to do just that.

[Rich]

I've done quite a few mobile home foundations. What was considered load bearing was the foundation wall itself with 4 W8x12 beams spanning across the walls where these hit the main beams. The W8x12's were buried into the foundation wall low enough to allow the outside walls of the home to rest on the foundation walls. We had to adjust for each different type of mobile home - as some had canted main beams and others were flush beams.

[roger g]

Where I live there is a big difference between a mobile home and a manufactured home. A mobile home is built like a trailer with two rails down the centre as its main floor support. A manufactured home is built exactly like a regular home, even better in fact, and then shipped in two or more pieces. There is no centre rail and they must go on regulation foundation walls and comply with all the normal building practices.
A log home that is built at another location then taken apart to be re assembled could also be mobile. Lousey analogy but I think you get the drift.

roger