FAQ
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02.
Frequently Asked Questions
Manufactured homes are fairly simple, so why in the world are the HUD Manufactured Home standards so intricate? Did you know the HUD Permanent Foundation Guide for Manufactured Housing is 408 pages long?
Well, there are several reasons why the HUD guidelines exist but we won’t bore you with all the details. Instead, here are a few answers to your most-burning questions about your manufactured home inspection needs — and how we operate at Person Engineering.
Contact us here if you have any other questions. We’re here to help!
General Questions
We currently do foundation certifications and inspections in every county of North Carolina, our home state.
A manufactured home is assembled on a steel chassis in a factory and transported to the house site to be installed. This type of home is built by a federal code administered by HUD. HUD stands for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a federal agency established in 1965 to address housing needs and promote community development.
Manufactured homes come in single or multi-sections. A modular home is built off site in sections in an indoor, quality-controlled setting. The sections, also called modules, are then transported to the house site to be assembled on a permanent foundation or on a full basement.
Modular homes follow all local and state building codes, the same codes that stick-built homes follow. The most common types of modular homes often look nearly identical to manufactured homes.
Once a manufactured home is placed on your property using a permanent foundation, the home is then considered real estate property rather than simply “personal property”.
A manufactured home will have HUD labels (tags) on the front and the rear of the home, located just above the foundation of the home or sometimes they can be found on the inside of the cabinet just below the kitchen sink. A modular home does not have these labels.
We are a family-owned and operated engineering firm. The inspectors visiting your home are listed right here on our website, so you will always know who to expect at your front door. You’ll never be denied direct access to our licensed engineers should you have questions or concerns regarding your report.
All of our inspectors have had direct hands-on training from one of our engineers. Our employees are also all hand-picked, life-long acquaintances of the owner, and we guarantee they will treat your home and property as their own.
Yes, we do other types of construction engineering and design not listed here in the areas surrounding Waynesville, NC. Please see our engineering design website for more information.
Services Info
The typical turnaround time to receive the inspection report is 3-5 days.
No. Typically, we only need to look at the outside of the home and underneath the home. We will need access under the home through a crawlspace door.
If the home has several additions we may need to go inside the home for a more thorough inspection.
The average cost of a manufactured home inspection in North Carolina runs $400-$600, depending on location of the property. Inspection sites located in SC, TN, and VA will be custom quoted with a typical range of $600-$1,000.
In short, no. We do not accept our fees to be paid at closing. For individual clients, we require payment before scheduling the inspection.
For return clients custom billing may be arranged.
At the time of booking, we can send a payable link to your email address that can be paid via debit or credit card. A check can also be mailed to our office, if that is preferred.
A typical report will verify that the foundation meets the current structural guidelines for the specific loan type requested. That means your engineer foundation certification will show that your manufactured home meets all standards of the HUD Permanent Foundation Guide for Manufactured Housing.
The report will also include verification that the additions to the home are safe for the current occupants.
When you schedule a foundation inspection it will automatically include an additions inspection at no extra cost to you. Most lenders require an additions inspection as well as the foundation certificate when purchasing a home under FHA, USDA, Conventional, or VA funding.
Some companies may charge an additional fee for additions inspections. Be sure to take this into consideration when comparing your options for your manufactured home inspection. Our bundled foundation inspection typically saves you money and reduces the possibility of a delayed closing due to insufficient inspections.
We can email or mail your inspection report directly to you.
Most building codes restrict the height that manufactured homes can be set above ground. In North Carolina, a manufactured home cannot be set per code with more than 25% of the piers exceeding 36″ in height. When this happens, the local building inspector will request a licensed professional engineer to design the anchoring for the over-height foundation system.
Schedule Your Manufactured Home Inspection Today
Got questions about all the complicated home inspection jargon? Give us a call. Our manufactured home inspectors love speaking with real people.