funky foundation- FHA manufactured home

[Ca Ar Independent]

Help!
Never seen this before....blocks with wood in between? Is this "permanent"????
Hooked up to septic, public water & electric.

What say you ?

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

An FHA approved foundation is a foundation constructed in accordance with HUD Handbook 4930.3g "Permanent Foundation Guide For Manufactured Housing". The structural requirements of the guide specifically identify four foundation components that must be present for the home to qualify for FHA Title II Insurance. a.) Perimeter Enclosure, also referred to as a curtain wall, must be continuous and prevent vermin from entering the crawlspace area. The wall must also be constructed with materials considered to be permanent such as brick or masonry block. Vinyl Skirting is not acceptable. b.) Piers must be mortared or bonded with a Surewall material. c.) Footings must be reinforced concrete at a depth suitable for that regions frost line. d.) The home must be anchored in concrete footers. Ground anchors are not acceptable. These are the core components that must exist to qualify for FHA insurance. A Professional Engineer is required to certify these installation requirements and may, at his discretion, modify the design to allow for Proprietary and Non Proprietary systems provided they meet or exceed the performance values defined in the HUD handbook.

http://www.foundationplus.net/faqs/what-is-an-FHA-permanent-foundation.html

So no I don't think your piers are permanently bound unless there is some bolt through the blocks and boards. The board is just a shim probably.

 

[Ca Ar Independent]

http://www.foundationplus.net/faqs/what-is-an-FHA-permanent-foundation.html

So no I don't think your piers are permanently bound unless there is some bolt through the blocks and boards. The board is just a shim probably.

Thanks Terrel. This is what I suspected but wanted to get more experienced feedback. From what is visible, it doesn't appear to meet the criteria. I'll call for the engineering report.

 

[Restrain]

That is what we see in Texas all the time. Just always call for the engineering report. You are not an engineer or foundation expert. No matter the regs, if an engineer signs off, no problem.

 

[Tom Woolford]

"Footings must be reinforced concrete at a depth suitable for that regions frost line"

If you are in an area of California where the ground does not freeze, as we are here in Florida, then a pad and pier foundation is perfectly acceptable. Restrain has it right.

 

[Ca Ar Independent]

"Footings must be reinforced concrete at a depth suitable for that regions frost line"

If you are in an area of California where the ground does not freeze, as we are here in Florida, then a pad and pier foundation is perfectly acceptable. Restrain has it right.

I am definitely NOT an expert. My area does freeze, pipes freeze, ground may also freeze. Also, in an Earthquake, might not this home slide right off? It's really just perched on top of those concrete blocks & wood. The frame does not appear to be attached to the concrete blocks, which do not appear to be attached to the wood or the ground! UGH. Calling for the cert.

 

[Jo Ann Meyer Stratton]

Always make an appraisal of a manufactured home for FHA "subject to" verification by a registered engineer that the foundation and skirting are in compliance with Permanent Foundation Guidelines for Manufactured Housing. Those guidelines are in addition to any local city, county or state requirements. The engineer will determine if the wood is pre-treated or not before he/she expresses their opinion.

 

[CANative]

"Permanent Foundation" is not a physical attribute. It's a legal attribute. If the local jurisdiction considers that type of foundation meets the requirement for considering the property real estate then that's all there is to it.

For FHA it's a matter of the foundation system meeting THEIR requirements in addition to what the locals need for legal affixture.

 

[sputnam]

I always had issue with the "...below the frost line...". If it's an existing dwelling, in a place that actually has a frost line, the footings are below ground. I can't see them. I'm not going to dig them up to check.

 

[Jerry Bone Jr]

Help!
Never seen this before....blocks with wood in between? Is this "permanent"????
Hooked up to septic, public water & electric.
What say you ?

Either a foundation "Engineering Certification" was already provided to the Appraiser or the appraisal is subject to a foundation "Engineering Cert". Remember VC-14c ?