Skirting tips and ideas for manufactured mobile homes guide, Building joinery design installation advice

Skirting Tips and Ideas for Manufactured Mobile Homes

3 May 2021

The use of durable and waterproof recycled steel and other forms of metals are the cheapest ways of making mobile home skirting today. Metal skirting is very easy to install and can be attached easily to wooden frames. Vinyl skirting seems to be the most popular skirting option for mobile homeowners, and the reasons are that they are cheaper, easy to install, and are very attractive.

Below are some tips and tricks for skirting installation for manufactured mobile homes:

Be Prepared for the Skirting Installation

Perhaps the first step you must take is to be prepared for the skirting installation before you commence. First of all, get your skirting kits for mobile homes from an original and reputable vendor.

Measure the length and height of needed skirting and add 1-2 inches to it- this will help work out your installation with uneven grounds. Make considerations for the weather because no matter how well you insulate your skirting, pipes will still get frozen during the winter seasons.

You may want to consider an electric pipe wrap instead of standard insulation. Ensure you also install access doors and vents to create proper airflow under the home and prevent condensation.

You should understand by now the skirting materials you can use in your home; popular options include metal, Vinyl, and bricks. You can also find many other skirting materials; these include rigid foam, cedar pickets, and composite material. The different skirting materials come with their unique strengths and weaknesses.

Composite materials are perhaps some of the most essential skirting materials around today. You can purchase them in diverse thicknesses, and they are manufactured in sheets. The cheapest composite skirting materials are 3/8″ and work perfectly for mobile homes.

Cedar pickets are also common skirting materials used today, but many still don’t reckon with them. Cedar pickets have great weather-resistance features. You can also recycle the pickets in fences to create your skirting material; hence this is a cheap and readily available skirting material option.

Besides using pickets as standalone skirting materials, you can also add pickets to already installed skirting as a secondary protective layer. If you use cedar pickets alone, you must add proper framing and backing to create more stability.

Pickets are great because they create that laidback appeal for mobile homes. They are straightforward to work with and will be durable for many years of usage.

Buy All Your Skirting Materials at Once

Regardless of the type of material you want to use for skirting, you should consider buying them all at once. Materials like Vinyl and bricks are generally produced in bundles. A slight temperature change or wrong measure of dye can create differences in skirting materials from one day to the other, which is why you should buy your materials at once.

When you buy your skirting materials on different days, you may not find the exact materials you purchased earlier. Buying your skirting kits for manufactured homes at one single instance can help you avoid errors when installing them.

You may want to shop around and do some research before you eventually settle for one. Don’t rely only on online advertisements and reviews, you have to speak to a professional home builder or contractor who understands the different types of skirting materials and their requirements for installation.

The Ground Vapor Barriers are as essential as Skirting

Just before you spend or invest in skirting, you should consider investing in ground vapor barriers. Though many homeowners ignore these vapor barriers when you install them, you will make the job of skirting much easier.

A ground vapor barrier should not be seen as a belly wrap; they are the thick plastics placed on top of the ground under the mobile home. These ground vapor barriers create an essential barrier so that the ground’s moisture will not damage your home.

If you have an excellent ground vapor barrier, you may not even have to install venting. Experts also suggest that you should install one vent for every 300 square feet of flooring, especially when you have a ground vapor barrier.

The Ground Vapor Barriers Should Extend by up to 6″ Beyond Your Home

When installing a vapor barrier in your mobile home, you should extend it by as much as 6″ beyond the home’s perimeter. There are several reasons why you should consider this; first, the ground frame of your skirting, also known as the “C channel” for Vinyl skirting, will extend over the barrier and then act as a staple to hold the barrier in place.

Secondly, it will prevent weeds and grass from growing very close to your home. With no weed growing close to your home, you may avoid reptiles and pest infestation. Preventing weed from growing close to your home will also help avoid damages to your skirting.

Place Venting Carefully with Your Skirting

It would be best if you were careful when placing vents within your mobile home skirting. For instance, you should avoid placing your vent near plumbing systems. It would be best to put vents at 3″ of the end corners so that air will circulate efficiently and prevent dead air pockets in the corners.

Skirting vents are ordinarily similar to your floor’s register; you should consider placing small slits or holes that will only allow air through but not critters. The venting should complement the skirting installation to achieve the best possible results.

Skirting Tips and Ideas – Conclusion

Getting your mobile home skirting installed requires proper planning because most mobile homes are smaller than regular or traditional homes. You may want to check several mobile homes and study how they have arranged and installed their skirting, and they have used the skirting materials.

Skirting can go wrong when you use the wrong material and the wrong techniques of installation. Skirting should be incorporated into the original plan for your mobile home construction, which will help you complete the entire project with little or no errors. Some skirting materials can be costly to replace, especially when you make avoidable errors.

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