HOME CONSTRUCTION

[GUY HALL]

Is anyone aware of any manufacturers building HUD or IBC homes with steel studs???

[David Oxhandler]

No one is bragging about that... yet....

[davebones]

Have a 1974 double wide 24x60 . The home has 2x4 exterior wall construction with aluminum horziontal siding on the outside . Would I be able to tear the siding off and put 3/8" sheeting on and then rough cut cypress board and batten siding on .I had the home re-leveld and some extra supports added .Down here in central florida .

[David Oxhandler]

It is difficult to find details about the loads that walls will carry in most older homes. The 3/8 sheeting should probably not be a weight problem. It will stiffen your walls which could be a bit problematic. If there is significant future settling. The home wont rack as easily, but I would expect most problems to be cosmetic.

I am also in Central Florida. When I reside older homes I leave the aluminum siding in place, overlay with foam sheeting (available at Lowes). This can give you a significant increase in cooling efficiency. Then we install vinyl lap over nailer rails. The savings from the increase in efficacy pays for the improvement over and over.

The mid 80's Fleetwood that my family lives in has the aluminum still in place. We wrapped the home with foam insulation. Then a buddy in the stucco business installed lath wire and stucco from the roof line to the ground. This eliminated the skirting line and gives the home a total site built appearance.

We did this over 20 years ago. Over the years a few minor cracks developed around exterior corners (from settlement/racking) but were able to touch these up quiet easily. I also "perimeter blocked" my home... placed additional piers directly under the exterior walls and doublewide centerline to carry the added weight of the stucco walls and shingle roof that I added.

Rough cypress looks great. You cant get that rustic look with vinyl...but the saying goes "vinyl is final". With any wood product you are installing a lot of weight which gives you unknown results in a pre-code home. In Florida any wood exterior product will require maintenance down the road, with a negligible efficacy gain.

[davebones]

Any problems if I go ahead and add support piers around the outside perimeter directly underneath the outer walls to add support ? I would then add sheeting on the outside .The 2x4 walls look to be about 15" on center .How often would I need to consider adding supports ?

[David Oxhandler]

The walls are more likely 16" on center as that make perfect placement for 4' interior wall panels.

Today, in most locations in Florida we are required to place foundation piers as close as every three feet... depending on the soil compaction.

As old as your home is I would not attempt this alone unless you have had significant MH setup experience. The resulting support system must leave the home as close to level as possible. The job will require specialized training and tools not available to most homeowners. If you don’t understanding where to place the piers under doors and windows you could find that your doors wont close and you windows could bind or break.

You would be wise to seek advice form a licensed MH installer who is familiar with the soil and drainage conditions in your area, and has experience manipulating foundation support. A bit of expert help upfront could save you quiet a bit of money in the long run.