upgrade

[robert goulet]

I have a 1991 jacobson 24x40 manufactured home in florida in pinellas county has a wind zone III which is able to withstand winds of 135 mph or greater. my home was installed in pinellas county when it was a wind zone II which is under the 135 mph cat. I would like to upgrade it to a wind zone III what do I need to do? home manufactured in 1994 or newer is classified as wind zone III

[Bill Fry]

You can have it tied down to zone 3 requirements but you can't change the classification of its wind zone rating.If it was built as a zone 2 then thats what it is.

[rmurray]

Wind zone 2 designatrion also started in 1994....YOu live in one of the best built in FL. It is likely that the major changes of newer zone 3 homes are in anchor systrms...Check with your park manager about a good anchor crew and have them explain the differences and cost to upgrade...Good LUck..

[Lisa]

The change now is an exterior change. I agree with other comments, you do not change the wind zone factor of the home even with upgrades, which if you ever decide to sell, the home would have less value.

In making the home the higher wind zone, this project includes actually placing metal strapping over the exterior of the home. These stappings are covered with vinyl siding once completed and are not visable to anyone looking at your home.

We had to do this to homes located in Mobile Alabama on some older homes in one of our communities. It was not too costly and since we had several to do, it was much cheaper than replacing the homes. I am sure there are reputable companies in your area that provide this service.

[Sheila]

Please elaborate a little further about the metal strappings installed on the exterior of the house to make it more wind resistant. I have been having work done, based on information received from the experts on this forum, to try and fortify my parents' mobile home in Southeast Florida built in 1971. I had asked whether a roofover or concrete skirting would make it less resistant to winds. Based on your advice I had the skirting done and not the roofover.

I now would like to investigate having the metal strappings installed. Would you be able to advise who I could contact to get more information?

Thank you for your assistance and your website.

[trmimo]

It isn't quite that simple. newer homes are designed with stronger shear walls that transfer the windload from the walls to the foundation. Also wind zone 3 homes have extra roof trusses at the end walls to aid in the wind load transfer. The wall framing around the windows and doors is built up.
These things are not present in a pre-hud home. Pre 1994 homes don't have the extra trusses and have a lower shear wall strength because they are built for a lower wind speed. Adding sidewall anchors will increase the resistance to movement, but you can't replicate the strength of the house that you get with a modern wind zone 3 house.

[Roy T. Bonney]

Check with a local anchor installer, as an alternative, the home could be anchored with the "old style" over the roof straps, utilizing standard anchors and roof brackets. These will be visible from outside the home, but will provide additional wind resistance. I would also invite your attention to the article published at www.builtstronger.com and additionally at www.fmha.org, as to the results of the recent hurricanes in Florida, and the FACTS regarding how well the newer hud code homes came through the storms.