Don’t Be Dorothy’s Aunt

Remember when Dorothy’s house blew away in the hurricane?  if it was tied down and structurally sound it wouldn’t have gone anywhere right?  Her aunt probably waived an engineering certification when she purchased her home and that’s why we were left with an epic cinematic adventure in 1939!

Did we over exaggerate again? (Insert laugh)

Okay you caught us trying to pull some home inspector humor.

However, in all seriousness – If you’re financing a new home you’ve likely been made aware of the rules and regulations that go along with financing.  Specifically, if you’re financing a manufactured home, there are separate compliancies that need to be met or approved with FHA, HUD or VA financing.  Typically these institutions may require an Engineering Certificate for insurance.  Let’s talk about what that is and why it’s important.

Manufactured Homes

Are built inside a factory and prefabricated with siding, roofing and most of interior completion.  The home is then loaded up and travels to the owners land or community to be installed.  The manufactured home is required to be on a permanent foundation to qualify for financing, which requires a licensed professional to inspect the home and provide an Engineering Certification. 

Manufactured Home Engineering Certification

Typically the inspection takes about 30 minutes to an hour to complete and we’ll have the compliance report turned in within 24 hours or less.  There are requirements we must follow to determine the home is structurally sound and tied down.

We also inspect footing to confirm they’re placed in concrete and they’re the right size to avoid soil settlement.  We’ll inspect the crawl space to ensure there is proper drainage and sealed access points to avoid rodent and pest intrusion.  Recommendations will be made based on observed findings that don’t meet requirements, which must be fixed before the inspector signs off on the compliance report.

It’s important to plan ahead and schedule with us early at Rogue Inspection Services!  Leave your comments or questions below about Engineering Certificates.