A Great Home Starts With A Great Foundation
Why do I have to back fill around the perimeter of my skirt wall?
The simple answer is because it is a requirement of HUD to pass your final inspection. A short technical answer is that it is part of the ASCE 32.01 design of Frost Protected Shallow Foundations to stop frost encroachment. It is a protective measure in freezing climates to ensure that various dangers such as frost heave do not damage your home and the investment that you have made.
What is the foam that you have put down around the perimeter of my skirt wall? I know other people that have purchased the Magnum® “System” and do not have that.
That is 2# EPS architectural grade foam. This has been installed around the perimeter of your Magnum® PermaSteel Insulated Skirt Wall because the location of your home has a high AFI (Air Freezing Index). Home locations with an AFI higher than 2250 are required to have extra insulation installed around the perimeter of the skirt wall. It is added insulative protection for your home and it is important that it stays in place.
How will my site contractor know how much to back fill?
As a courtesy, Magnum will provide you with back fill instructions for completing your final site finish/final back fill. We are always happy to speak directly with your site contractor to answer any questions.
Why do I have to find a local contractor to complete my final site preparation/final back fill? Why can’t Magnum just do it?
Magnum specializes in affordable foundations for manufactured homes. It is one of our main focuses as a company. In many cases, we work in remote locations hundreds of miles away from our home base. For Magnum to complete the final site preparation/final back fill for many of our customers we would have to charge – in some cases – more than double what a local contractor would charge. That is not economical for our customers and goes against what our company has been built on – affordable foundations for manufactured homes.
Do I really have to follow the back fill instructions? Back filling 14” to 16”, sloping it ½” per 10 feet seems like a lot!
Yes, this is required to pass your final HUD inspection. If you choose not to back fill the required depth and width you may fail your final HUD inspection.
I live in a manufactured home park. There is no way I can back fill that much. I will be in my neighbor’s yard! What am I going to do?
If you live in a manufactured home park and are not able to fulfill the back fill requirements, please contact your home dealer or Magnum so we can coordinate with your HUD inspector. You will still have to back fill to some degree, but we will be able to coordinate with your HUD inspector on how much is feasible for your size of lot. This also applies for manufactured homes set within city limits on small lots.
My contractor wants to push the fill dirt up against the skirt wall even though the instructions tell him otherwise. Does it really make a difference?
Yes, do not take large amounts of fill dirt and push it towards the skirt wall. Instead start with small increments of fill dirt at the strongest part of the skirt wall - the corners - and slowly work your way up to the required depth of back fill for your area. Remembering to never push fill dirt towards the skirt wall but to rather dump in small amounts and build up the fill around the skirt wall as you go.
Okay, so I have finished my back fill. I know I'm supposed to have HUD do a final inspection on my home, what do I do now?
That is a great question! You will need to contact your home dealer to let them know your final site finish/final back fill has been completed and you are ready for your final HUD inspection. Alternatively, you can also contact Magnum to let us know and we will notify your home dealer/HUD inspector. For homeowners that have ordered an FHA/HUD compliant engineering certification through Magnum or through your home dealers, please contact us directly so we can instruct you on how to receive your engineering certification.