Skirting
Also called: underpinning
The material enclosing the gap between the bottom of a manufactured home and the ground.
Skirting encloses the crawl space beneath the home. It is usually vinyl, but may be metal, fiber cement, brick, or stone. Most jurisdictions and nearly all communities require it.
It does more than tidy the appearance. Skirting keeps animals out, protects plumbing from freezing, reduces heat loss through the floor, and, critically, must be vented so moisture can escape. Unvented or blocked skirting traps humidity under the home, which is a leading cause of floor rot, mold, and insulation failure.
When inspecting a home, look for missing or damaged panels, blocked vents, and standing water or a musty smell in the crawl space. Skirting itself is inexpensive; what happens under neglected skirting is not.
See also
- Tie-down, Straps and ground anchors securing a manufactured home to the earth against wind uplift and sliding.
- Setup, The process of siting a manufactured home: foundation, leveling, joining sections, anchoring, and utility connections.
- Manufactured home, A home built entirely in a factory to the federal HUD Code, transported to its site on a permanent steel chassis.