Tie-down
Also called: anchor, anchoring system
Straps and ground anchors securing a manufactured home to the earth against wind uplift and sliding.
Tie-downs are steel straps running from the home's frame or over its body to anchors driven into the ground. They are what keeps the home in place in high wind, and the number and pattern required depend on the home's size and the wind zone it sits in.
This is a safety item and an insurance item. Insurers frequently require documented, code-compliant anchoring, and in some states a certified inspection is needed before a policy is issued or a sale closes.
Tie-downs degrade. Straps rust and loosen, anchors pull as soil moves, and older installations often no longer meet the current standard. Have the anchoring inspected on any home more than a few years old, it is a cheap inspection that occasionally finds an expensive problem.
See also
- Skirting, The material enclosing the gap between the bottom of a manufactured home and the ground.
- Setup, The process of siting a manufactured home: foundation, leveling, joining sections, anchoring, and utility connections.
- HUD Code, The federal construction and safety standard that all manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976 must meet.