Standing Out in Ohio Podcast

Manufactured homes and getting those engineer certifications

April 08, 2024 Jim Troth
Standing Out in Ohio Podcast
Manufactured homes and getting those engineer certifications
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Laura and Jim chat about the solar eclipse they saw and how it really was pretty cool to see. 
They give an update on the new home. 
The discussion moves onto the differences between manufactured, homes, mobile and modular homes. They also discuss how the county standard may not meet the standard for foundation that they loan type may need. 

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Standing Out in Ohio podcast, where we discuss topics, upcoming events, news and predictions with real estate professionals and entrepreneurs. Listen and learn what makes their companies and themselves stand out and gain advantages over the competition and gain market share. Subscribe for the latest news and discussion on what it takes to stand out from the crowd. Now here's your host, jim.

Speaker 2:

Hey everybody, welcome to the Standing Out in Ohio podcast. This is Jim and, of course, with me, laura, the office. Goddess Hello everyone. So let's see Exciting day today Solar eclipse. Yep, that was cool, can't wait. We have about where we live. We have about three and a half minutes of total, you know, total sunbeam totally blacked out the temperature and the difference temp was kind of interesting well, the rain heat.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you don't get that as much. You know there's not in the direct sunlight, so that was cool. It didn't get as dark as I thought it might.

Speaker 3:

I was kind of surprised. It was still cool.

Speaker 2:

Can't wait to see the next one. Just a few years out, actually, it's 2099 in Ohio 2099 in Ohio. But it doesn't mean we can't travel to another one if we wish. If we happen to be in that area, I would travel across the world and see another one. But I mean it's cool to see.

Speaker 1:

So, well, let's.

Speaker 4:

Let's pause for a little break, a little break.

Speaker 2:

A little commercial and we'll be right back.

Speaker 4:

Habitation investigation is the way to go for a home inspection in Ohio. Trusted licensed home inspectors for your needs from radon to mold to warranties for a great home inspection, you really can't go wrong.

Speaker 2:

visit home inspections in ohiocom okay, so our house that we're building has come along.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, they just had the flooring delivered today and I think the siding also.

Speaker 2:

Yep, and we're not ready for the flooring yet, but you found a good deal.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I did.

Speaker 2:

We're a bargain shopper so that was delivered, ready to be put in whenever we do get to that time. But the roof is on. So the siding they may start putting the siding on today, I don't know. I don't know We'll have to check it out here and there, but we've spent a lot of time traveling, checking that out and then traveling also, I'm getting tired of the drive To do inspections and all that, yeah, so it's been busy, but we have phone call today.

Speaker 2:

There's some terminology that people get confused. I have to pause and think about that as well.

Speaker 3:

Or this guy didn't even know what he was asking for.

Speaker 2:

But he knew what he needed. But he needed to double check. So the terminologies that get confused and they are used interchangeably still that get confused and they are used interchangeably still is modular, mobile and manufactured types of homes. So, and some of the things have to do with a date. So modular homes, they, those are, those are closest to regular, like regular home construction you think, like stick built, where they take, get the two by fours, two by six, whatever, and they put them together Stick built.

Speaker 3:

But they do this in a factory and then they take it and put it on the foundation right Correct Yep so that's a modular home.

Speaker 2:

That's modular. Think of like I don't know anything, but I'm thinking of Legos. You got a part of the house and they'll go and they'll put it together. Like you see, driving down the highway you'll see a half of a house. That's a modular house, and then another truck is carrying the other half of the house. That's a modular home. Those I don't have any problem with those. I mean, some people think they may be cheaper. Maybe, Like I'm thinking old mobile homes, Like no, you don't want to live in a mobile home, live in a mobile home. Modular homes, though, they meet a lot of good standards and they're built in a factory, so it's not like everything is sitting out in the weather.

Speaker 2:

See, I like that Getting wet, neglected, and I can see not every builder does this, but some builders will take their trusses or whatever and they just sit out getting rained on. We've seen what was it.

Speaker 3:

We saw it was a cabin in Hocking Hills and the stuff was starting to rot, actually because they'd left it out and uncovered.

Speaker 2:

They had mold growing. Was that the siding? Was that the siding for the cabin? No, this was an actual log cabin.

Speaker 3:

It was an actual log cabin. There were certain pieces for the cabin. No, this is an actual log cabin. It was an actual log cabin.

Speaker 2:

There were certain pieces for the house that were actually moldy and warping Because they just left them outside and they sat forever. But modular house, good quality, you can't tell the difference if it's modular house or stick built. I remember inspecting the house and it was all crawl space or stick built. I remember expecting a house and it was all crawl space, which means I did not go in the basement, you know early on and but I didn't realize that was a modular house until I went into the attic space and I could see where it took each half the house and put it together.

Speaker 3:

I was like oh, this is a modular house.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you can't tell the difference. They're good quality. That's very cool, there's nothing wrong with modular houses at all. Now, mobile homes, these are the ones that all right, mobile and manufactured house very similar.

Speaker 3:

Isn't the only difference are mobile and manufactured house Very similar.

Speaker 2:

Isn't the only difference, like the date. Yes, mobile homes were built before 1976, I believe, because then, after that well, 1996, they started having standards for these things and those became known as the manufacturing home. And the manufacturing homes will have like a metal plate Right. I remember you guys talking about that On the outside of the house and they'll have like a data plate inside the house also. Almost always it seems to be like inside the kitchen cabinet.

Speaker 3:

Oh, that's interesting. They open the kitchen cabinet and oh, that's interesting.

Speaker 2:

Open the kitchen cabinet.

Speaker 4:

there's a label or it's on the inside of the cabinet or wherever it's holding the electric panel.

Speaker 2:

So they have these labels saying that they meet the HUD standard. So manufactured homes they're newer than mobile homes and manufactured meet the standards of HUD for quality, safety, energy efficiency.

Speaker 3:

So do all three of those need to have that certification that we do, then, or is it just the manufactured?

Speaker 2:

Okay.

Speaker 3:

Just the manufactured.

Speaker 2:

Okay. So a call today. Somebody wanted to schedule a home inspection on the house they're buying. Awesome, we're happy to take the investigation, definitely come up with a call, but they also need. He said hey, I need a structural engineer to report on it. So we're like oh, so is the manufacturer. He's like I don't know. So we need the manufacturer foundation certification. He's like I, I don't know. They just told me I need to find somebody. So he made a phone call and double checkedchecked. But yes, we can help. We can get the professional engineer's certification. You cannot get the engineer's certification, you don't need that from Modular Homes. Okay.

Speaker 3:

Okay, so not for modular, just for the manufactured. Modular homes are the way you get front, half back, half of the house.

Speaker 2:

They put it on site on a permanent foundation and install it. That's permanent. There's no way that's going to move. Okay, so Mobile homes because they're before 1976, do not meet the HUD standards. So there's no way you need to get that certification. They wouldn't. They wouldn't meet the standard for that for the for the tie down correct. Well, plus the quality and safety issues of a mobile home is not that good plus they're mobile, built so cheaply.

Speaker 2:

If you find a mobile home before 1976 still standing, you got'm going to be a little amazed, I'll be honest.

Speaker 2:

They were not taken care of. They were not built well at all. Manufactured homes, which is very similar to a mobile home, but manufactured 1976 and after they have new standards. The builders are actually monitored by HUD. Who will come and double-check the building? The factories are actually monitored by HUD. Who will come and double check the building? The factories are making these things Ooh nice, so you need to get the pencil and the loan. Most likely they're going to need a engineering certification. That the manufactured home is on a permanent foundation.

Speaker 3:

And there are county requirements and federal requirements for the loans. So you need to go by whatever the loan is that you're purchasing and what those standards are, which are sometimes more stringent than county. So what we've run into is that it was okay and approved by the county, but for the loan to go through they need additional tie-ins is kind of what we've seen.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so what we would do? Well, some counties, they do not require the house be tied down. We just need to make sure that steel frame is sitting down in pockets or just sitting on top of the foundation. That's it. No, if it's for a certain type of loans, I think like HUD loan, HUD FHA. Fha VA yeah.

Speaker 4:

USDA. I'm not a loan guy.

Speaker 2:

I recommend you talk to Ryan Miracle. If you want information about loans, talk to Ryan he knows a lot no. But if it's a manufactured home, it needs to get the engineering certification.

Speaker 2:

Certification and what we do when we do the home inspection and we've done these without the home inspection. But what we do, we take some certain measurements and get description and pictures for us to send to engineers and then they can give it that certification if it meets the requirements for permanent foundation. So so that's that's how they can do it. I know our cost. I mean, I saw something the other day that cost for a manufacturer home foundation certification from an engineer. It was like $800. It was like 600, $800 for that.

Speaker 3:

And ours is half of that. Ours is 400.

Speaker 2:

400, and we can get that Now. That's for one structure. That's for one structure.

Speaker 3:

If something is tied into that, then that is considered a second structure by the engineers.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so here's. So one of the things we're looking for HUD's mainly going to be concerned with a couple of things Is the manufacturing home permanently tied down okay, on a permanent foundation, so it will not float off. You know what?

Speaker 3:

That's one of the things they want to see.

Speaker 2:

the foundation, the basement or crawl space will not flood. So they're concerned about grading and also concerned about storms to make sure it's tied down. So it's pearly. So they're looking at drainage Is it permanently tied down and make sure it will not float off the piers.

Speaker 3:

Or fly up in the hurricane like Dorothy in her house, correct?

Speaker 2:

So that's one of the things I look for. But we get the measurements, get everything that the engineers need to get that done. So anyway, those are terms I'm going to go over Modular, mobile and manufactured they're all houses. Manufactured is the term for a mobile home built after 1976 that actually has some decent standards for these houses.

Speaker 3:

Changed again in 96 then, didn't they? 96 is the most current standard.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, they're better. They're pretty simple structures overall cool, but you'll make sure they're going to be safe and they meet the standards, um and so if you have anybody who's, well, we're seeing a lot of people moving outside columbus so you may be running into this more, so just give us a call if you find it and they're buying a house and it's a manufacturing home, you got to get the engineering certification. Call Habitation Investigation. We can do the home inspection and get that all in one appointment make life easy for you nice and easy and it's it's affordable too right that is, that is affordable that's much more affordable.

Speaker 2:

Yeah so I think that's about it.

Speaker 1:

Thanks everybody, bye, bye, bye you've been listening to the Standing Out in Ohio podcast. Be sure to subscribe on Spotify or Google Podcasts to get new, fresh episodes. For more, please follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, or visit the website of the best Ohio home inspection company at homeinspectionsinohiocom or jimtroffcom. That's J-I-M-T-R-O-T-H and click on podcast. Until next time, learn and go do stuff.

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