I am doing a foundation under a trailer house, the engineer called for a 6 by 16 concrete footing with 2 by 4 pony wall directly on top of it, I am concerned with water wicking up into the treated 2 by 4 mudsill of the wall into the untreated wall studs, I was thinking of flashing to run up the wall and out over the front edge of the footing. is there another way to seal this type detail or am I just being overly cautious?
thank for any HELP!
Replies
If you've got the required 6-8" of clearance between grade and the wood, why would you be worried about water wicking up?
Bob
rain water laying on the footing, no overhang
thanks for the reply bob
Edited 9/16/2003 12:12:12 PM ET by TECONAIL
I think you are overly concered, this IS a trailer, after all.
I would have another concern that I don't know if the engineer has considered or not. A trailer home is a manufactured product. Expresseed and implied warantees are cpmpromised when you fiddle with the way it intended to function when designed.
What I am getting at is the fact that the load is intended to transfer via internal steel structural members (generally Z or C joists) to the main beams of the under frame. since the engineer has speced a footing, it implies that he intends theis kneewall to be a structural wall and take the load or part of the load that is supposed to be directed to the frame, and thence to the ground. That is where footings generally go for mobile homes. Change that load path without consultation with the manufacturer and you can create problems. These homes are engineered and built entirely different from what we homebuilders are used to. I learned that the hard way. is your engineer familiar with this manufacturer's struictural systems?
I would be planning the footings for under the frame and use a stone filled trench with perforated drain in it at the outer perimeter leading off to ____ and then hang a typical underskirt that can seat on the stone. That way, water will be drained away from it.
Excellence is its own reward!
Around here it's code for the mobiles to have a mono ribbon footing around the perimeter with more footing crossing the outside footprint - sort of like looking at a ladder when it's laying on the groung. The cribbing, block or ties are used interchangably, sets on the cross parts of the footing and either 4x8x16 CMUs or some type of plastic crap is used as an apron from footing to bottom of mobile. The plastic crap is attached via a plastic track gismo tacked to mobile on top and footing on bottom. Just imagine how well the snap in pieces hold up when the wind really blows! When CMUs are used they stop about 1/2" under the mobile frame. Oddly the last 1/2" is often just left open... but as you said it IS a trailer! It's also required now that rebar be cast into the footings and then welded, either with chain or more rebar, to the frame. I guess then the roof and apron can blow away but you still have something to fix.
I can't understand the mentality that chooses a trailer over an 80 year old home (typical of our town). You can fix up the home and have something. Trailers only go down hill. Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
Personally, I'd rather live in a mobile than in a condo as far as lifestyle goes. But from your real estate viewpoint, I see your equity argument.
Excellence is its own reward!
thanks piffin , the reason for this job is that in order to sale a mobile home here it has to be on a solid foundation we cut off the tongue and removed the axles we added 2 by 2 foot concrete piers with 6 by 6 treated posts under the two steel I beams the engineer was most concerned with the high wind factor and calculated for the weight of the footing we installed j bolts every 4 feet oc with metal strapping every 4 feet to run under the mud sill and up the pony wall studs also from pony wall studs to floor joists. the ho has now decided he wants new windows doors siding and a gable roof installed next year, one good thing is that the trailer was constructed with full 2 by 4s instead of the normal 2 by 3s, so since we will be putting a roof on next year I decided to just caulk the outside of the mudsill with good old 5200.
thanks for your reply
Edited 9/18/2003 12:46:24 PM ET by TECONAIL
So the mudsill is more of a tie-down than a hold-up.
But good Lord, why didn't he just have you build a house?.
Excellence is its own reward!
I don't know I guess people just get attached to things over the years
oop O no!!! does working on a trailer make me trailer trash?
Not at all. but if you are not careful, you could make the trailer trash.
;)
my comment was to the fact that he has this mobile home which is generally to save money since they are cheaper than site built construction.
Then he has you build a foundation in under it.
Then he announces that he wants to build the walls out and replace all the opennings, so he ends up paying for twice as many doors and windows.
Total money invested in the end could be more thwn to build a house, so why not just start out building a house..
Excellence is its own reward!
I agree but the guy loves that trailer and his mind is set on fixing it up! what can I do?
Put a layer of sill seal between the footing/pad and the mudsill - that will stop most of the water migration. Flashing to the edge of the pad would probably be overkill.