Mobile Home Leveling: How much does it Cost? [DIY & Professional]

Manufactured homes are often susceptible to becoming unlevel since they are situated on the ground. Materials in the earth like soil, clay, and dirt can easily shift over time due to changing weather patterns like extreme rainfall, earthquakes or perhaps the decay of tree roots beneath the home. A mobile home doesn’t just become unlevel overnight, though. It’s a more subtle process. You may be living in an unlevel home without knowing it. So how much does it cost to level a mobile home? Let’s take a look.

IS MY MOBILE HOME LEVEL?

HOW DOES A MOBILE HOME’S FOUNDATION WORK?

At this point, let’s refresh our memory on how mobile homes are “planted” in the first place. A standard house sits on a foundation. Similarly, a mobile home rests on a foundation. However, the mobile home may not be permanently attached to it. There are 3 main types of foundations:

• Pier foundation: This is the most common form of support for mobile homes. Mostly because the separate concrete or steel piers can be used easily in different locations and they are very easy and quick to install compared to other foundations. Unfortunately, since your home rests on individual piers, it is the most prone to become un-level. We will focus on this type of foundation.

• Basement foundation: As you might expect, this type of foundation contains a basement with stair access.

• Slab foundation: The mobile home sits on a solid concrete slab.

All mobile homes rest on thick metal I-beams that run parallel to the underside of the home. In addition to providing support, they serve the dual purpose of creating a crawl space underneath the mobile home.

When the mobile home has a pier foundation, each I-beam is held up by piers. The number of piers depends on the size of the home. The manufacturer specifies where the piers should be located and at which intervals they should be spaced. If metal piers are in place, they might be situated on concrete blocks or slabs to lift the home even higher.

For a full description of mobile home piers look at page 3.1-3.3 of this official HUD foundations guide. It also contains information on permanent foundations.

WHY YOUR MOBILE HOME MIGHT NOT BE LEVEL

So, are you about ready to call the contractor or previous owners and give them a piece of your mind? Hold the phone! They may not be the reason your home is un-level.

Mobile homes sit on the ground, which consists of soil, dirt, clay or another fill. These materials shift with time due to a variety of reasons like rainfall, movement in the earth, or even the roots of cut-down trees rotting away underneath the home. As a result, the mobile home or its foundation shifts and becomes uneven.

When earth shifts into place underneath a heavy object, we call it “settling.” The time it takes for settling to occur depends on various factors, including the weight-carrying capacity of the soil, the weight of the home and the number, as well as the footprint, of the piers.

Your home might also become un-level because one of the piers has a structural weakness. With open steel frame piers, rust might cause damage. If someone used wood wedges to level the home, the wedges might have started to rot. This will happen especially if the wood was left untreated.

Should you level your mobile home?

First of all, you’ll need to know if your home is unlevel. Now you might be thinking that it’d be pretty easy to tell, but the issue isn’t necessarily an obvious one. There are several common signs you should be looking for that often point to an unlevel home. If you’re only experiencing one or two of these issues, it could be another issue. But a home plagued by most of the following warning signs should be checked out as soon as possible.

Signs your mobile home is unlevel

• Doors and/or windows that are difficult to open or shut. This includes cabinet doors and closet doors as well.
• Unusual cracks in the walls, roof or floor. This indicates your mobile home is under stress.
• Awnings or attachments that are bent or difficult to use.
• Sounds of creaks and/or moans in the house.
• The skirting around your house looks like it’s buckled under pressure.
• Water is running off of cabinets or tables onto the floor.
• Visual indicators from outside the home that it’s tilted in one direction or another.

Again, it’s important to note that your mobile home may be level even if you’re experiencing one or two of these symptoms. On the other hand, a mobile home that’s plagued by several of these should definitely be inspected.

Mobile Home Leveling: Why is it Important?

An unlevel home is a serious issue. You should deal with it immediately. While it’s possible to continue your day-to-day activities without even noticing the problem, you’d be doing yourself a huge disservice by ignoring the problem.

For one, an uneven foundation can lead to costly repairs. Think about the skirting around your home, the awning, deck attachments and more. These are going to be seriously damaged if the mobile home is leaning in one direction or the other. Paying for a repair now will save you a lot of money down the road.

Your home might also violate the HUD code safety standards, which would make it extremely difficult to sell to a potential buyer. Additionally, it’ll be even harder to find a federally-secured loan or mortgage for an unlevel home. The most important reason to level your home, though, is your safety. Just imagine if your front door got jammed and you had no way out.

With that said, there are two approaches to leveling your home: hiring a professional or doing it yourself. Below we’ve outlined how much it should cost for both scenarios.

How much does it cost to level a mobile home myself?

Since this is not your typical DIY project, there’s a good chance you won’t have most of the materials needed to complete the job. This is why we still recommend hiring a professional as you probably won’t have to use these tools again.

Water level

One of the most important items you’ll need to level your home yourself is a water level. This is used to match elevations of locations that are far apart from one another and can be priced anywhere from $30 – $100. In addition to paying for a tool you might only use once, you’ll also need to learn how to use it.

Hydraulic jack

The second most vital tool you’ll need is a hydraulic jack, and chances are you don’t have one of these sitting around the house. More specifically, you need a jack that can carry 5-20 tons. This is going to cost you between $40 – $140.

Other materials

A water level and a hydraulic jack are going to be your two biggest investments. Other tools you’ll want on hand include a bubble level, a flashlight, protective eyewear, measuring tape, gloves, and wooden blocks. Altogether, a DIY project is going to cost you less initially. However, you really can’t put a price tag on peace of mind and security. Having a professional do this job will save you from more costly repairs if you level your home incorrectly the first time around.

Check out this DIY tutorial to level your mobile home if you believe you have the skillset and experience needed to perform the job.

HOW TO LEVEL A MOBILE HOME

Fixing an uneven home might seem like quite the mountain to climb. However, it is doable, and you have options. It is not a completely bank-breaking process, but keep in mind that leveling your home is a relatively expensive procedure whether doing it yourself or hiring a professional.

Simply put, the process of leveling a mobile home goes something like this:

1. Inspect and determine the reason for the home not being level.
2. Lift the home on the side sagging down.
3. In order to level the house, either replace damaged piers, adjust them (if they are adjustable), or insert wedges to hold them up.
4. Lastly, lower the home back down on it’s now (hopefully) level foundation.

HIRING A PROFESSIONAL VS. DIY

We know as a fellow, mobile-home owner you probably aren’t afraid of a DIY project, and you’ve probably taken on a few. Despite your experience, here are a few, very practical reasons you might want to hire a professional for this particular project:

1. There is a danger factor involved. You will be working underneath a house that weighs around 23000 lbs. One wrong move or slip and you could be seriously injured.
2. The equipment alone will also cost quite a lot of money, and it might not justify the price as the chances of using it again are slim. Examples include:
   • A water level. You can get a single unit from $30-$100 like this. Or you can splurge on a whole leveler kit like this one. You can also build your own, but the materials and effort might work up to the same.
   • To lift the whole side of the home, you will need a 5-20 ton hydraulic jack. They should cost between $40-$140.
   • Lastly, you will need a bunch of different-sized, treated wood wedges and various home tools.
3. This is a pretty advanced DIY project that will take a lot of time to complete. So, if you aren’t willing to commit the time or you aren’t already skilled at DIY work, it’s better to seek a professional.

The least you can expect to pay for a professional to re-level your home and expect a decent result is $400 for a single-wide, in the $800 region for a double-wide and up to a $1000 for a triple-wide. You can see that materials alone can cost you almost as much as the cheapest professional.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO LEVEL A MOBILE HOME PROFESSIONALLY?

As with any remodeling project, the cost is going to vary depending on how much work you have to do. Your mobile home may need more support beams or piers added which could drive the cost up. In general, you should expect to pay this much for each type of mobile home.

• Single wide: $450-$550
• Double wide: $750 – $850
• Triple wide: $900 – $1,000

For the sake of safety, we highly recommend hiring a professional leveler to do this job for you. This is not your typical DIY project. Please seek out professionals in your area to get a more accurate quote.

FLYING SOLO, HOW TO LEVEL YOUR MOBILE HOME

HOW TO INSPECT AN UN-LEVEL MOBILE HOME

Before knowing exactly what you need to buy, you should check the reason for your house being un-level. You don’t want to get big concrete slabs if your home uses open steel frame piers and the other way around!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Bubble level tool: A good ol’ simple, yellow bubble level tool should do the job. The longer the level, the more accurate readings you will get.
• Flashlight: You will need a flashlight to do a proper inspection as it is dark under the home.
• Work gloves: There might be sharp edges and debris so protect your hands.
• Overalls: This is optional, but it might be a good idea to protect your clothes.
• Notepad and pen: Keep track of which beams and piers are affected.
• Measuring tape: To measure the pier sizes.

HOW TO DO THE INSPECTION

Step 1: Ready your flashlight, gloves and coveralls. Make sure you have your level tool.

Step 2: If the bottom of your home has no skirting, then simply enter the crawl space. Skirting differs from home to home and owner to owner, but there should be a panel that serves as an entrance. Find it and enter the crawl space.

Step 3: Check the piers holding up the home, especially in areas you suspect are not level. Check for rust damage, corrosion, wood wedges that are damaged or rotting away, etc. Make a note of exactly what piers or support your home uses so that you can buy them later.

Step 4: Using the level tool, hold it against each of the I-beams, the closer to a support beam, the more accurate the reading you will get. Move from the center beam outwards. Note which piers are lower than the rest on the same beam. These are the ones that need work.

LEVEL YOUR MOBILE HOME

Now that you know why your home is not level and what piers your home uses, let’s start leveling your mobile home!

WHAT WILL I NEED?

• 5-20 ton hydraulic jack: You can even use a car jack to lift the house (if the house is within its weight class).

• Protective goggles: Shield your eyes from the debris and dust that collects under a home.

• Water level: You can buy one, or you can build your own! Here is an easy-to-use guide for building your own water level. If you don’t have time for that and want to buy one, here is an example of what you should look for.  

• Hammer: If you are going to use wedges, you might need a hammer to move them in place.

• Flashlight: To see underneath the crawl space.

• Wooden blocks/wedges: Get some 4”x 12” or 4” x 16” wedges and extra blocks, 4”x8”x16”, 8”x8”x16”, in case you need to stick them into place or lift a pier. Also, invest in some shims.

• Work gloves & coveralls

• Piers: Depending on which kind of piers your home has and if you plan on replacing some. You also might need some extra concrete block to set the jack on.

• Bolts and spanners: You also need these if you are replacing a pier and need to loosen it.

LEVELING YOUR MOBILE HOME STEP-BY-STEP

Step 1: MFirst, make sure you are wearing all the safety equipment and all your tools are ready. Then, enter the crawlspace under the home, removing the skirting if necessary.

Step 2: Go to the affected I-beams with the water level between them. First, put the one pipe on the beam at the highest pier and the other at the sagging one. Next, add water until the water in the pipe is at the height of the correct pier. By doing this, you’ll be able to see the difference in height on the water level.

Step 3: At this point, place the jack under the beam between the two piers. Use some concrete or wood blocks to lift the jack or support it if needed. It is important to place the jack correctly, so the beam won’t slip. Your life could depend on it. Lift the home using the jack until both pipes are at the same water level.

Step 4: Depending on whether you are replacing a pier or simply propping it up with wedges, do just that. If the wedges get stuck, use the hammer to hammer them into place, use the shims for small adjustments. On the other hand, if it is an adjustable pier, adjust it until it supports the home at the correct height.

Step 5: Once the piers are in place, slowly lower the jack until the home rests entirely on the support. Only remove the jack if everything seems balanced. At this time, check whether any pipes shifted during the process.

Step 6: Lastly, make sure you take all your equipment with you and leave the crawl space and replace the skirting if you removed it.

Now it’s up to you

So how much does it cost to level a mobile home? Your answer won’t be completely numerical. You should also factor in the cost of safety and getting the job done right. We highly recommend going to a professional if you’re not an expert DIYer. Trust us, it’ll be less costly in the end.