How Much Does It Cost to Relevel a Mobile Home?

More and more buyers are turning to mobile homes to implement their modern vision for homeownership. That’s because a mobile home, while much smaller, is a far smaller financial commitment to undertake.

The average cost to relevel a mobile home is $500 for a single-wide and $950 for a triple-wide mobile home. You can relevel your own mobile home if you rent a hydraulic jack for $90, on average. It only costs $75 to relevel a mobile home with wooden blocks.

Depending on what needs to be implemented, as well as the size of your mobile home, the costs can vary greatly. If the mobile home needs to have additional support piers or beams installed, that can run up your costs exponentially. It is also important that you do not go with the cheapest option possible.

The old adage is “you get what you pay for” and going for the cheapest option available will likely leave you with the need for additional work sooner rather than later.

The option of tackling the project on your own is always a possibility. While it is highly recommended that you go with a professional service if at all possible, staying within budget is often times the most important thing in situations like these.

So, if hiring a professional is out of the realm of possibility, it is important to know what kind of costs you may be staring down. We will break down each of these needs but here is a general overview of what the releveling may cost you:

Perhaps the most important tool that you will need for releveling your mobile home is a water level. The water level is used to match the elevations of locations that are quite a bit apart from one another. These will run you in the $30-$100 range depending on where you go.

You simply cannot do without this tool, so make sure that you have one at your disposal. If you get lucky, you may even be able to rent this tool from a local tool store. Still, it’s a valuable investment to make.

The other tool you need that is critical to your success is a hydraulic jack. Unless you’re a professional that does this on a regular basis, there is a very good chance that you won’t have one just lying around for future use.

More specifically, you need a hydraulic jack that can handle anywhere from 5-20 tons in weight. This will allow you to lift up the section of your mobile home that you are working on safely and securely. You can rent these from your local hardware or home improvement stores for anywhere from $40-$140.

With the two most important tools out of the way, you’ll also need a few other things to get the job done. There is a good chance that you may have them laying around but a quick trip to the hardware store will have you ready to tackle the job properly.

You may need things like a flashlight, bubble level, protecting eyewear, gloves, measuring tape, and some wood blocks. The great thing about doing the job yourself is that you can save on the labor costs that can really run up your bill.

It doesn’t take a professionally trained eye to tell if a mobile home is unlevel. You may notice that your doors and/or windows are fairly difficult to open or close. While this could be due to the frame or door itself, it is usually due to the mobile home being unlevel.

If you notice any unusual looking cracks that have formed on the roof, walls, or flooring of your mobile home, the most likely cause is that it is unlevel. Depending on the severity of the issue, it can do major structural damage to your mobile home.

You may notice that any attachments or awnings that have been installed are either difficult to use or bent noticeably. When the mobile home is uneven, it can shift substantially and damage various components of the structure.

While hearing moans or creaks throughout the home is certainly possible, it isn’t necessarily the first thing that will jump out if your home is unlevel. Still, if you notice those sounds in conjunction with any of the other signs, there’s a good chance that your mobile home is unlevel.

As we covered in the section above, there are a number of ways to determine that your mobile home is not level. If that weren’t enough of an indication as to why your mobile home needs to be as level as possible, there is more.

When the home isn’t level, after a short amount of time, the wooden piers that are under the home can start to wear substantially. And when the bolts that secure the home together are stressed, they won’t be able to keep the weight distributed effectively.

Now that you have raised the house back up to its natural level, it is time to fill in that space between the lower beam and support by adding additional support. You can use a shim, which is basically a sturdy piece of wood, to do so.

All you have to do is slide the shim into place and hammer it securely between the house and the bottom of the beam. When you’ve done the job properly, the beam should be able to rest securely on the shim and your level will show that this portion of the house is now totally level.

You will need two additional support to the support beams, using shims all along the house. While you are doing this, it is important that you evaluate your water and plumbing lines for damage or displacement. They should be perfectly fine, but there is a chance that they could have been damaged during the leveling process.

If there is damage to your plumbing or water lines, you will have to bring in a professional to correct the issue. If not, when you have finished, you will need to recheck the whole beam going from end to end to make certain that the entirety of the mobile home is now level.

One of the major differences between a mobile home and a traditional home is that the latter has a solid foundation where it rests. Because the foundation is made of heavy-duty concrete, it will take quite a bit for it to shift. Should you need to have the foundation fixed, it isn’t something that will need to be done several times.

A good rule of thumb is that your mobile home will need to be replaced every 3-5 years. This is in order to maintain the overall level-ness of the home. If you live in colder climates, frost heave can actually cause your pier settings to sink, making them tilt, and causing the home to become unlevel.