This home could look a lot nicer with the right skirting.
You own an attractive mobile home, and want to add to it by having attractive underpinning (also known as skirting). The right underpinning can enhance your landscape and the resale value of your mobile home. More important than just aesthetics alone are the legal issues: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that all mobile homes have skirting. You may not be able to obtain mobile home insurance or a loan without it. There are three basic types of underpinning: vinyl panel, brick look panels, and stone look panels. Does this Spark an idea?
Vinyl Underpinning
This is the most inexpensive underpinning for a mobile home, and the quickest and easiest to install. Vinyl underpinning is available in both vented (with small slots) or solid styles, and is designed for ease of installation, using common hand tools. Typical panels are 16 inches wide by about 12 feet long, and are readily available at most mobile home supply companies or large home improvement stores. To determine how many panels you need, divide your perimeter by 16 inches, and then divide 12 feet by the height from the ground to the mobile home's sole plate.
Brick Look Underpinning
These skirting panels look like hand-laid brick, and have all the slight color variations that real brick would have. They are available in a variety of themes (such as new brick or old weathered brick) and are designed for ease of installation. These panels are about 44 inches tall by about 18 inches wide, and again readily available at supply companies. A full range of ancillary accessories are available, such as mortar caulking to fill in the joint lines. To calculate how many you need, measure your perimeter, convert feet to inches, then divide by the width of the panel.
Stone Look Underpinning
These panels have the look of hand-laid stone, and are also available in a variety of themes (such as round stone or cut stone). They have the natural color variations of real stone, and can be very attractive with the right color scheme of your home. The panels measure about 44 inches tall by 18 inches high. These panels are designed for ease of installation, with interlocking tabs for connectors. If the area to cover is more than 18 inches tall, simply connect two or more panels together, then trim to fit. Many mobile home suppliers can assist you in determining how many panels you need for your mobile home.
Accessories for Panels
All the panels also have accessories, which will facilitate installation. Some of these include corner panels, top anchoring strips, and ground channels. Each type of accessory comes with recommendations as to the best installation method, and the vendors of these panels can assist you with your accessory needs as well.
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