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Selling a Mobile Home a helpful consumer guide!
Breaking down a Doublewide Mobile Home
Depending on how craftsman like you are, will depend on whether you want to tackle this by yourself or to contract it out. A set up begins with checking the basics.
Starting Outside
1)Remove skirting around home, save if possible, due to height of next set up. Check the wheels and axles under both sections? check tires and hardware to see if they are stable enough to make the trip. Is the hitch solidly connected to home or do you need a welder?
2)Check blocking under home. Is the supports strong enough to support the home with tie-down unfastened. Untie home now or wait till last. (remember remove anchors from ground for later use)
3)Remove outside vinyl or siding that connects the homes two sections together.
4)Remove flashing under the eaves (if any) and remove lag bolts
Home Ownership See the actual amount you give your Landlord
5)Remove lag bolts that connect the two sections together, there are usually several under the doorways under the homes flooring.
6)Remove shingles that connect the home together, remove lag bolts as well.
7)Remove chimney cap before transport.
8)On the top of the roof, at the edge over the hitch end, nail a 2 by 4 down across the shingles so they do not blow or shred off during travel fill nail holes later with tar based adhesive.
9)Brace large openings in the home with 2 by 4 from ceiling to floor.
10) Remove blocks from under home.
11)Disconnect plumbing from under home, fresh water and sewer. Some homes have connections that connect water supplies from one section to the other. Make sure that there is a water cut-off valve to your main water supply, you may have to call your utility company.
12)Disconnect electrical, telephone and cable lines from home. You will have to follow the electrical lines because they connect the two halves together at some point to complete the circuit. Keep outside electrical boxes if possible, pole and all! (Don't forget to call the electric company to have the juice turned off.)
13)Disconnect outside cooling system from home by disconnecting lines. If you have a window A/C remove from window and place on the floor on top of news papers in case it spills, it may stain carpet.
14)Remove outside glass globes and window screens
Now for the inside.
15)Take a tape measure and measure the distance of the width of the home from one wall to the other. Take that measurement and divide it by two. that will be the dividing line.
Look up, look to your right hand side, now look to your left hand side, now look down. Everything that you just saw must be divided.
16)In the ceiling, the home usually has a piece of trim 3 or more inches wide. Remove that and you should find the two home sections resting next to each other. If you see lag bolts, cut them apart with a "sawz-all"
17) Remove all molding as carefully as you can. If walls are sheet rocked use a sawz-all to cut the walls where home needs to be divided.
18)You may have to cut carpet or just remove a metal strip on the floor.
19)Pay close attention to where doors are trimmed out you may have to remove all the door trim or just small piece of trim in a corner depending on where the measurement falls. Check for lag bolts.
20)Lay refrigerator down on the floor. Stand refrigerator upright for 48 hours before plugging it back in. Secure and brace washers and dryers so they will not move. Do the same with refrigerator if you can.
21)Remove all items from the top shelves, close doors and use a piece of heavy string and tie to one cabinet door handle then run string to next handle and wrap string around twice and go to next handle and repeat until all doors and cabinets are secure.
22)Flip tables over so legs are sticking up. Take lamps off tables. Remove ceiling fans from ceiling, remove light covers and take commode lids off and place on floor.
23)Remove blinds from windows for the trip.
24)Screw screen doors shut.
25)Take down glass mirrors in bathroom medicine closets.
26)Take down all pictures off the walls and anything on cabinets. Place everything on floor. Flip furniture with drawers up.
27)I would suggest having a box of roofing nails and a roll of heavy duty plastic to cover the exposed home if it decides to rain.
Last minute thoughts, how are you going to transport the steps, how to transport existing blocks?
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