Five Signs You Need to Restump your Modular Home
In most cases, modular homes have beam and pier floors, and these are often supported by piers and pads as well as the perimeter of the foundation. However, in some cases, modular homes may be held up by stumps. If your modular home is held up with stumps, you may need to have it re-stumped on occasion. Here are a few signs that it's time.
1. Signs of termite damage
If you see any signs of termite damage in your home, you need to check the stumps immediately. Termites can eat wood stumps, and if they are under your home, they may start to eat the beams and piers as well, causing extensive damage. Also, look for signs of termites, such as termite tunnels along the walls of your foundation.
2. Unexplained interior damage.
Unexplained interior damage could be related to a degraded stump that is not supporting part of your house. The damage will vary depending on the location of the ailing stump, but possibilities include doors that are hard to close, windows that are difficult to open, or depressions or slopes in the floor.
3. Cracks in the foundation or bulging over the foundation
If you are worried that you may need new stumps, walk around the perimetre of the house and look for anything suggesting that the house may not be correctly supported. In particular, if you see foundation cracks from the shifting weight of the home, you may need to crawl under the home and check for further damage.
Similarly, if any of the home seems to be bulging over the foundation, that is another sign. Even if the stumps have completely broken, the house isn't likely to shift over the foundation, as a modular is tied to its foundation with metal clips. However, you can see evidence of straining in some cases, which can create a bulge effect.
4. Damaged stumps
When your modular home was placed on its foundation, the contractors should have left at least one entry hole into that crawl space. Get into the crawlspace with a flashlight and look at the stumps. If they are cracked or rotting, your home may need to be restumped. If you cannot see rotting, press a screwdriver into the wood. If it depresses easily, there is rot.
5. Desire for an upgrade
Remember you don't have to wait until something goes wrong to restump your house. If you want your modular home to be as stable as possible, you may just want to upgrade the stumps as a routine home improvement. In this case, replace wood stumps with study, non-degradable metal stumps that won't attract termites.
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