# Metal roof over single wide trailer, can it be done?



## Dutchofsc

Hi. I'm trying to move out of the burbs to my property in the country, and I'm doing it Dave Ramsey style. I picked up an inexpensive older single wide that needed some love but was fairly sound. After the 70 mile move, I found several roof leaks. I started to cool seal the roof and found some bad spots, old patched up areas that were failing, low spots and nail holes. I sealed up the holes and bad areas, cool sealed the entire roof and used black tar sealer on the really bad spots. The roof is 95 percent good but I don't think it will hold up. 

Has anyone put a new metal roof over a mobile home? I'm talking building a shallow wooden frame and screwing up some metal sheets, while adding some over hang? 

This is an 1989 model with a metal roof, little slope and a almost flat peak. The good news is there are only 2 vents. Any thoughts are appreciated. 










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## deaconjim

The original roof probably wouldn't be strong enough to support the new roof, but you can frame up something that would do the job. An additional benefit would be that it will help keep the trailer cooler in the summer.


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## wogglebug

Fairly often people put up what amounts to a long car-port as a roof separate from but above the transportable home structure, maybe even wider giving an outside verandah on the southern side to cool things further. How you'd tie this down in tornado country I leave as an exercise for the reader.


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## bigjon

think pavilion.or pole barn without sides.it's done here a lot.


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## Sawmill Jim

bigjon said:


> think pavilion.or pole barn without sides.it's done here a lot.


Yep and if you use a foil back bubble wrap under the metal it will make it so much better to heat and cool also it won't drip water on your porch area .:thumb:


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## rockyriver

explained above.. 
and the opportunity to add more roof for shade or porch or added room later. 
--
many people here just "nail" down some 1x4 or 2x4 to the mh roof then screw the metal to the 1x4 or 2x4... usually done by the owner, a few buddies and a couple of cases of beer..... 

this will work.... till the wind blows... 
then the whole roof (imagine an umbrella) is laying about 100' away in the yard... metal, wood framing, all of it laying upside down.... 
and the wind will not have damaged any other house in the neighborhood!! 
-- 
by doing a roofover or equivalent wind proof framing then adding the metal will work great! 
congrats on what you are doing.


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## littlebitfarm

Check this one out.


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## Sawmill Jim

If done right you can fix the under penning at the same time too. Put the rafter over the trailer on 4' centers lath with 2x4's spaced on 2' centers cover with the foil and screw the metal down . Will look good and sound proof it good too .


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## Sawmill Jim

littlebitfarm said:


> Check this one out.


That's it put close to the trailer you can do the bottom area in the same metal if you want too .:thumb:

I would put gable vents in the ends too.


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## Dutchofsc

I like the pole barn idea, I'm afraid of the cost. The mobile home is a 5 to 7 year plan, once I get it livable, I will sell my house and be 100 % debt free. It will take 5 to 7 years to save enough money to build, at which point the mobile home will no longer be needed. 

Does anyone have an idea of the cost to put up a pole barn vs wood frame and metal sheets? The mh is 12 x 60. 

Thanks for all the great advise. 


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## Sawmill Jim

Dutchofsc said:


> I like the pole barn idea, I'm afraid of the cost. The mobile home is a 5 to 7 year plan, once I get it livable, I will sell my house and be 100 % debt free. It will take 5 to 7 years to save enough money to build, at which point the mobile home will no longer be needed.
> 
> Does anyone have an idea of the cost to put up a pole barn vs wood frame and metal sheets? The mh is 12 x 60.
> 
> Thanks for all the great advise.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Homesteading Today


I think you would be surprised at how cheap it would be if you do it yourself and hire one helper . Go to lowes on line and figure your lumber out . Put a post every 8 foot ,not hard to figure from there . Here the metal would be about $560.00 :sing:


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## Harry Chickpea

You are proposing a project. Projects cost money and time. Before starting, you have some questions to answer.

How long do you expect to live in that dwelling?
Do you plan on improving and modifying it, or just using it as a temporary structure?
What are the downsides of doing nothing?
How much of an improvement over those downsides will the project create?
What structural issues and code/permit issues are involved?
How much money is reasonable to allocate for the project?
How durable will the project be?
What are the alternatives?
Can the project be reused or recycled?

"I sealed up the holes and bad areas, cool sealed the entire roof and used black tar sealer on the really bad spots. The roof is 95 percent good but I don't think it will hold up." NO roof "holds up." It is simply a matter of how long they go between failures. 

If you have patched to where there are no current leaks, and none are likely to appear in the stress of a windstorm, you have likely bought from 1 to 3 years.

Now comes the part you don't want to hear. Single-wides are depreciating assets. No matter how much money you pour into that dwelling, you will NEVER increase its value to others. Re-read that ten times.

If you plan on living in it for five years or less, save your money and just patch as needed.

If you plan on living there for more than five years, a project begins to make sense, as it can reduce energy costs and partially pay for itself.

Before you go further though, I see other possible routes of failure.

1. It appears that the home is mounted on primitive pillars that have no footers. As they settle, the home will warp and develop leaks. Doors and windows will bind or break. You can attempt to keep up with the shifting by adding shims, but that is not a permanent solution.

2. It appears that the bellywrap and insulation underneath have been removed. If so, it needs to be replaced. Bellywrap and insulation prevent pipe freezes, protect the underside, make for warmer floors and less heating and cooling costs, and limit moisture problems.

3. There is no skirting. Skirting is not just cosmetic. It protects and limits temperature shifts, especially in colder weather.

4. I'm not seeing any tie-down straps. Those are needed for protection from strong winds. You don't want your home to "Fall down, go boom!" 

IMO, those four defects have priority over a new roof, providing there are no current leaks.

IF I was going to re-roof and had limited funds, I would investigate sheet EPDM (pool liner) or roofing membranes. Bonding it to the existing roof and then painting it white could make an inexpensive flexible roof that would last for years.

An aside here on metal roofs. A nearby farmer built a beautiful big horse and hay shelter in his field, with a metal roof. It looked great for a year, and then a strong wind came along and lifted part of it off and twisted up about half of it. He repaired it as a much smaller structure with less wind resistance. He learned, albeit the hard way.

If I were to go the metal roof route, I would pay for someone to auger holes for and set (in concrete) _at least_ eight telephone pole sized poles about a foot from the edges of the dwelling. The (heavy) perimeter to the roof would be bolted to the poles about a foot or two above the single-wide. The lower edge of a shed roof would face the prevailing winds, and have a gutter for rain collection. The roof itself would be attached as independent sections, with a two-foot bridge section between each 8 to 10 feet solid section. Those two-foot bridge sections would be designed to hinge open in strong winds by having only loose attachments on one side, thus minimizing pressure differentials between the top of the roof and bottom. That way, the strongest winds would only create limited and easily repairable damage.


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## TnAndy

Harry, looking at the OP's photo, I'm pretty sure there are metal tie downs in place. Around here, you can't get power connected without them.

But otherwise, I completely agree. To build an extensive roof system over a mobile home is a waste of money, IMHO. Slap a sheet of EDM rubber over it, screw it down on the sides, and throw some old tires on top to keep it from flapping. Looks ******* as heck, but it would work.

Then concentrate on building a real house, and take a chop saw to the trailer when you're done.


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## Dutchofsc

Harry, thanks for the detailed reply. It gives me much to think about. I completely understand the depreciating asset, as I purchased this mobile home for 500 bucks. You bring up a great point of not doing much more than patching things up. I may end up going that route. 

This is a 5 to 7 year plan, and the trailer might not last much longer than that. I knew about the value of mobile homes before I purchased this one, and my plan is to build a house within the 5 to 7 years. Making this mobile home livable will allow me to sell my house in the burbs and start saving for the construction of the new home. 

1. The mobile home is on blocks and is shimmed level. I will set up a water level and check level every year 

2. The Belly wrap and insulation has been removes because it was in bad shape and would not make the move. I have r 19 insulation ready to go, after I finish some wiring and replace the poly buteline plumbing. What would you recommend for a new belly wrap?

3. I have to wait to install the Skirting until after the county does their inspection. I'm saving up to install a septic system and steps front and back. They will do their inspection after that and I can install skirting.

4. Tie downs are installed, just not visible on the picture. I think there are 8 or 10 total, more than the county requires. 

Thanks again for all the great advice, now I have some thinking to do. 


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## Harry Chickpea

1. The mobile home is on blocks and is shimmed level. I will set up a water level and check level every year 

Sounds good. Invest in a couple of jacks and some oak shims so that you have them on hand when you notice something going off-kilter. A fast fix pervents later more serious problems.

2. The Belly wrap and insulation has been removes because it was in bad shape and would not make the move. I have r 19 insulation ready to go, after I finish some wiring and replace the poly buteline plumbing. What would you recommend for a new belly wrap?

There is stuff made for the purpose. In a pinch, 6 mil construction plastic or greenhouse plastic could be pressed into service. Lace the interior with boric acid and rat bait. Insects and rodents will get in, despite your best efforts. Best to be proactive.

3. I have to wait to install the Skirting until after the county does their inspection. I'm saving up to install a septic system and steps front and back. They will do their inspection after that and I can install skirting.

Beware of digging animals when installing skirting. Hardware cloth laid on the ground might help some. Skirting that can't be climbed and has no holes is good.

Workable steps are easily made of oak. If you have a place nearby that makes manufactured homes, you might ask questions there and hope for castoffs on steps and possibly belly wrap.

4. Tie downs are installed, just not visible on the picture. I think there are 8 or 10 total, more than the county requires.

C'est good.


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## plowhand

I've seen several done the "pole barn" way............4x4 treated posts ever so many feet, roof is made with enough over hang, that siding and new underpen...so that basically you end up with a sorta garage over and around the mobile home , and a new roof...........whos to say you can't pull out the mobile and turn it into a nice chicken coop when you don't need or want the mobile

I've a friend that lives in one like that, with a wide porch on front and back...........part of the back porch is a big screened in kitchen for canning, cooking when it's hot ect! They love it!


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## Declan

I have seen it done a few different ways, but always with some kind of support other than just the trailer walls. Probably the best job I have seen is where someone attached two mobile homes to a 4-square house, framed the exterior of the trailers into the house, and then sided the whole thing so it looked like a normal stick-built house.


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## macmad

I just re-roofed mine with a layer of fan-fold insulation, then I ran 1x3 purlins length wise that were screwed into the rafters. I had the metal pre-cut and delivered and connected with 3" screws driven into the top of the ridges, into the purlins. Put metal gable ends on and ran a nice ridge cap. This thing is not coming off and it made the home quieter and took away the rumbling of the original roof in the wind. Don't let anyone tell you this is not a legit way to re-roof a trailer.

Michael


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## moeh1

Put up a pole barn style roof, 5-7 years from now pull the trailer out, put the sides on and you have a garage/barn.:happy2:


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## Dutchofsc

Michael, how big was the house and how long did it take? Did you have any concerns for adding more weight to the roof? What about cost?

Thanks for the reply everyone. 


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## gimpyrancher

I'm moving a 32' 5th wheel onto my property to live part time while building my house. I'll put it under a pole barn structure with long overhangs to keep the weather out. When I'm finished building my home, the trailer goes and I'll enclose the sides and use it as another garage storage building.

For the underside skirts around the trailer, I'm going to use foil backed foam boards around the perimeter. Keep the wind out from under and keep the underside warmer in the winter.


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## CapeDave

macmad said:


> I just re-roofed mine with a layer of fan-fold insulation, then I ran 1x3 purlins length wise that were screwed into the rafters. I had the metal pre-cut and delivered and connected with 3" screws driven into the top of the ridges, into the purlins. Put metal gable ends on and ran a nice ridge cap. This thing is not coming off and it made the home quieter and took away the rumbling of the original roof in the wind. Don't let anyone tell you this is not a legit way to re-roof a trailer.
> 
> Michael


So years later how is the roof holding up?


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