Manufactured Homes and Timberwolf
Timberwolf works on manufactured homes alongside site-built construction, including in the Los Lunas area. The difference is paperwork and structure: a manufactured home is permitted and inspected through the state's Manufactured Housing Division rather than the Construction Industries Division, and its roof was engineered to the HUD Code. So when you call, tell us your home type, and we'll plan the job for the right office and the roof's design loads.
Why Manufactured Home Roofs Are Different
Manufactured homes are built to a federal standard, the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, known as the HUD Code (24 CFR Part 3280), rather than the state building codes that govern site-built houses. The roof is engineered as part of the whole home.
Under the HUD Code, roofs are designed for a minimum live load based on a roof load zone: 40 pounds per square foot in the North zone, 30 in the Middle zone and 20 in the South zone (24 CFR 3280.305). New Mexico isn't among the states and counties listed for the North or Middle zones, and the rule places everything not listed in the South zone. The home's data plate shows what it was designed for.
That matters to anyone proposing to add weight to the roof, such as a roof-over or a second layer of roofing. The structure, and the way the home is supported, have to be able to carry it.
Who Permits and Inspects the Work
In New Mexico, the Manufactured Housing Division of the Regulation and Licensing Department is the inspection authority for manufactured homes. It issues permits and inspects installations and alterations, and it licenses dealers, installers and repairers. According to the Division, licensed contractors who work on manufactured homes must register with it.
Before hiring anyone, ask whether they're licensed and registered for manufactured-home work and who is pulling the permit. The Division's homeowner permit page lists the structural and repair permits a homeowner can apply for.
The Three Kinds of Roof You Might Have
1. Metal (low-slope or bowed). The classic mobile home roof: long metal sheets with lapped seams, fastened to light framing, sometimes with a slight bow to shed water. There's little or no attic space. These roofs flex with temperature, which works seams and fasteners loose over time, the same issue covered in our guide to exposed-fastener metal roofs.
2. Asphalt shingles over trusses. Many manufactured homes have a pitched roof with trusses, a wood deck and shingles. From the ground it looks like a site-built roof, but the framing is engineered to the HUD Code and the pitch is often low.
3. Membrane or coating. Some low-slope manufactured homes have had a rubber or single-ply membrane, or a thick roof coating, added over the original metal during an earlier repair.
If you aren't sure which you have, look at the roof edge: metal roofs show a rolled or capped metal edge, shingle roofs show a drip edge and fascia, and membranes usually show a termination bar or a wrapped edge.
Why Older Metal Roofs Leak
Leaks on older metal mobile home roofs usually come from:
- Seams. Lap joints between sheets rely on sealant that dries and cracks in New Mexico sun.
- Fasteners. Screws loosen as the metal flexes, and their washers deteriorate.
- Penetrations. Vent pipes, a furnace flue, a swamp cooler or a satellite mount. Each needs flashing that stays sealed on thin, moving metal.
- Rust and dents. Hail dents can hold water, and rust starts wherever the finish is broken.
With little or no attic space, water that gets past the metal reaches the ceiling quickly, often as a stained or sagging ceiling panel.
Common Repair Approaches
Which approach fits depends on the roof's condition, its structure and what you want from it. A Free Roof Report is where that starts.
Seal and coat. For a roof that's structurally sound but leaking at seams and fasteners, the usual fix is to clean the roof, seal seams and fastener heads, and apply a roof coating over the whole surface. A white coating also reflects heat. How long it lasts depends on the product and its application; ask for the manufacturer's data sheet and warranty terms. Our guide to roof coatings in New Mexico's climate explains the coating types.
Roof-over. When the metal is too far gone, or the owner wants more insulation and a real pitch, a roof-over builds a new framed roof on top of the existing one, then covers it with metal or shingles. It adds weight, so the home and its supports have to be able to carry it, and the work is permitted through the Manufactured Housing Division.
Shingle repair and replacement. On a pitched shingle roof, repairs resemble those on a site-built house. Low pitch and the HUD-engineered framing affect underlayment and fastening, so the shingle manufacturer's low-slope requirements and the home's specifications both apply.
A roof-over on a manufactured home is different from the residential roof-over rules in New Mexico's building code for site-built homes. Those are covered in can you put a new roof over the old one?, which applies to site-built houses.
Hail and Insurance
Manufactured home policies can include the same terms that affect any hail claim, such as cosmetic damage exclusions, separate wind/hail deductibles and roof-age schedules, if the policy includes them. Our guide to policy terms that can change what a hail claim pays explains what to look for.
Questions to Ask Any Contractor Before Work Starts
- Are you licensed for this work and registered with the Manufactured Housing Division?
- Who is pulling the permit, and when is the inspection?
- If you're adding weight, how did you confirm the roof and supports can carry it?
- What product are you using, and can I see its data sheet and warranty?
- How will you seal penetrations like the cooler, vents and flue?
For local details, see our Los Lunas and Bosque Farms pages, or request a Free Roof Report.