Mobile Home Leveling: What To Look Out For

Alt-text: A man using a level

Homes settle over the years no matter how it’s built or the land it’s on. Depending on the foundation’s strength and overall building quality, some homes won’t suffer much damage, and you won’t even feel it settling. However, mobile homes are more susceptible to settling and getting damaged during the process.

Cracks on the walls, rocking tables and chairs, and difficulty closing cabinet doors are all signs that it’s time to relevel your mobile home. But, in most cases, it’s not too complicated, and it’s a project you can take on yourself.

Related: Block Leveling a Mobile Home

Why Leveling Your Mobile Home Is Important

Properly maintaining your mobile home can save you money in the long run and extend its life significantly. Mobile home maintenance includes damage repairs, refurbishing, painting, and, most importantly, leveling. There are a few reasons why it’s crucial to your home maintenance—here they are:

• If you wait too long, your mobile home will begin to lean, causing damage to walls and furniture. Eventually, your doors and windows will be under more stress and break.

• Your floors can also suffer damage. First, it’ll be occasional squeaks, and then you’ll notice that the floor is uneven. In the worst cases, the pillars might break through your floor, harming you or causing significant damage to your home.

• Your cabinets won’t close properly, leading to broken dishes and possible injuries.

• Your home’s plumbing and electrical installations could get damaged, leading to even more problems.

Mobile Home Leveling: Tools You’ll Need

To level your mobile home, you’ll need a few tools:

• Mobile jack—You’ll need the jack to lift your home where it needs to be leveled.

• Level—A six-foot level, to be exact. You’ll need it to check where you need to make adjustments to your home.

• Shims—These small pieces of wood are essential. You level your home by putting them between the beams and pillars.

• Flashlight—You might have to crawl underneath your home, and you’ll want a flashlight for that.

• PPE—Gloves, a hard hat, and protective eyewear will help keep you safe while leveling your mobile home.

• Hammer—You’ll need a hammer to secure the shims in place.

• Woodblock—While not essential, using a block of wood to secure your mobile jack is a good idea.

• Chalk—You’ll need to mark which pillars you need to level.

Related: Tying Down a Mobile Home

Step-By-Step Mobile Home Leveling Guide

1. Safety First

Before getting to work, it’s crucial to put on your protective equipment listed above. Anyone who is helping you should also be wearing protective gear, and you shouldn’t remove it during the leveling process.

Alt-text: A man holding a hard hat

2. Remove Mobile Home Skirting

If your mobile home has skirting, you’ll need to remove it to reach the pillars. Slowly remove the skirting and store it somewhere safe while you work on leveling. Now, you should be able to reach the pillars and beams to level your mobile home.

3. Plumbing & Electrical Preparations

When leveling your home, it’s possible to damage your electrical and plumbing installations. To avoid damage, there are a few precautions you can take.

Before you begin raising your home, check for contact points of your plumbing and the home’s beams. Ensure that it won’t get affected when you raise the beams by securing the plumbing pipes to the base of your home.

You’ll also want to check your electrical installations and make sure that there aren’t any wires wrapped around the beams. If there are, you’ll need to secure them first. Keep all installations attached to your home’s base and at a safe distance from the plumbing and beams.

4. Check What Needs Adjustments

Now, you’ll want to check which pillars you need to adjust. You’ll move from pillar to pillar, starting at the center of your home. Place your six-foot level against each beam near the pillars and see if it is leaning or not. Check each beam and pillar and mark the ones that need to be adjusted.

5. Raise the Beam

Now that you know which beams you need to raise, it’s time to raise them. You’ll need your jack, level, shims, and hammer. It’s a dangerous process—take your time.

Get your jack and level in place, and very gently raise the beams until they are level. Once it is, you’ll secure the jack and get ready to place the shims.

6. Place the Shims

Once your beams are at the proper level, and your jack is secured, you’re ready to put a shim between the beam and pillar. Carefully place the shim underneath the beam and gently hammer it into place until it’s locked in.

7. Check the Leveling

After you’ve placed the shims, you’ll want to go to the center of your mobile home and place the level next to the center beam. If it looks good, move on to the other supporting pillars and beams and ensure that each one is now level.

8. Check the Plumbing & Electrical

If you secured everything in step three, this shouldn’t be an issue. However, you’ll still want to check that nothing got damaged during the leveling process. If you do notice a problem with the plumbing or electrical installations, you’ll want to get it fixed ASAP.

9. Reattach Skirting

If you removed your mobile home skirting, don’t forget to reattach and secure it!

Mobile Home Leveling: Tips, Tricks, and What To Look Out For

• If your home is on a concrete surface or hard piece of land, releveling will take more time.

• Keeping the land underneath your mobile home dry will keep it levels for longer. While rain is unavoidable, try to avoid getting the ground around your house wet.

• Before you start leveling, secure your furniture and protect it from dirt with sheets and blankets.

• If you have someone to assist with leveling your home, it will be much easier.

• Leveling your home can cost you nothing if you have the tools already and there isn’t any significant damage.

• Strong pillars will keep your home leveled for longer. Cheap wooden pillars will require much more frequent maintenance.

• Moans and squeaks are one of the first signs that you need to relevel your home—don’t ignore them!

• Before beginning, check your jack and ensure it’s working properly. A malfunction can cause damage to you and your home.

Want to learn more about mobile home maintenance? Check out Home Nation’s free mobile home resources!

Related: Replacing Mobile Home Flooring