Mobile Home Vapor Barrier and Underbelly Repair in Hot Springs

The underbelly closes off the bottom of the floor, and the ground cover keeps soil moisture away from it. When either fails, insulation drops, animals move in, and damp air sits against the floor. Patching the underbelly or ground cover typically runs $300 to $800. We find out why it failed before we patch it.

What we see under Hot Springs area homes

Sagging insulation. A torn or loose belly lets insulation hang down. Floors get cold in winter, and NOAA’s Hot Springs station averages about 59 nights a year at or below freezing.

Animals. A gap in the skirting lets animals under the home, and they tear into the bottom board. We close the way in as well as the hole.

Water. The Hot Springs station averages about 58 inches of rain a year, with May the wettest month, and March through May together bring about 18 inches. Water can come from the slope above a hillside lot, from a roof without gutters, or from a leaking supply or drain line. In some bottoms near Piney and Royal, Mazarn silt loam holds a perched water table 1 to 2 feet down from December to May. Arkansas’s installation rules say an installation must not contribute to ponding of water under the home. See water under the home.

Plumbing. A drip from a supply line or a loose drain fitting soaks the bottom board from the inside. The wet patch is often not right under the leak.

Cold weather under the floor

The Mount Ida 3 SE station averages about 90 nights a year at or below freezing, and Malvern about 68, more than Hot Springs. Water lines run inside or just above the belly on many homes, so a torn belly with the insulation hanging down leaves them more exposed on a hard night. If the belly is open in late fall, that is the time to close it.

How we repair it

1. Open the skirting and look at the full length of the belly and the ground cover.
2. Find the cause: leak, runoff, animals, or a tear from earlier work.
3. Send any plumbing leak to the right trade, or tell you what we found.
4. Patch tears with matching material and fasten loose sections back to the frame, putting insulation back where it has dropped.
5. Patch or replace ground cover so the soil under the home is covered.

When the floor is soft

A wet underbelly over time can mean the decking above it has suffered. If a spot in the floor gives underfoot, we check whether it is the decking, a joist, or a pier under the beam that has dropped. Pier work is covered under pier and footing repair.

Work in the right order

If the home also needs a relevel, we do the leveling first, then the belly, then the skirting, so nothing is torn twice. Buying a home? The underbelly is part of our pre-purchase foundation check.

Ask whoever works under the home for their Arkansas Manufactured Home Commission license number and check it. Our typical ranges are on the pricing page.