Licence numbers: CBC 1267099
Preparing for Hurricanes and Storms: Mobile Home Tie-Downs
Mobile home tie-downs will stabilize and protect your mobile home. When properly installed, they'll protect your home during storms and keep your mobile home level. Creative Cottages will make sure your mobile home is up to code and ready for hurricane season. We offer you free inspections and written estimates for all the work needed to make sure your mobile home is safe.
Mobile home tie-downs are extremely important for your family's safety if you live in a mobile home. There's a big difference in the strength of modern mobile homes vs. older mobile homes. New mobile homes are much stronger and are built to handle much higher wind loads in Florida as mandated by the State of Florida building codes, which were amended in 1994 to handle the high winds in hurricanes and strong thunderstorms, which are so common in the summer months in Florida.
Mobile home design and construction is now overseen by HUD, the Housing and Building Technology HBT, and the Florida State Bureau of Manufactured Housing Construction.
One of the warnings from the Florida State Bureau of Manufactured Housing Construction that you would do well to consider is to avoid solid skirting around the perimeter of your mobile home because it increases the threat of wind damage. Decorative blocks or decorative wood lattice offer you less wind resistance that could lift your home off the ground during high wind events like a hurricane.
Tie-Downs for Older Mobile Homes
Mobile home straps will help prevent high winds from lifting or moving your mobile home during storms. Creative Cottages, Inc. will install mobile home tie-down straps to specially designed anchors, as shown in the picture above. The anchors are driven into the ground, anchoring your mobile home and preventing movement during high-wind events. Creative Cottages, Inc. serves many communities all over Florida, and we'll check your local building codes when pulling a permit to make sure your mobile home is safe and up to local codes. The building code for mobile home straps can change from different cities and county's building departments.
Mobile Home Tie-Downs and Straps
Creative Cottages, Inc. will determine which type of mobile home tie-down and straps are required in your area. Many of the older mobile homes require that the straps must go completely over the top of the mobile home to securely strap it down, while new mobile homes don't require the straps to go completely over the home because of the newer mobile home's structure.
Creative Cottages will install hurricane anchors into the ground around your mobile home. The number of mobile home hurricane anchors that are required will vary between models of different mobile homes. Creative Cottages, Inc. will install extra anchors and extra straps to ensure your home's safety.
The Other Types of Anchors for Mobile Homes We Install Are:
- Concrete dead man anchors: which is a screw auger to a slab anchor or to the foundation itself.
- Auger anchors: are large steel anchors that are screwed into the ground, as in the picture above.
- Drive anchors are designed for anchoring into solid concrete.
If needed, Creative Cottages, Inc. will place straps over your mobile home's roof rafters for straps going over the top of your mobile home to distribute the force the tie-down strap is holding your mobile home secure.
We will then attach the end of the strap to a turnbuckle, as seen in the picture above. Turnbuckles are used to tighten and increase the tension on the strap and remove any slack to secure your mobile home in place.
We will then secure the turnbuckle to the end of the anchor and turn the turnbuckle adjustment until the strap is tight. If needed, a metal rod will be inserted.
Turning the Rod Tightens the Tension on the Mobile Home Strap
This may be confusing, so we would be glad to give you a free inspection of your mobile home to show you which system you need to make sure your mobile home is safe.
Mobile Home Tie-Downs and Hurricane Anchors Used in Florida
Florida mobile homes use metal rods driven into the ground around the home at specified distances to keep your home tightly in place. There are different kinds of ground anchors or tie-downs for Florida's soil conditions. Auger anchors are the most commonly used.
We’ll Make Sure Your Mobile Home Is Safe and Ready for Florida’s Weather
- Rusted and worn-out anchor straps on your mobile home are replaced.
- New anchors will be Installed to meet your current codes for mobile homes.
- Longitudinal stabilizers are installed to protect your mobile home in high winds.
- All work performed by Creative Cottages is guaranteed to meet local and State Codes.
- Tighten anchor straps tight to keep your mobile home stable and secure during high winds.
- Install new concrete piers whenever needed to secure and securely stabilize your mobile home.
- We'll remove decorative skirting around your mobile home for our inspection, and we'll replace it.
No one has more experience and dedication to excellence than Creative Cottages, Inc. Contact us for a quote at 239-250-2095.