# Block skirting under manufactured home, lay wet or dry?



## NYCB (Sep 20, 2010)

Working a project right now replacing vinyl skirting on a double wide with block.

I began wet laying them today because it only seemed natural but started to think if it was even necessary.

The slab that the house is over is almost 7 inches thick (no clue why) and isn't cracked anywhere and not heaved.

It was poured terribly though with a wavy finish all over the place requiring some cutting on the base course today.

Anyway, since the wall isn't load bearing at all what is to stop me from just wet laying the base course level and dry stacking the rest of it? There is only 5 points on the house that actually require a load bearing column, I was just going to crawl under there when the wall is done and a hammer and some shims to tighten the whole edge up.

It is all getting parged and finished with the stucco shooter, never parged a dry stacked wall though.

Think the joints will crack on me?


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

yes.

if it was just going to exist and keep critters out I'd say dry would be fine, but as soon as you pout a finish on I would want them joined in some way to make it a mass


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## NYCB (Sep 20, 2010)

Makes sense, I will just keep going with it wet, not any more of a hassle really, it just sucks humping 600 block and my own mud.

I need a helper.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

sitdwnandhngon said:


> I need a helper.


yup.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

You may want to investigate the material made special for dry stacked concrete block. It is called surface bonding. I have never used it however, the producers claim the strength exceeds mortar laid block !


The nice thing about this product is you may be able to kill two birds with one stone.


I will try to find some product info. and post it for you.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

As soon as I did the search this company popped up on first page. I will say this,any product I have ever used by Bonsal has been absolutely top shelf.


Matter of fact, years ago, I used a lot of their stucco. They sold their product line to Parex / La Habre which I feel is some of the best stucco on market.


I would not be scared to use this stuff,best of luck.


http://resarch.com/bonsalamerican/PDFdocs/SURFACEB.PDF


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## NYCB (Sep 20, 2010)

I would give it a shot FJN but I already dropped off two ton of sand and 20 bags of mud.

I will look into it though and maybe test it out on my house (something I find myself doing far to often with new product)


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## Tscarborough (Feb 25, 2006)

Surface bonding cement is just mortar with fiber and a latex additive. Save your money and make your own. Use your regular mortar mix, throw in a handful of fiber and use latex bonder in your mix water at 5-1.


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

Around here we would just frame it with PT lumber, cement board and stucco, done. If you need bearing points just lay a few blocks where needed.


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

Here, you have to have block or brick underpend under mobile homes or modulars before you can refinance or borrow money against it. And you have to have a footer under it aswell.


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

This picture didn't scan well, but this is how we underpend mobile homes here.....


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

brickhook said:


> This picture didn't scan well, but this is how we underpend mobile homes here.....


 


Wow ! Nicely done,never saw a customer willing to stand the expense but it sure looks sharp!


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## NYCB (Sep 20, 2010)

brickhook said:


> This picture didn't scan well, but this is how we underpend mobile homes here.....


Holy crap, the foundation probably cost more than the house.


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

sitdwnandhngon said:


> Holy crap, the foundation probably cost more than the house.


Yeah,you're right about that. If they had spent a couple of more hours grading their lot down, they could of saved them selfs a lot of money.


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

fjn said:


> Wow ! Nicely done,never saw a customer willing to stand the expense but it sure looks sharp!


The picture was bad, but yeah I'd say 90% of all manufactured homes around here are brick underpended. Two neighboring counties actually have codes in place restricting the underpending , it has to be masonry of some sort.


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## NYCB (Sep 20, 2010)

brickhook said:


> The picture was bad, but yeah I'd say 90% of all manufactured homes around here are brick underpended. Two neighboring counties actually have codes in place restricting the underpending , it has to be masonry of some sort.


Around here I don't even think you have to take the wheels off, just park that sucker and start drinking beer and peeing of the porch.

At least that's the impression I get from most of the locals.


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## brickhook (May 8, 2012)

:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## stacker (Jan 31, 2006)

sitdwnandhngon said:


> Makes sense, I will just keep going with it wet, not any more of a hassle really, it just sucks humping 600 block and my own mud.
> 
> I need a helper.


awwwww.lol thats one reason i gave it up.as far the skirting goes.for sure wet lay them.never did one that wasnt a pain in the azz,and always said after finishing one id never do another,but then someone would call.....do you lay block under a double wide?
look for lots of cuts on the ends,and last course will mostly be soaps.also dont forget foundation vents.no less than 2 for each end and 4-5 on the front and back.


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## NYCB (Sep 20, 2010)

Already dreading the top course.

Worked out to something like 4.5 inches on each, any particular reason they can't set those suckers at 24 or 32 inches even?

I got a plan though, gonna have one cousin slicing block and another cousin under the house fitting and shimming.

Part of my agreement to do this job (for my aunt and uncle) is that they let me use their sons when needed and they had to pay them, and luckily, they are great workers and help me out a few times each year on big projects.

It's a 90 footer, I was planning on doing 2 vents on each end and 3 on each side, think I should bump it up to 5 per side? I need one in the middle so he can access the water line shutoffs to drain the spigots each fall.


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## stacker (Jan 31, 2006)

i dont think 5 would be too many,the more the merrier.make sure the crawl space door is big enough a grown man an get thru it.i generally leave an opening 32in wide and as tall as the skirting.


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