Criterium-Ferrari Engineers provides design and inspection services by NYS licensed Professional Engineers in the city of Buffalo, New York and all surrounding towns and villages within Erie county as well as Allegany, Cattargus, Chatauqua, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming Counties in the Western New York region.

A Manufactured Home is defined as a structure built on a permanent chassis, transportable in one or more sections that are no more than 8 feet wide and 40 feet long, or 320 square feet when erected on the site. It is designed to be used as a dwelling and contain plumbing, heating (and air-conditioning) and electrical systems. The category does not include recreational vehicles (RVs), structures designed for temporary living, or modular homes.

Mortgages are available for the purchase of new or existing manufactured homes. Most mortgages written by a lender are almost certain to be insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

As a condition of providing insurance, the FHA requires that the foundation for new homes be designed by, and the design certified by a licensed Professional Engineer. The design must comply with FHA guidelines. For existing homes, a Professional Engineer is required to certify that the foundation meets the requirements as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) “Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing” – September 1996.

A permanent foundation is one that is “constructed of durable materials (concrete, mortared masonry, treated wood) and be site built. It shall have attachment points to anchor and stabilize the manufactured home to transfer all loads to underlying soil or rock. The permanent foundations shall be structurally developed in accordance with this document or be structurally designed by a licensed professional engineer.”

Although the design must comply with the manufacturer’s instructions, as well as local building codes, doing so does not guaranty that it complies with the HUD Guidelines. The design must provide vertical stability as follows:

• Anchorage capacity to prevent uplift and overturning due to winds or seismic forces, whichever controls. Screw-in soil anchors are not considered permanent anchorage.
• Footing size to prevent overloading the soil-bearing capacity and avoids soil settlement. Footings shall be reinforced concrete to be considered permanent. Base of footing below maximum frost-penetration depth.
• Enclosure of a basement or crawl space with a continuous wall (whether load bearing or non-load bearing) that separates the basement of the crawlspace from the backfill, and keeps out vermin and water as well as having adequate ventilation.
• The design must provide lateral stability with anchorage capacity to prevent sliding due to wind or seismic forces, whichever controls, in the transverse or longitudinal direction. Dry stacked masonry support piers are not allowed.