Can a Double-Wide Be Moved? | TMH 002
The answer (to this post title) is yes, but it’s complicated and there are a few factors to consider. The most important of these factors has to do with how a double wide is manufactured.
Double wides are literally double the width of single wide, and are made from two single wides stuck together. This is interesting structurally. A single wide’s roof is supported by its four exterior walls - therefore all interior walls are non-load bearing. If you wished, you could knockdown all the interior walls and the roof would stay up. Crazy, right? Now hold onto your butts - a double wide is made from two single wides, therefore their outside walls support the roof, as well as one interior wall that runs down the center of the double wide.
This center interior wall was formerly an exterior wall on single wide A, and an exterior wall on single wide B. This load bearing interior wall may have openings in it just like the exterior walls, and may also be replaced with a column to create an open living room space. For the plan and elevation above I added some color showing the two single wides making one double wide.
So, you are probably asking at this point: what does this have to do with moving a double wide? Well, I’ll tell you. When a single wide is moved it is picked up by a crane and loaded on a flatbed truck. When a double wide is moved it is handled in the same manner. Yes, it has to be split into two! So, moving a double wide from one site to another is kind of a big deal.
Here is link to an article titled The Cost to Transport a Double Wide Home from SFGate.com that you may find helpful. I’ll go deeper into cost, and other moving issues, in a future post.
Now, another consideration that is of interest here are materials. This is another topic I’m going to go a little deeper into in a future post. Why do manufactured homes always have paneling? Why do they always have laminate backsplashes? Why do they always have carpeting? If you guess it was because of moving and transportation you've clearly been paying attention. Paneling will survive a move much better than drywall will (it’s lighter too). Laminate backsplashes will survive a move much better than tile (it's lighter too, again). And carpet is much easier and quicker to lay over the seam where two single wides have been joined to make one double wide, rather than hardwood or laminate (weight isn’t really a factor here as it would be laid after the double wide is on site).
Is it important to stick with materials that can survive a move when remodeling your manufactured home? I’m not so sure. Supposedly, 90% of manufactured homes will never be moved from where they currently are, so maybe not. Stay tuned for future posts for my opinions on materials.
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