North Port Mobile Home Leveling Post-Hurricane Mobile Home Inspection in North Port
A hurricane can move a mobile home in ways you cannot see from the yard. Wind can shift a home on its piers, saturated sand can let pads sink, and straps can loosen or tear at the anchor. We go under the home after a storm and check the level, every pier we can reach, the straps and anchors, and the underbelly, then give you a written report of what we found. A post-storm inspection typically runs $150 to $350, and any repair we recommend is quoted separately in writing.
What the last two storms did here
Ian, September 28, 2022. At Holiday Park in North Port, about 200 of the 865 homes were demolished or set for demolition, mostly from wind, with loose aluminum thrown into neighbouring homes. La Casa took damage too. The state’s survey found that Englewood parks, mostly older and pre-HUD homes, took heavy damage to roofs, carports and lanais, and that damage at Lazy River Village was mostly to older roofs with attachments. North Port rain gauges recorded roughly 13 to 21 inches, Grove City recorded 26.95 inches, the storm’s highest, and Myakka River flooding closed part of I-75 in south Sarasota County.
Milton, October 9, 2024. Milton landed on Siesta Key. Surge of 6 to 9 feet reached the coast from Venice south to Boca Grande, and an EF1 tornado with winds estimated at 94 mph came ashore at El Jobean from the mouth of the Myakka River.
Sarasota and Charlotte counties are both HUD Wind Zone III, with a 110 mph design wind.
What we check
| Area | What we look for |
|---|---|
| Level | Height at every pier against the rest of the frame, and the marriage line on a doublewide |
| Piers and pads | Tipped, cracked or shifted blocks, sunken pads, gaps under the beam |
| Straps | Slack, torn, rusted or missing straps, and diagonal tie spacing against Rule 15C-1’s 5 foot 4 inch limit |
| Anchors | Heads pulled up or leaning, soft ground around them, coral anchors (which Rule 15C-1 says do not meet Zone II or III) |
| Attachments | Where a carport, lanai or porch roof was fixed to the home |
| Underbelly and ground | Torn bottom board, wet insulation, standing water under the home |
| Skirting | Panels missing or blown in, which can let debris under the home |
Water under the home
A storm that drops 13 to 21 inches of rain on poorly drained flatwood sand can leave water standing under homes for a while. The City names the Myakkahatchee Creek, the Myakka River and the city’s canals as its flood-prone areas, and about 30% of the City’s area is mapped as a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area. Pads that sat in water can settle after it drains, so if your home had water under it, it is worth reading the level again once the ground has dried.
Flood zone rules
If storm repairs grow into replacing or substantially improving a home in a flood hazard area inside the City, the home has to be elevated so the bottom of its frame is at or above base flood plus one foot. In Sarasota County, elevating a home needs a replacement permit, and in a flood zone the county asks for an elevation certificate or 50% Rule paperwork.
After the report
You get the report whether or not you hire us for anything. If repairs are needed, we quote them: a relevel, tie-downs, pier and pad repair, underbelly work or skirting. Ask whoever does the work for their FLHSMV mobile home installer licence number and look it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a post-storm inspection cost?
A level, pier and tie-down inspection with a written report typically runs $150 to $350. If we find work that needs doing, we quote it separately in writing, and you decide.
My home looks fine from outside. Is an inspection worth it?
It can be. Piers, pads, straps and anchors are under the home, so a change there cannot be seen from the street. After Ian, the state's survey in Englewood noted that the older homes still standing in Mobile Gardens mainly had no noticeable damage to their piers, stabilizers and anchors, which is the part of a home an inspection looks at.
My carport or lanai came off. Does that affect the home?
It can. In the state's Ian survey, damage at Lazy River Village in North Port was mostly to older roofs with attachments, and Englewood parks took heavy roof, carport and lanai damage. When something fixed to the home is torn away, we look at where it was attached as well as underneath.
Will Sarasota County need paperwork for the repairs?
It depends on the work. The county's building official says set-up or tie-down needs a building permit and a licensed installer, and elevating a home takes a replacement permit. In a flood zone the county asks for an elevation certificate or Substantial Damage (50% Rule) paperwork. Inside the City of North Port, ask the City's Building Division.