Skirting Repair and Installation for Manufactured Homes

What skirting does

Good skirting keeps animals, wind driven rain and debris out of the crawlspace, protects exposed plumbing from freezing, and keeps the underside of the home looking finished. It also, properly vented, allows air to move through the crawlspace so moisture does not sit against the underbelly and the framing.

On this soil there is a further point. Skirting affects the moisture pattern in the ground directly under and around the home. Ground beneath a fully enclosed home dries differently from the exposed yard a few feet away. That difference between the sheltered interior soil and the exposed perimeter soil is one reason edge piers and interior piers can move at different rates through a Navarro County summer.

Common skirting problems here

• Panels buckling or popping out of the track. This is often the first visible symptom that the home itself has moved, since skirting is fitted to a specific frame height.
• A widening gap along the bottom edge where the soil has shrunk away in dry weather, or a panel pushed outward where the soil has swelled.
• Wind damage from severe storms, with panels torn loose or missing entirely.
• Mower and string trimmer damage along the base.
• Animal entry points at corners and around utility penetrations.
• Blocked, painted over or too few vents, leaving damp air trapped underneath.
• No usable access panel, which makes any pier inspection a demolition job first.

Materials

Vinyl skirting is the most common option and is straightforward to replace panel by panel. Metal skirting is more resistant to impact and to string trimmers. Simulated masonry panels give a heavier appearance with less weight than real block. Concrete or masonry skirting is the most permanent and the least forgiving of frame movement, which is a real consideration on ground that changes elevation seasonally. A rigid skirt that cannot accommodate any movement will crack when the home shifts, whereas a panel system can be reset.

Ventilation and access

Two details are worth insisting on in any skirting installation. First, adequate vents, distributed around the perimeter rather than clustered on one side, so air actually moves through instead of stagnating in a corner. Second, a proper access panel large enough for a contractor to get in and out with tools.

On clay soil that access panel is not a luxury. If the home is likely to need support checked periodically, being able to open the crawlspace without cutting the skirt saves money and makes it far more likely that someone actually looks under there after a dry spell.

Skirting and drainage together

Skirting sits at the boundary between the yard and the crawlspace, so it is where drainage problems become obvious. Water that sheets off a roof without gutters lands right at the skirt line and soaks the soil at the perimeter. That is the same soil the outer piers bear on. Contractors handling skirting work often look at the grade and at downspout routing at the same time, because a new skirt installed over a wet, uneven perimeter will be back out of alignment before long.

Repair or replace

Isolated damage on an otherwise sound skirt usually means a panel swap and a track adjustment. Widespread buckling, a skirt that has separated along most of one side, or panels that no longer match the current frame height are better handled as a replacement, and it is worth resolving any support movement before the new skirt is fitted so it is measured to a stable height.

Getting connected with a local contractor

This site connects homeowners in Corsicana and the surrounding Navarro County communities with independent contractors who repair and install manufactured home skirting. Noting the material, the length of the home and whether the damage is localized or general helps a contractor scope the work.