Like A Challenge? Maybe You Can Help Me..

pud

First off, Im new here...Im looking for some ideas on my current situation.

Ive got an old mobile home sitting on wood blocks. With the economy the way it is, its impossible to sell unless I "affix" it to the land (ie:screw piles, sonotube, etc...) Here is the problem:
I can not raise the trailer to do anything underneath as my carport is existing non conforming and attached to the trailer. If I lift the trailer I have to lift the carport which is an alteration which would afterwards have to comply with local bylaws. The support posts are sitting on the property line and do not comply with the 5' sideyard setback.
I need to get something here to anchor the place to. The frost line here is 4' sub-grade (northern alberta, canada) and Ive only got about 30" headroom under the trailer.
I am thinking Im going to have to crawl under there with a shovel and dig myself some holes for some kind of concrete form.

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

neolitic

Have use 4 screw anchors to secure
many job site office trailers.

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(Sorry....it seems there really are dumb questions)

RayGoerdt

Do a search on " frost protected shallow footings" I am not sure if they are approved in your area, but this may be an option.

LawnGuyLand

Mark where the footings need to go. Detach the carport. Move the mobile home. Install footings. Replace mobile home. Reattach carport.

As long as nobody sees HOW it was done, nobody can say you altered anything.

pud

Lots of good ideas so far...thanks fellas.

Csavage1

Monolithic concrete floating slab with some anchor banding from the frame of your trailer to the slab will do the anchor part.

Do they allow floating slabs in your area? 6 to 10 inches of crete is great for setting the blocking and also the best way to seal up for skirting.

Is this occupied in the winter or is it a cottage?

Also how wide and long is the trailer?

pud

sorry, shouldve thought of this on the last post..but I cant move the trailer. I have a full length addition that is attached to the side opposite the carport and I have two 14' sections of the exterior trailer wall removed that open into the addition. Not to mention I live right in town, a small town at that across from a busy restaurant, moving it wouldnt be very inconspicous even if I could.

The trailer is 14'W x 66'L and I live here year round. Winter gets to -40c for a few weeks every year (2x3 walls with r7=brr). The soil is clay and drainage is very poor.

I'll have to look into the FPSF's and wether or not they could be utilized to set a sonotube column on or not..maybe someone here knows too.
The floating slab sounds good, but potentially more work and money....also Im not sure if they allow floating slabs. My previous residence had a 4' frost line as well, and when I purchased it there was a 24x32 slab for a shop which had been engineered and installed legally as per bylaws...tho that was a different province with different soils.

What about hydro-vac excavation for digging holes for some bigfoot sonotube or some other form of pillar?

Csavage1

We have jacked many cottages and small homes up to 4 ft high and installed cribs to support the trailer. Yours is 14 ft and that would be no problem lifting that. If they will let you do a slab you can do it in 2 or 3 pours. By boxing out the cribs and pouring the perimeter 1st,then you can move the cribs and set the trailer down on the blocks. With a slab you can do many improvements to the trailer and help keep your pipes from freezing. The sono tubes are ok sometimes but the better is the slab.

Just my experience from setting up mobile homes almost 30 years. good luck lets us know how you progress.

Gus Dering

Out here in Cali there are many laborers very well versed in that type of excavation. Earthquake retrofit comes into play on every remodel of substantial size.
I could not believe how perfect of a trench can be dug under a house with a foot of head space. 5 gal buckets and little gardening shovels.
I'm not saying you can do it but there are some that can if they can hang with it.
It's an amazing sight really.

joasis

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