The first time you shop for a mobile home, you may notice it’s not like shopping for a traditional property. Some of the most significant differences are in the community, especially if you’re moving to a 55+ park. However, there are other aspects to consider when shopping for a mobile home to purchase or rent, either a primary residence or a second home. While shopping for a home in a retirement community, one thing you may wonder is whether mobile home skirting is important for your property.

What does mobile home skirting do?

Mobile home skirting is essentially a barrier around the bottom of a mobile home to protect the plumbing hookups for your property. It also keeps animals out from beneath your home. Skirting provides insulation against the constant cold or hot air flow beneath your floors. During the colder winter months in Arizona, mobile home skirting goes a long way toward preventing pipes from freezing.

While not a structural necessity, mobile home skirting gives a home a permanent, finished appearance. Some owners also use the additional space as storage, much like a garage or attic space. It’s also an opportunity for mobile homeowners to change the appearance of their property.

What is mobile home skirting made from?

Skirting comes in various materials at many different price points. Some skirting requires separate framing and plywood as a sub-wall to provide additional structure to your skirting. Popular materials include:

• Vinyl: while affordable, vinyl doesn’t provide much structural support and can be easily damaged.
• Faux rock, Reil rock, or natural stone: faux and Reil are made from polyurethane and provide extra structural support at a lower cost than natural stone.
• Metal: corrugated, ribbed, and tin panels are affordable, sturdy, and can be painted to match your mobile homes.

Skirting is an easy and affordable way to upgrade your mobile home while improving the protection of your property.

How do you ventilate underneath your mobile home?

Just as skirting provides insulation and protection during the cold months in Arizona, it can collect heat beneath your mobile home during the summer. Choosing high-quality vents is essential, especially if you install your skirting yourself.

Vents should be within three feet of corners to prevent stagnant air pockets from forming. Every mobile home should have one vent for every 350 square feet.

Modern vets are thermo-responsive, so they’ll open when temperatures go over 70 degrees and close when temps drop below 40 degrees.

Does skirting a mobile home mean it’s permanently installed?

One of the advantages of mobile homes is that you can relocate them to a new property or RV resort at your discretion. A common misconception is that installing certain kinds of mobile skirting will classify your mobile home as permanently installed.

Skirting has no relevance to the installation of a mobile home. The features that determine if a property is installed are the anchoring and the presence of axles.

Superstition Buttes sells new and pre-owned packages with carports, climate control, and stylish mobile home skirting.

For new retirees relocating to Apache Junction and snowbirds looking to escape winter, Superstition Buttes is a vibrant 55+ community with RV lots as well as new and pre-owned mobile homes for sale and rent. We provide exceptional facility maintenance and friendly support, making us the premier senior mobile home community in Apache Junction.

Our five-star retirement community offers incredible amenities, clubs, and activities. Residents can stay active, whatever that means to them–from arts and crafts to bocce balls, line dancing, and hiking.

Browse available properties at Superstition Buttes, complete with mobile home skirting, or contact our team with questions about our senior retirement community.