Mobile Home Metal Roof Choices on a Manufactured Home
Pitched Roof-Over on New Trusses
The roof-over is the bigger job and the bigger change. A row of light wood trusses or rafters goes across the home, gets tied down to the walls or frame, and is sheathed or purlined and covered with metal. The home gains real pitch, so rain sheds fast instead of sitting on a nearly flat roof, and the new eaves keep water off the siding and window tops. The space between the old roof and the new one can be vented and insulated, which helps under a Mississippi summer sun. The new framing adds weight and catches more wind, so the tie-down detail matters more than the panel brand.
Purlins and Panels Over the Old Metal Roof
Older manufactured homes often have a thin, slightly crowned metal roof that has been coated or tarred over more than once. A recover keeps that shape: wood purlins are screwed across it into the roof framing, and new ribbed panels go on top. It costs less than a roof-over and adds little height. The roof stays low, though, so it drains slowly and the walls still get no overhang. Water stains or soft spots in the ceiling should be checked before anything is screwed into the old structure.
Single-Section and Multi-Section Homes
A single-wide is one section, so new trusses span the whole width in one piece. A double-wide is two sections joined on site along a seam, often called the marriage line, that runs down the ridge. Any new roof has to bridge that joint and keep it sealed, so ask how the roofer handles the ridge on a two-section home. Double-wides also mean more roof area, which shows up in the price.
Porch and Carport Roofs Tied to the Home
Owners often want the new roof extended over a front porch, a deck or a carport. That's where the data plate matters most, because it states whether the home was designed to carry the extra load of an attached structure. If it wasn't, the porch or carport roof should stand on its own posts and beams and only meet the home with flashing. Freestanding small roofs are covered on metal carport roof and metal porch roof.
Why Jackson homeowners call Jackson Metal Roofing Pros
- One independent metal roofer gets your request, not a call list
- A free measure, deck check and written estimate
- Ask for panel system, gauge and paint finish in writing
- The roofing permit is part of the scope: ask who pulls it
- No charge to the property owner for the referral
Mobile Home Metal Roof Limits on the HUD Data Plate
Every manufactured home built to the federal HUD code carries a data plate, fixed near the main electrical panel or in another easy-to-see spot. Under 24 CFR 3280.5 it has to state:
Roof load zone
The design roof load. No Mississippi county is on HUD's North or Middle lists, which puts the state in the South zone at 20 pounds per square foot.Wind zone
HUD puts only six coastal-area Mississippi counties in Wind Zone II. Hinds County is in Wind Zone I, where homes are designed for at least 15 psf of horizontal wind load and 9 psf of net roof uplift.Attached structures
A plain statement that the home IS or IS NOT designed for the added loads of an attached accessory building or structure.
A roof-over adds dead load and changes how wind acts on the home, and it shouldn't rely on capacity the plate doesn't show. A good roofer will photograph the data plate at the first visit and design the new framing and tie-downs around it.
Mobile Home Metal Roof Costs and Demand in Jackson
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts 851 mobile homes in the City of Jackson, about 1.1% of its housing units. With that few in the city, ask how many roof-overs the roofer has actually built. HomeGuide's national cost guide puts a metal roof on a mobile home at $2,500 to $19,200 for a single-wide and $5,000 to $32,000 for a double-wide.
Mobile Home Metal Roof Questions for the Roofer
Framing and tie-down
What the new trusses or purlins fasten to, and how they resist uplift.Venting
How air moves through the space between the old roof and the new one, so humid air doesn't condense on the old steel.Overhang
How wide the new eaves will be, and whether gutters are included.Old roof prep
Whether loose coatings, vents and roof jacks are removed or flashed through.Panels
Which profile and steel thickness suit a light roof-over, and what paint is on them; the steel and paint options are compared on Galvalume metal roof.Permit
The City of Jackson requires roofing permits for many jobs; ask who pulls it and whether a roof-over counts as a structural alteration.