Re-leveling and pier service
Mobile home re-leveling in Florida, before the cracks turn into damage.
Every manufactured home in Florida settles. Sandy soil, summer rain, hurricane saturation, and time all push piers out of plumb. Re-leveling is the maintenance that keeps your floors flat, your doors closed, and your drywall intact. We re-level single-wides, double-wides, and triple-wides statewide.
Florida geology
Why homes settle in Florida
Florida soil is one of the worst in the country for foundation stability. The same conditions that make a great beach make a poor base for piers. Three forces work against your home every year:
- Sandy and organic soil compacts unevenly under load, especially in the first 2 years after install
- Water table swings: heavy summer rain saturates the ground, dry winters shrink it back. Piers ride that movement.
- Hurricanes and tropical storms saturate the lot for days at a time, accelerating settling under heavy frame ends
- Original install errors: piers spaced too wide, wood shims that rotted, footings undersized for the soil class
Diagnostic
Warning signs you need re-leveling now
Most homeowners notice the cosmetic signs first and do not connect them to the foundation. By the time the floor visibly slopes, the frame has already been working sideways for a year. Watch for:
- Drywall cracks at door corners or in the ceiling, especially diagonal cracks
- Doors that stick, drag on the jamb, or will not latch
- Windows that suddenly will not close or have a visible gap at one corner
- Floors that feel sloped, bouncy, or hollow when you walk certain spots
- Visible gaps between the wall and the baseboard or between the ceiling and crown
- Marriage line gap on a double-wide, daylight visible between sections
- Skirt that has popped loose or buckled on one side
- Plumbing connections leaking under the home where lines pulled apart
Our re-leveling process
- 1Lot inspection: we walk every pier with a level and a flashlight, mark the lows and highs
- 2Frame check: laser or water level across the I-beam to map total deflection
- 3Hydraulic jack lift: each section raised in small increments to avoid cracking the home
- 4Shim, replace, or rebuild piers: rotted shims swapped for treated hardwood or composite, broken piers re-stacked
- 5Re-tighten frame ties and stabilizers loosened by the movement
- 6Re-check level twice: once with the home loaded, once after settle
- 7Patch skirt and reseat any popped trim caused by the lift
Pier and beam vs slab foundations
Most Florida mobile homes sit on pier and beam, not slab. The work is different on each:
Concrete or ABS piers under the steel I-beam frame, with footings on grade. Re-leveling is straightforward: lift, shim, re-block. We do this without removing any skirt panels in most cases.
Concrete footings with a steel bracing system, or a poured perimeter. It is what lenders ask for on FHA, VA and conventional loans, and it holds the home level for the long run. We install it and level the home in the same job.
Older homes sometimes sit on poured concrete runners under each I-beam. We can re-level these by lifting and re-shimming where the runner has cracked or settled.
How often to re-level in Florida
Industry guidance and our own field experience point to the same window: most Florida homes need re-leveling every 3 to 5 years. Sandy lots and shoreline lots settle faster. Lots with mature drainage and stable soil can stretch to 7 years. Get a level check after every named storm that passes within 100 miles, and once at the 18-month mark on any new install.
Done to Florida code and the manufacturer's installation manual.
Tired of re-leveling every few years?
A permanent foundation can end the cycle. We set concrete footings under the home with a steel bracing system, level it in the same job, and the home can then be certified by a licensed engineer for FHA, VA and conventional loans. Like all our work, it comes with a 1-year written warranty.
See foundation certification →What affects the price
- Home size: single-wide, double-wide, or triple-wide
- How many piers need shims, rebuilding, or replacing
- Soil and access under the home, and whether skirting has to come off
- Wind zone and any tie-downs that need re-tightening
- Permits, when the county requires one
We give you a written quote after a quick call or visit, before any work starts.
No surprises
- The price on your written quote is the price.
- If something changes on site, we tell you in writing first. Nothing extra happens without your signature.
- You pay in stages as the work gets done, not everything up front.
- Your lender can work from our written quote.
Selling or buying with a loan?
The lender needs an engineer's foundation certification. We fix what the engineer checks, and our partner engineer certifies the home.
Foundation certification for your lenderCommon questions
- How do I know my mobile home needs re-leveling?
- The signs: sloped or bouncy floors, doors and windows that stick, cracks in drywall at corners, and gaps opening at the marriage line. Florida homes typically need re-leveling every 3 to 5 years as soil settles.
- How much does mobile home re-leveling cost?
- It depends on home size, how far it has settled, and how many piers need work. We give you a written quote after a quick call or visit, before any work starts.
- Will re-leveling fix my cracked walls and stuck doors?
- Re-leveling fixes the cause, the home shifting off level. Existing cosmetic cracks may need separate patching, but stuck doors and bouncy floors usually resolve once the home is brought back to level and re-shimmed.
Stop the settling before it costs more
A re-level today is a fraction of the cost of drywall, door, and floor repairs after another year of movement.