Setup and installation
Mobile home setup in Florida, blocked, leveled, tied, and signed off.
Setup is the work that turns a transported home into a livable, code-compliant home on its lot. In Florida, every step follows the state's installation rules. We handle the full setup from delivery to county sign-off.
Scope of work
What setup actually includes
When people say setup, they mean five separate jobs that have to happen in order. Skip one and the county will not sign your permit:
- Pier and footing layout: pads spaced per the manufacturer's guide and Florida code (typically every 8 ft along the I-beam)
- Block and shim: ABS or concrete piers stacked, capped, and shimmed tight under the frame
- Level: every pier checked with a 4 ft level, then re-checked with a water level across the home
- Tie-down anchors and frame straps: ground anchors driven, frame ties torqued, stabilizers added
- Skirt, utility hookup, and weather seal: vinyl or block skirt, water, sewer, electric, and the marriage line on multi-section homes
Permits and licensing
Permits you actually need
Two permits, two separate offices. Both must be open before the home is set, and both must close before you can move in:
- DHSMV trip permit: covers the transport and the act of installing on the lot. We pull this for you.
- County installation permit: filed at your county building department by a Florida-licensed mobile home installer. Trinity is a licensed installer and files this for you, so it is done right the first time.
- Electrical, plumbing, and septic sub-permits: required in most counties, often pulled by the licensed sub-contractor doing that trade
- Final county inspection: scheduled after every system is hooked up and the home is tied down. Pass and you get a certificate of occupancy or a setup affidavit.
Trinity is a licensed, bonded, and insured Florida mobile home installer. We pull the DHSMV trip permit and the county installation permit, and we coordinate the licensed electrical, plumbing, and septic subs for their sub-permits. One accountable team from permit to final inspection.
Done to Florida code and the manufacturer's installation manual.
The sequence we follow
- 1Site visit and quote: we walk the lot, check soil, access, and utility stub locations
- 2Permits open: DHSMV trip permit and county install permit, both pulled by Trinity
- 3Pad and pier layout: marked per manufacturer's setup manual
- 4Home delivered and rolled into final position
- 5Block, shim, and level: every pier checked twice
- 6Tie-down anchors driven and pull-tested, frame straps torqued
- 7Utility hookups: water, sewer, electric, gas if applicable
- 8Skirting installed and marriage line sealed (double or triple-wide)
- 9County inspector visits, signs the permit, you get the paperwork
Common setup pitfalls we fix
Some installers space piers wider than the manufacturer's manual to save block and time. The home settles unevenly within a year. Doors stick, drywall cracks. We follow the actual setup manual, every time.
Wood shims rot in Florida humidity. We use treated hardwood or composite shims rated for ground contact, capped under steel pier caps.
Driving the anchor is half the job. The other half is pull-testing each one to the rated holding load for the soil class. We test every anchor and document the result for the county.
On double and triple-wide homes, the seam between sections must be bolted, gasketed, and weather-sealed. A bad seal lets in water, bugs, and energy loss. We seal top to bottom, inside and out.
Florida code requires net free ventilation area in the crawlspace, calculated by square footage. Solid skirt without proper vents traps moisture and rots the floor system. We install vented skirt sized to your home.
What affects the price
- Home size: single-wide, double-wide, triple-wide, or modular
- How many piers and anchors the home needs
- Soil, lot prep, and access for the crew and equipment
- Wind zone where the home sits
- Permits, inspections, and utility hookup coordination
We give you a written quote after a quick call or visit, before any work starts.
For the full anchoring and frame-strap detail: See the tie-down and anchor system guide →
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.
Common questions
- What does mobile home setup include?
- A code-compliant setup covers blocking and leveling, the anchor and tie-down system to Florida code, marriage-line work on double and triple-wides, and the final inspection. Skirting and utility hookups are usually separate line items so you see what each step costs.
- Do I have to use the dealer's installer?
- No. Florida lets you choose your own licensed installer for transport and setup. The dealer's bundled setup line is often where buyers overpay; a line-by-line comparison routinely finds four figures of difference.
- How long does setup take?
- A typical single or double-wide setup runs one to two days once the home is on site, scheduled around the county permit and inspection.
Get your home set right the first time
From the trip permit to the final county inspection, we run the whole setup so you only deal with one team and one phone number.