I am inspecting a 2024 manufactured home with a 5:12 roof and attic space. This is pretty nice because I can actually walk through it. Of course, like every manufactured home I look at the ridge vent is installed wrong. On this one the shingles are laid over the ridge. There may be a very thin gap but I can’t tell due to the ridge boards. On both gable ends there is at least a 1" to 3" gap between the sheeting and the soffit running the length of the gables.
I can see daylight from the ridge to the eave. I have never seen this before and apparently the manufacture says it is for ventilation. That doesn’t make much sense to me, but I really don’t know. There are quit a few issues with this new home due to poor workmanship. Can somebody shed some light on this? Does this come into play when calculating attic ventilation? Is it legit?
Thanks in advance!
[quote="David Fiala, post:1, topic:244634, username:dfiala”]
…the ridge vent is installed wrong. On this one the shingles are laid over the ridge. There may be a very thin gap but I can’t tell due to the ridge boards.
…On both gable ends there is at least a 1" to 3" gap between the sheeting and the soffit running the length of the gables…and apparently the manufacture says it is for ventilation.
…There are quit a few issues with this new home due to poor workmanship. Can somebody shed some light on this?
[/quote]
Hi David.
The ridge vent in your picture appears clear of shingles to me. I see, what I think is, a foam baffle with light that I would expect to see on a ridge vent.
The gable gaps are for ventilation according to the manufacturer as you said.
Other “issues” you reference are “poor workmanship” and that is subjective, is it not?
Was there ANY indication that the attic lacked adequate ventilation?…ANY anomaly at all?
Did the “poor workmanship” rise to anything SOP reportable?…ANY anomaly at all?
If not, you are good to move along my good man. 
That is not a Manufactured Home. It is a Modular home.
Thanks, Larry. The area you are seeing at the ridge is not the ridge vent. That is the 2 ridge boards with the foam seal. The ridge vent does not extend anywhere near the ends of the roof.
This is the only manufactured home I have seen with gaps at the gables. According to a contractor (who is on site) hired by the manufacture to come deal with the many issues at this home, he has never seen it either. And he works with several manufactures traveling many states. The only indication of faulty ventilation is the ridgevent. The house has been set for maybe a month and a half and has enough issue that the home owners have not moved in.
The poor workmanship comment was added due to not knowing if the gaps at the gables were right or wrong. Plenty of poor workmanship which could lead to the sheeting on the gables being cut/installed poorly. I am not reporting on poor workmanship unless it does or could create an issue. This is a house full of issues from moisture, doors that don’t work, and many other issues. I was only curious about the gaps at the gables.
I appreciate your speedy reply!
Hi David.
Do you have pictures of the ridge vent from the attic?
I’ve inspected many manufactured and stick built homes with gable/rake soffit venting that worked great.
However, I can’t tell if there is a little gable soffit by your picture. If not, the openings could be a pest and potential water entry.
Are there soffit vents in the home?
This is a manufactured home sitting on piers. Thanks for the help with the question.
There are soffits vents all the way around. If you have seen this before I’ll consider it good. Thank you for help.
A Modular Home sits on piers as well.
How many trailers have you seen with attics ?
Was there a place for an axle under it ?
Maybe it is though, since it looks like it has a SN tag?
OK ! Maybe it is.
It will be the first out of thousands I have inspected that had an attic.
I may be confused, but I am under the impression that any house built off site, reconstructed onsite, is a “manufactured home”. Knowing that the RE industry is making it tabu to refer to Mobile Homes these days, they all are being referred to as “manufactured homes.” There is few ways to tell the difference between the two though…
Manufactured and modular homes are both prefabricated structures built in a factory and then transported to a site. The main difference between the two is that modular homes are anchored to a permanent foundation and held to local, state, and regional building codes, while manufactured homes can be relocated and are held to a federal code set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Of course Roy. What do you see that makes this a Modular as opposed to a Mobile?
Sitting on a metal frame with axle. Most mod home are much better that man homes.
The roof system looks like a modular home.
That’s what I thought.
Very well could be. A few of the recent built “mobiles” I’ve inspected actually had both vaulted in the living area and attic on either ends. I guess it all boils down to if evidence of axles and tongue were present…
Why do these threads always get hijacked by somebody that isn’t there to help?Roy, if you have done 1000’s of these than why don’t you add some helpful information towards the original question asked? It doesn’t matter if its a modular or a manufactured home. If you have done 1000’s you should be the right guy to answer the question. Do you have anything helpful to add? Larry has already answered the question about the attic ventilation in this manufactured home, but I always appreciate shared knowledge.
I have done 1000’es. I’ve been doing this for over 40 years. Florida is filled with CANdominiums.
I believe everyone else has answered your question.
Larry was the only one to answer it. After you went off, the entire thread went in another direction. Enjoy retirement.