Moving, Rewiring and Remodeling a Modular Home

By HomeSmitten Team ·

Can a Modular Home Be Moved Again?

The quick answer

A modular home can be moved in theory, but it is rarely done because it is bolted to a permanent foundation and has to be taken apart. Its wiring is installed in the factory and joined on site at the marriage line, so use a licensed electrician for any change. Never remove or cut a wall until you've confirmed it isn't load bearing. The marriage wall is the one most likely to carry load, so treat it as structural until an engineer says otherwise.

People ask these four questions because the answers are not what they'd guess from a regular house. A modular home is built in factory sections and joined on site, so there is a seam in the middle of the house, wiring that crosses it, and walls that may be doing more work than they look like. A wrong guess can mean a sagging roof or a failed inspection.

This guide is about modular homes, which are built to state and local building codes like site-built houses. It is not about manufactured homes, which are built on a steel chassis to the federal HUD Code. A red HUD label on the outside of each section, or HUD wording on the data plate, means the home is manufactured. Most advice online about "mobile homes" does not apply to a modular home, and the reverse is true too. We found no published rule written specifically for changing a modular marriage wall, so where this guide goes beyond its sources, it says so.

Can a Modular Home Be Moved?

Technically yes, practically rarely. Maryland's labor department says a modular home is "not designed to move from site to site once set on a permanent foundation." A manufactured home, by contrast, may move or may be set on a foundation permanently. One mover directory says moving an assembled modular home requires disassembly, which it calls costly and complex.

Can you remove a modular home?

Here is what a move involves:

  • Separating the sections. The modules are fastened to each other at the marriage line with structural hardware, according to an engineering explainer on site connections. Utility lines, finishes and the roof seam have to be undone before the sections can part. In our judgment, this is the step that makes a move costly, and a mover or the manufacturer should check whether your home can be separated at all.
  • Lifting off the foundation. Sections are set by crane, which is how they got there. A crane and the access for it come back into the plan.
  • Transport. Each section needs standard oversize load permits, according to the same mover directory.
  • A new permanent foundation and permits. The new site needs its own zoning check, building permit, foundation, utility hookups and inspections, as the first one did.

The checklist from Delaware's manufactured home relocation authority is useful as a reminder of the scope (permits, new footers, utilities, reconnecting), but it is written for manufactured and mobile homes. A modular home needs a mover with experience in sectional homes. We haven't quoted a cost because we found no dated, scoped figure from a source we could trust. Get written quotes from house movers and a crane company, and ask the local building department what permits the move needs.

Because of the disassembly, selling the home and building or buying elsewhere may be the easier path. In our judgment, get a mover's written opinion before you decide.

How Are Modular Homes Wired?

Most of the wiring goes in at the factory. The NAHB Modular Home Builders Council says the modules often arrive with walls, floor, ceiling, wiring, plumbing and interior fixtures already complete, and that every home is inspected by an independent third-party agency before it leaves the factory and again by a local building inspector on site. Maryland's state standard for modular homes is a performance code that includes the National Electrical Code.

Can modular homes be relocated?

On site, the electrical work is the connection. According to an explainer on site connections, wiring is pre-run to the edge of each module, and electricians join the circuits in junction boxes near the marriage line. Counties list this as the electrical crossover in their inspection steps, and some inspect the marriage wall with the walls and roof still open, before siding or inside trim goes on. Louisa County, Virginia and Harnett County, North Carolina both list a marriage wall inspection, and Harnett adds a rough-in that covers the electrical crossover. Harnett's inspector also checks the panel box at the final inspection.

Where things are:

  • The panel. It is usually inside the home, and the state label or data plate may be on or near it. North Carolina's memo says a data plate in the panel box is a less common location now.
  • The crossover. Joints at the marriage line are often boxed and then covered by drywall tape and paint, so they may not be visible. We couldn't find a source that says exactly where yours are. Ask the manufacturer for the wiring plan.

For any change, hire a licensed electrician and get the permit. Local rules differ: one Massachusetts town lets a homeowner pull an electrical permit for their own work with an insurer's letter, while others don't. Ask your building department. Don't open a junction box at the marriage line yourself, because you may not know which circuits cross it.

How to Remove a Marriage Wall in a Modular Home

The marriage wall is where two modules meet. Two modules are joined there with lag bolts, structural screws and metal plates connecting studs, floor joists and roof trusses, according to the site-connections explainer. That means the wall is more than a divider. It may sit under the roof, floor or ceiling framing of both modules.

Whether you can open it up depends on load, and that is a question for an engineer. Our judgment, not a published rule, is that you should assume the marriage wall is structural until proven otherwise. Here is a sensible order:

  1. Get the manufacturer's drawings. Use the serial number on the data plate to ask the manufacturer for plans and the engineering for your model. The data plate also lists design loads for roof, floor and wind, per North Carolina's memo.
  2. Hire a structural engineer. The engineer decides whether a beam, posts and a larger opening can work, and sizes the beam. Bob Vila's article quotes a contractor saying an engineer should size any replacement header for the span.
  3. Get a permit. The same source says wall removal is a job that needs a permit. Ask your local building department what it requires.
  4. Plan the utilities. Electrical crossovers, plumbing and ducts may run through the wall. A licensed electrician and plumber should reroute them.
  5. Hire a contractor. Shore the structure first, then open the wall. Don't start cutting yourself.

If the manufacturer is gone, an engineer can still assess the framing, but the cost and risk go up. Opening the wall without a plan can leave the roof or ceiling unsupported.

Can You Knock Down Walls in a Modular Home?

Some walls, yes. Others hold the house up. The only safe order is to find out first.

Safety first: never cut, hammer or pull a wall until you've confirmed it is not load bearing. Wires, pipes and ducts may also run inside it, so shut off power and water at the source before any work.

Clues from home-improvement sources, which apply to modular homes as they do to site-built ones:

  • Exterior walls always bear load, and a wall near the center of the building is very likely to.
  • Joist direction. Walls that run across the joists above or below are usually structural. You can check joists from the attic or basement.
  • Beams below. A wall that lines up with a beam or posts in the basement or crawl space is likely structural.
  • Thickness. Walls framed with 2x6 or 2x8 lumber are more likely to bear load than 4.5 inch partitions, though plumbing and ducts can make a partition thicker, so don't use this alone.
  • The marriage wall is not an ordinary partition. See the section above.

Those clues point you toward a question. They do not answer it. The answer comes from the manufacturer's plans and a structural engineer, who can say whether a wall is a partition, carries ceiling or roof load, or braces the house against wind. Your local building department can say what permit you need and may have the original approved plans on file.

If the engineer finds a partition wall that carries no load, removal is simpler. You still need a permit if the wall has electrical or plumbing in it, and you'll have to patch the floor, ceiling and wiring behind it.

Who to Ask

  • The manufacturer for plans, the serial number record, wiring layout and the engineering behind the marriage line.
  • The dealer or builder who sold the home, who may keep the plans.
  • Your local building department for permits, inspections and any plans on file.
  • A structural engineer for any wall you want to remove, move or open up.
  • A licensed electrician for any change to wiring, circuits or the panel.
  • A house mover and crane company if you are thinking about moving the home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you move a modular home once it is set?

Rarely. A modular home is designed to stay on its permanent foundation, and moving it means taking the sections apart. Ask a house mover and the manufacturer whether it can be done.

Who wires a modular home?

The factory installs most of the wiring to the state's electrical standard, and licensed electricians connect the circuits across the marriage line on site. Local inspectors check the work.

Can I remove the marriage wall in a modular home?

Possibly, but treat it as structural. You need the manufacturer's drawings, a structural engineer to size a beam and posts, and a permit before anyone cuts.

How do I know if a wall in my modular home is load bearing?

Clues include exterior walls, walls near the center, walls across the joists, and walls above beams. They are only clues. The manufacturer's plans and a structural engineer give the answer.

Sources