Load-Bearing Walls in Mobile Homes

questions about removing walls in a mobile home - manufactured home myths

This week we are looking at questions about removing walls in a mobile home. These questions cover questions about marriage walls, load-bearing walls, and removing closets.

Questions about Removing Walls in a Mobile Home

Is The Marriage Wall Necessary?

I have the dreadful marriage wall running right through the center of my house. Family room on one side and the living room on the other. A real separation in the home. Is there any way I can take out the marriage wall? I’d settle for taking it out and putting in two columns to support the overhead.

Great question! Your marriage line is always load-bearing. That doesn’t mean removing it is impossible. Still, it would be an expensive and delicate job requiring an engineer with proper knowledge of load and shear-bearing construction techniques in manufactured homes. Even when the experts are brought in, there will usually always be some issue that arises in the future.

Simply put, anything is possible if you want it bad enough, but it’s not a good idea to modify the marriage line in a manufactured home.

Load Bearing Walls

According to the article, “In a single wide, with recent construction methods, there is no load bearing interior walls.” How recent?

From what I understand, that is a broad brush that can be applied for all single wide construction as they are designed so that the exterior walls hold the load. However, there can be load-bearing walls in the interior of a single wide – it is dependent on the home’s design.

The best thing you can do is bring in an expert and have them look to see if the wall is load-bearing. Of course, even load-bearing walls can be modified with the correct reinforcement used.

painting mobile home walls and using new trim to cover the seams -questions about removing walls in a mobile home

Related: Ask a Mobile Home Expert Questions about Mobile Home Additions

Can I Use A Beam Where My Marriage Wall Is?

We are in the process of doing a complete remodel on a double wide. Right in the center of the family room and kitchen/dining room is what used to be a pantry that was probably 4 ft wide. I know it is the marriage wall, but have you ever seen someone take it completely out and put in a large beam to support the weight? I want to completely open up this area.

Listening to homeowners that have modified their marriage line has made me realize that there will almost always be some issue arising from a marriage line modification. It could take 5 years or 20, but there is usually always some problem that will occur. I suppose the homes are just so intricately designed to perform well in transport that even the slightest modification can cause a butterfly effect.

Of course, you can do anything with the right knowledge, people, and budget. In most site-built construction, a post and beam concept is used to replace load-bearing walls. I must recommend that you bring an engineer that is familiar with manufactured home construction to ensure that you can do the project without damaging the home.

Related: Read more about removing walls in a mobile home here. 

Removing Closets

I want to remove my daughter’s closet in our single wide to give her more space due to a tiny room. It is a 1996 Norris, and her bedroom is on the very end with a bay window. The closet takes up the entire left side of her wall beside her window with two doors. Would this be a pain to remove? It also has an electrical outlet placed 6 inches from the exterior wall on the wall we want to remove to make more space.

As far as I know, a typical single wide will have no load-bearing interior walls, so it should be fine to remove the closet walls. You’ll need to be careful, though and make doubly sure there is no load on whatever walls you want to remove (look for doubled studs and odd angles). Hiring an engineer is never a bad idea.

Since it has double doors, I doubt it’s load-bearing. You’ll need to cut the power to the room and take the paneling off very easily to ensure electrical safety. Also, plan on the way to re-route the wiring if it needs to be moved. Other than the marks left on the flooring and the ceiling, this should be a fairly easy weekend project.

Related: How to Paint Vinyl Walls in Mobile Homes

1985 Conner single wide mobile home - painted panelling and closet in bedroom - should you buy an older mobile home and remodel it - questions about removing walls in a mobile home

Removing Half Walls

I have a Redwood manufactured home that’s about 20 years old. In my kitchen, there are two little walls. One is next to the fridge and laundry room door. I want to remove it so I can get a larger fridge. Is it possible?

Typically, you can remove interior walls in a manufactured home as long as it’s not load-bearing.  Load-bearing walls in manufactured housing include the exterior walls and the marriage line in a double wide. But I have to suggest that you consult an engineer before you do it (legally). Load-bearing walls are usually the exterior walls and walls along the marriage line of a double wide.

Our Ask a Mobile Home Expert Series Continues Next Week!

We hope these questions about removing walls in a mobile home have been helpful! Remember to comment below if there is a question we can help with.

Thanks for reading Mobile Home Living!

Disclosure: Any answers to questions about removing walls in a mobile home posed and any recommendations or information provided herein should not be used as a substitute of an expert or any relevant professional that has inspected the issues in person.

Kim Alley

Kim Alley has written over 300 articles for Mobile Home Living and grew up in the same West Virginia hollow as Crystal. She is a proud manufactured homeowner and grandmother.

This Post Has 28 Comments

  1. Angela S.

    I am in a 2000 model double wide home from Fleetwood. Our living room (on one side of the home) has a fireplace in it which sets completely on the other side of the home. It has a column that is about 8 inches wide and 3 inches deep that runs up one side of the fireplace on the living room half of the house. I assume this column was for support during transport, but after taking part of the sheetrock off that covered it, I found that it basically is just 2 2×3’s and built identically as the walls were. I want to take that column out, and while we have the wall stripped for the new facade on the fireplace, create floor to ceiling “built-ins” which are basically walls that come across the joint of the house (where the marriage lines would be) and extend into my living room about 6 inches. The shelves would be simply added on small brackets that are painted in the same color as the walls to hide them. Would this be possible since having 4 supports (walls) seem to be better than one small one?

    I was also looking to get information about the fireplace box. I REALLY want to have the hearth higher. I have to replace the flue/chimney any way because it has issues from poorly being set-up and has rusted. Would this be possible for a diy? I have torn them out in the past, but never actually raised one before. I just don’t know if it has been done or is possible to do.

    Any information you can help with is greatly appreciated. I have had a contractor talk to be about it but he had no idea that it was actually just a metal box and I don’t think that would be a great person to trust. People in my area don’t do renovations on mobile homes like we are doing. When all is said and done, we will be turning our 76×28, 4 bed and 2 bath home into a 5 bed and 3 bath home. We have moved the water heater, moved and installed a new breaker box, rewired multiple circuits that were overloaded previously, and are working on moving our laundry area. The process has been slow and steady, but so far everything that we have done has turned out better than we planned. I just need to stay a month ahead of reno to make sure budgeting stays on track and that we have the materials we need to do the projects we are planning to work on.

    Thank you!

  2. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Angela!

    Wow! You guys are doing some major renovations! Being from WV, I know a bit about coal/wood stoves but we never really used fireplaces. I even wrote a post about it here.

    I imagine a higher fireplace would not be an issue as long as it meets your local code. As far as the built-ins along the exterior walls and marriage lines, I would think that as long as you are only adding to the structure and not subtracting you should be OK. Of course, I’m not an expert in any way.

    You should find and contact your local mobile home supply store and ask them for referrals. They know all the contractors that work on mobile homes cause they sell to them. Have the contractor come out and take a look at everything and see what they think.

    Best of luck! (PS I would love to share your renovation someday!)

  3. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Lynette,

    You will want to stop the leak before you invest in a new door or floor otherwise the new floor will just get damaged again.

    You will likely need a new door, especially if the tracks and frame are damaged. You may be able to find one a resale store for building materials. Replace all the rot and wet wood around the door before you install the new one. Make sure everything is level and caulked well, too.

    Best of luck!

  4. Vinny DiMartino

    how much should I pay to have a new marriage line covered over on the ceiling and the walls, frame out 2 doors also

  5. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Vinny,

    Unfortunately, it’s impossible to say. In WV, labor and materials are fairly cheap but I understand in CA everything is very expensive. It all depends on the location, materials needed, labor needed, etc. Get at least 3 estimates from reputable companies and you should get an idea of the cost. PS It’s usually best to go with the middle estimate, never the cheapest.

    Best of luck!

  6. Bob

    I’m trying to get some materials information on my manufactured home. I have a 2005 Fleetwood – Model 4513B, on a perm foundation. The exterior of the home was painted about 2 years ago, & the paint has peeled off of the casing/trim that’s in place around the exterior of the entry doors. It’s not a wood or MDF product and up close, the material looks & feels like some kind of plastic, PVC…or possibly AZEK..?… I was thinking that the prep was done poorly or the painter used the wrong type of paint, but the paint has held up in a few places. The folks at Fleetwood are no help. They’re telling me that since the company has changed hands….they don’t have any info.
    Any help or go-to info would be appreciated.
    Thanks,
    Bob

  7. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Bob,

    Your experience trying to get some help from the builder isn’t unusual. They won’t help anyone with anything at any time..lol…It does sound like the painted didn’t prep the area correctly and used the wrong paint. If I had to guess it’s a vinyl product as that’s the most used for exteriors. I’d buy the best plastic/exterior/vinyl paint you can afford and follow their prep guidelines.

    Best of luck!

  8. Chris

    I enjoyed your articles, but the lack of picture as you explain things makes it hard to visualize, and you keep saying hire a expert. Whom and where do you even start looking for one. They are not in the yellow pages under mobile hom expert.
    Thanks

  9. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Chris!

    I agree 100% and wish I could find pictures of walls being removed in mobile homes. If you come upon any please let me know! (I have noticed that in the last couple of months Google has gotten a little better at showing photos of mobile homes, plus Instagram is helping. I’ll do a search and see if I can’t find some better images – this is an old article so it needs updated). Thanks!

  10. JC Smith

    I am removing my marriage wall in the middle of my house, leaving a bedroom on each end that will retain their marriage walls.

    We will be using an LVL beam on each side with a header drop of 12″.

    I don’t see a place to post a picture – let me know and I will send it to you.

  11. Kenneth

    I just brought a double wide 26by 36 Mobile trailer, can I remove the wood they put in the medium of the
    Wall

  12. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Kenneth,

    I’m not sure I understand your question. Are you talking about the studs?

  13. Jamie littrel

    Can you move interior walls in a 16×80 mobile home for a remodel?

  14. Jamie littrel

    I want to take out one bedroom enlarge the living room, take the master bedroom wall out and move to make the bedroom larger and figure some way for a larger closet for the wife so our bedroom isn’t so cluttered, our bathroom has a shower and a triangular tub. We want just a show,jacuzzi tub only which could add more room to the bedroom

  15. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Jamie,

    I’ve seen some owners completely change the entire floorplan of their mobile homes with little to no issue. As long as you don’t mess with the marriage line or any load-bearing wall you should have no problems doing everything you want. I’d love to see it after you’re all finished! Best of luck!

  16. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Jamie,

    Single wides rarely have load-bearing interior walls. The ceiling trusses and floor joists do all the heavy lifting. You should be OK but its always smart to have an architect or contractor inspect the home first. Best of luck!

  17. Chad W.

    how do i safly replace the 2by6 along the framing of the home the outter walls are along this 2by6 the rotting has caused the floor to slope down along the outter wall of my hallway

  18. Crystal Adkins

    Hi Chad,
    That’s a big job and a question I can’t answer. I’ve never been involved with a complete bottom plate replacement. I can tell you that the bottom plate is what holds the floor and wall together and keeps the wall studs straight. I would make sure to brace everything very well before you remove the old one. Best of luck!

  19. Amelia Wagner

    I have recently purchased a 1996 Commodore home 30 x 70. I want to take out a non marriage line wall. I am checking to see if any other walls may be load bearing just due to size. Do you think I am ok to remove?

  20. Mark

    I have a single wide mobile home that was made in 1967. It’s my first mobile home, and it has the cork ceiling. The ceiling fans and light fixture are coming off of the cork, which oddly – seems to be the only thing supporting them. My question is, are there joists in the ceiling underneath the cork? I’m looking to buy either 12 or 24″ brace extensions to resupport (or buy lighter) the fixtures.

  21. May Bochette

    I have been reading this article, just out of curiosity? I live in a double wide mobile home. I want to enlarge my kitchen but I have a load bearing wall I want to remove but I want to put a bar like breakfast nook in its place. Would that be possible?

  22. janice L hughes

    is there a directory for local manufactured home engineers

  23. Charles

    I have a 14×70 can you remove around 20 feet off end to shorten

  24. Pamela

    I would really like to know what kind of problems you are referring to when you talk about removing the marriage wall? I plan to do this with the wall between the kitchen and livingroom and also between the two small bedrooms
    If this is done correctly I can’t understand how it could cause problems later.

  25. Pamela Floyd

    I would really like to know what kind of problems you are referring to when you talk about removing the marriage wall? I plan to do this with the wall between the kitchen and livingroom and also between the two small bedrooms
    If this is done correctly I can’t understand how it could cause problems later.

  26. ANNA

    Hi, I have a wall of closets in hallway in wood paneling. Question is the paneling glued to the walls? The screws are out but not coming off?

  27. Lydia north

    Hi did u find out if you had any load bearing walls? I have a 16×80. Southern Energy sand want to take out the kitchen livingroom divider
    You can reply to klnorth2@gmail.com. Not sure I could find this forum again Thanks.

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