One of the most popular questions we get in our Facebook group, Mobile Home Living: Remodels and Repairs, is the topic of removing walls in a mobile home.
Many manufactured homes have half-pony walls, weirdly designed built-ins, and oddly angled walls that separate living areas. Open floor plans are the most popular floor plans, so many homeowners want to remove these walls.
The main concern when removing mobile home walls is knowing which walls are load-bearing. you can remove it. In this article, we will cover how walls are built, mobile home construction, and step-by-step instructions on how to remove a wall.
Removing walls in mobile homes depends on several variables, such as the type of construction and layout of your home. Another important variable is how much money you want to spend or how badly you want the wall removed. In reality, anything is possible if you want it bad enough, but sometimes, the cost and potential long-term side effects are just too much.
Before we begin, please check out our article, How Manufactured Homes are Constructed, to learn more about the construction and anatomy of interior and exterior walls, ceilings, and flooring.
In a single wide mobile home, there are typically very few load-bearing interior walls. In site-built construction, a wall that runs perpendicular to the roof joists may be carrying weight, but that isn’t always the case with mobile homes because of their construction. However, the perpendicular rule is still a very good rule to keep in mind.
A manufactured home’s stability and integrity are typically derived from the roof and the weight is carried on the exterior walls, down to the outriggers on the chassis. This is a concept called integrated engineering. That’s why the outriggers are so important and we always recommend that you get an upgrade if needed.
A manufactured home steel chassis being welded (it’s upside down):
Some builders describe integrated engineering as ‘roof-down construction,’ meaning the mobile home’s structural integrity is derived from the roof. It makes sense because the home’s weight sits on a steel chassis and that chassis is what they use to pull the home so to create the strongest ‘box’ they need to focus on the roof first.
There are many ways for manufactured home builders to design the framing and loadbearing placement, and each builder does it a bit differently. That’s why finding information on your exact home model’s construction is nearly impossible.
Understanding how your manufactured home was constructed is tricky because builders rarely, if ever, release engineering or construction information for their homes.
The manufactured housing industry isn’t known for its customer service. We can barely get ahold of an owner’s manual for a recent manufactured home model so finding actual load-bearing information is next to impossible.
Only the manufacturer that you purchased the home from can give you the schematics and load-bearing information. Don’t be afraid to call them and ask questions. If your home builder is no longer in business you are probably out of luck, unfortunately.
In this next photo you can see a few interesting things. First, in the bathroom on the far left, you can see the flooring is under the wall so if you remove that wall carefully you may not have to replace the floor covering.
The roof and the perimeter of the home are not added until the very end after the interior is close to being complete.
Once all exterior walls are placed the roof is added and it creates a perfectly strong and structurally sound home that can be pulled on the highway going 55mph!
Read about the Tools Every New Mobile Home Owner Should Have in their Toolbox
Here’s what a the perimeter wall looks like on a single wide mobile home looks like when you remove the the wallboard (and everything else):
You can expect to find studs every 16 or 24 inches in mobile home interior walls.
A double wide is essentially just two single wides joined together on site. The center line is called the marriage line.
As long as you’re not modifying the marriage line, load-bearing interior walls, or the exterior walls and corners you shouldn’t have any issues when removing walls.
In other words, remove all the partition walls you want but leave the structural walls alone.
In Single Wides
In single wides, there is rarely any load-bearing walls. This is because the length and number of the roof trusses can handle the weight of the roof.
However, ceilings that go from one height to another on the same wall can be a sign of a load-bearing wall. That could signify that a shear or load bearing wall is being utilized. Each company did things just a little different and I’m painting with a broad stroke here.
I always advise that mobile homeowners leave their marriage lines alone. Incorrectly modifying the marriage line of a double wide can create roof leaks, weakened structural integrity, and several other very expensive issues.
You really need to know about construction before you remove a wall on the marriage line. The weight that the wall is holding has to be redistributed correctly. That takes a lot of math, experience, and construction knowledge.
Marriage walls support your roof ridge beam. That beam is a particular thickness and length to hold the weight of the roof and distribute it down to the ground. If you remove any section of a load bearing wall at the marriage line you will need to create a
Still, with all that said, removing walls at the marriage line and redistributing the weight with a beam and span or post support system is very popular. This is when things start getting serious and you need to have a professional contractor and a licensed engineer involved. Your home was designed a particular way and modifying that can cause a domino effect.
If you are removing an interior wall there is an order in which you should do it. This ensures you don’t start busting through a wall and find out that it is load/shear bearing or full of juicy wires.
Turn off the electricity in both the room you are in and the neighboring rooms. If possible, turn the breaker off on the entire side of the home you’re working on.
If you’re near a bathroom or kitchen or there’s a slight possibility that there could be a pipe anywhere near where you’re working, turn the water off as well. Don’t forget about the ventilation pipes or vent stacks to your home’s plumbing system.
At this point, we have only removed the trim, battens, and flooring (if applicable). Now, it’s time to test for wiring and plumbing before we start cutting studs.
Next, remove the battens or strips that cover the seams where your wallboards meet. You can read how to do that here. Also, remove the base, chair rail, or crown molding from the wall if you have them. The seams will cover a stud. You can use a stud finder to mark where all the other studs are or just measure 16 or 24 inches (depending on what framing your home has).
This step sounds odd, but it shouldn’t be skipped. Use the side of your fist to knock around the wall. Start at the ends and work your way inward. You’re doing this to help you locate the studs and to loosen the glue holding the wallboard to the studs.
Also, notice how the electric wires are placed in the walls. Usually, wiring is about one foot up from the flooring on the exterior or perimeter walls, but interior walls are different.
You may find a ton of glue holding the walls to the studs. This image by Instagram user MobileHomer shows the amount of glue used to attach the wallboard to the interior studs in her home.
If your interior walls sit on top of the floor covering (and many mobile homes do), you may want to leave the carpet alone. If it’s not too damaged you may be able to get by without needing to replace the flooring. If you are installing new flooring then go ahead and cut the old flooring at the perimeter of the wall so you can carefully pull it pack.
Once you know there are no wires or pipes you can use a new blade to cut through the wallboard. No studs or framing should be touched yet.
Cut the wallboard into a small rectangle starting at the top or bottom corner of the wall first. This will allow you to check for signs that the wall is load-bearing without too much damage.
If you think you have a load-bearing wall, you should stop and consult an engineer before continuing the project.
If there are no signs of a load-bearing wall, cut the wallboard across the middle. Use your hand, a crowbar, or a hammer to gently pull the rest of the paneling away from the framing.
Do not alter or harm the framing within the wall. Go a little at a time to ensure no wires or pipes.
Now that the wallboard has been removed from both sides of the wall, you will need to get the glue loosened and the staples and nails out of the bottom plate and the top plate of the wall frame.
At this point, you can take a Sawzall and cut the studs midway between the floor and ceiling. You could also cut the vertical stud from the top plate and bottom plate – it’s really up to you. I think by leaving the vertical studs on the top and bottom plates you allow yourself a little more leverage to loosen them from the ceiling and floor.
Keia Holm lives in a Hart single wide and it had an odd divider wall between the kitchen and the living room that she wanted to remove.
Below is the image of the wall with one side of the wall removed. After the other side of the wall is removed and the frame you can see the white space left. A little paint and a new home for the light switch will fix it right up.
When you are ready to remove the studs it’s best to remove any nails, staples, or screws and then carefully pry the lumber from the floor and any attached walls. You don’t want to scar the ceiling. Ceiling panels are a pain to replace in manufactured homes!
Consider the following before you remove the studs from the ceiling and floor:
Of course, by removing a wall you’re probably going to be remodeling the room so you already have a good idea of how you’re going to handle these issues.
Related: Some Questions about Removing Walls in a Mobile Home.
That’s it! You have successfully removed a wall in your mobile home!
Remember, every manufactured home is built differently; therefore, removing a wall in your home may not be possible. This article should not be considered professional advice. Please consult a professional before attempting a major modification.
HGTV had a good warning on one of their shows about removing walls:
If you can’t identify it by its proper name you shouldn’t remove it.
HGTV
If you’ve removed a wall in your mobile home, please comment below about your experience. Every little bit we can share can help someone out there get one step closer to their dream home, and that’s a pretty awesome thing to help someone do.
As always, thank you for reading Mobile Home Living!
Updated April 13, 2019. Originally Published in 2014.
Image Sources: Clayton Homes, Laurie Beadle
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View Comments
I recently purchased a 24 x 60 1974 mobile home. I want an open concept kitchen and living room. I had an architect drop the plans and confirm that the wall I want to remove is not no bearing. The man at the permit department And insists the wall is load bearing having never seen the mobile home. I opened up the wall which is 3 1/2 inches away from the marriage line. It is built of one by three for strips. My questions are; what a load bearing wall be built with one by three for? The wall is built on top of the original vinyl floor and placed beneath the ceiling tile. Our mobile home loadbearing walls built different, are they connected directly to the ceiling joists and beams?
Greetings, I have a single-wide 66X14 mobile home. We want to remove the wall that contains a very small bedroom to expand the living room area. Its a skyline 3 BR 2 Bath constructed in October of 2000. I've read that single wide homes do not have load bearing walls, so I would expect I can remove the walls of that small bedroom/office. How can I tell if a wall is load bearing? Are there things to help identify that? Thanks!
Hi Dan,
Most single wides will not have interior load-bearing walls. It's the perimeter walls and the roof that do most of the work (besides the chassis and bottom of the home, of course). Load bearers are typically 2x6s or 2x4s, and there will usually be two studs nailed side-by-side on the ends (such as the corner or edge of a hallway or window) that creates a 4x4 or 2x6 post.
Best of luck!
Hi, We bought a used 1979 14x70 single wide home. We would like to put a metal roof over the existing crappy roof. Every step we take, we take two back. This home is nickel and diming us to death. Any help would greatly be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Why on 2001 with metal sides did they not put some kind of wrip around the out side to help with wind ?
Hi Danny,
I wish I knew. Even the most affordable manufactured homes should have an exterior wrap and gutters (or j-channels) above the windows. It's cost-saving but it usually comes at a steep price in the long run. Thanks for reading!
I got a 79 double wide and just did a peel and stick roofover made if asphalt but I also got my gutters replaced too....for both jobs it cost me $3k....no leaks and it's been raining like crazy here....any pin hole, and rusty screw, any lack of drainage will create leaks....Liberty peel and stick at home depot $90 a roll...I needed 9 and also hired someone to do it.....then seamless gutters witheaf guards.....$3k well spent....hope this helps
Thank you so much for the info, Jax!
I started moving an interior wall in my 2009 16 by 80 Clayton and found 3 large bolts going through the bottom sill. Anybody know what these are for and can I remove them?
Hi Charlie,
That may be indicative of a load-bearing wall. They usually just staple and nail the non-load bearers? Were any of the studs doubled together (or even tripled). If so, you likely have a load- bearer.
I recently inherited a mobile home which needs many repairs. Apparently there was a roof leak at one time and there are stains on the kitchen ceiling as well as a small hole. A piece of tile ,which was removed from a closet was used as a patch. How can I repair this area without replacing the whole ceiling as funds are really low and I would rather not have to do the complete ceiling. The panels are approximately 7or8 feet long and about 14” wide with 1 and 1/2” wide strips on either side. I would like to repair this patch to match the rest of the ceiling as close as possible
A drywall contractor neighbor told me I could get rid of dark water stains on ceilings, after the roof leak was fixed, by spraying them with a bleach and water mixture. He said it might take repeated applications. I haven't tried it yet, just wanted to pass along the tip
Hi Lorraine,
Finding the ceiling panels are difficult so most people go with a completely different material. Here are our articles on ceilings. If you read the first 4 articles you should be ready to tackle any ceiling problem.
Best of luck!
Hi - we are remodeling a lot our our 1970's double wide and am looking seriously at walls in the kitchen area. We have already removed some of the interior walls framing out the space, and am looking at a vertical structure that we can't tell is a supporting element or not. It is on one side of the marriage line. The other side of the house has a span greater than 30ft with no similar support. This particular support is three 2x3s side by side and tied with metal stripping to floor and ceiling. This led me to believe it was a supporting element.
On further investigation, the ceiling fiberboard is between the ceiling joist and these vertical 2x3, with NO sign of compression (even after all these years). When pounded on, these beams vibrate a fair amount, also leading me to believe I could remove them. Any thoughts? I have a few pictures to share if that would be helpful.
Thanks!
Hi Brent,
You are way over my head - I had to get 3 different contractors to helps me write this article..lol
The 3 studs that are strapped together are def load bearers. Keep in mind that mobile homes have a 'top-down' structural integrity so you won't find compression in many places you think it should be. Most all of the weight and the load-bearing is in the perimeter walls (which would be the marriage line on a double-wide). Sorry, I can't be more help.
We have a 2005 Skyline double-wide where the original owner had the wall between the living room and master bedroom moved during construction to enlarge the bedroom. We are interested in moving that wall to gain back the lost living room space. The wall if perpendicular to, and attaches to, the marriage wall. Do you think this is possible, and how would we find a professional for this job? We are very new to manufactured home living. Thanks!
Hi Lynn,
It sounds like it would be possible since the home originally had the wall where you want it. If you have to go through inspections then a contractor would be your best bet, that way he can pull in the various crews that are needed to handle it (electrician, framers, drywallers, etc). However, you may be able to do yourself or just hire someone with extensive construction experience. It's not that difficult to frame in a wall and then drywall it assuming no electricity changes are needed.
I love your site and have a question. I have an older American homes double wide, 2 bedroom, 2 bath. the first half from end to end consist of living room, closet space for living room facing closet as well 2nd bedroom closet, the the 2nd bedroom, and the master bathroom (tub and toilet) in one small room and a sink and his and her closet room to take up the remaining space. The other side is dining room, kitchen, laundry room, bathroom and master bedroom. My wife and I did not realize that the tubs for these mobile homes were so small and barely deep enough to wash your knees. The washer/dryer room on the other side of the faucets is quite large and was wondering if this would be a load bearing wall or not to extend the required 2 feet to accommodate at normal tub or is there any floor structural problems because a normal tub full of water would weigh considerably more I'm sure then the ole' knee soaker. What are your thoughts on this.
Hi Whit and Cheryl,
The 'ole' knee soaker' is hilarious! So, usually an interior wall that isn't attached to or part of the marriage line in a double wide is not load-bearing but some builders don't play well with others and like to add load-bearers in odd places. It would be impossible to tell without a visual inspection.
However, the best wall in a manufactured home to move or remove (if I had to choose) is the laundry room wall where the washing machine control box is located and the bathtub is on the other side. I choose that wall situation for 2 reasons: First, it allows for a larger tub and secondly, removing or moving the wall will give you the opportunity to redesign or at least replace the auto vent that is usually used in manufactured home washing machine lines to give your plumbing drainage system better ventilation. Builders are notorious for putting the auto vent lower than the control box and it should be higher. Installing a Studor brand vent in place of the small generic auto vent builders use is a good idea too. If you really want to go all out you could install a vent stack out the roof instead of relying on an auto vent (that is the best design for these powerful new washing machines).
Hope that helps!
I would like to remodel my double wide with two french doors in my livingroom. Is it possible to cut two openings in the exterior of my home as long as it's framed properly or will this decrease the strength of my home. We plan to hiring a professional to do this job, not a DIY.
Hi Angela,
If it isn't the marriage wall, you should be OK. Modifying marriage walls is tricky. You'll def need to hire a pro that understands the framing needed. Best of luck!
I design Park Model RV's. My area of Arizona is Tucson and there is a LOT of mobiles here that can use both updating and remodel. I do a series of books with Blurb publishing that I hoped to change how the industry spits out this product but after 11 factory tours coast to coast I have given up on trying to get them to change. I have worked on the factory floor so I know how and what systems are used and remodel is generally MUCH easier than stick built. There are exceptions but nothing a competent builder can not overcome with ease. Finding someone with vision is the big issue.
I'm planning on adding to the back my single wide mobile home and I am looking for advise on how this should be completed. This will be done by a professional I just want to arm myself with knowledge about this type of project. If you could email me I would appreciate your advice.
Hi Tracy,
I have a couple of articles about building additions on to a mobile or manufactured home. This one is an all-inclusive article: Building Additions on a Mobile Home. This one is a Q and A article about additions. These should arm you with some basic information. The key to a successful addition is that it be completely separate from the home but that all possible entries for water to get into (roof and siding) be sealed very tightly. Pay close attention to how the addition's roof will be affecting the home's roof. Think of every possible way water could get in and use flashing and other roofing materials to make sure water goes where it is supposed to go.
Best of luck! (Please take photos).
Hi Bill!
I would love to chat with you. Park models have SO MUCH potential to be the affordable tiny home we all want but I don't understand why they insist on a RV classification. Can you please email me at crystalAdkins@Mobilehomeliving.org? I'd love to pick your brain a bit.
Thanks!