Manufactured & Modular Homes Blog

A Stone or Brick Exterior on Manufactured or Modular Homes?

Can I put stone or brick on the exterior of my home? Again, let me answer this in terms of manufactured and modular houses.

First, manufactured homes are not designed to accommodate brick or stone facades and Federal law does not allow structural changes to HUD code homes. Remember, HUD code homes are designed to be affordable.

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You can install stone or brick facades on modular homes. Above is a picture of a lot model of ours with stone veneer installed on site after the home was set.

Here are several things to consider when making decisions about stone or brick facades:
Before you order the home, decide where you want the stone installed. This should be clearly marked on the elevations.

All the windows in the area where the stone is to be installed should be carefully looked. You should discuss how the stone will be installed against and around the window. We installed window lineal between the windows of our display home. If you promise not to tell anyone, we can tell you that this was done because we made a mistake in ordering the house. We ordered the house without mulling the double windows. Mulling means that the two windows join together without a center support/space. Without mulling the windows, we would have had a thin line of stone between the double windows. Instead of that thin line of stone, we put the white lineal trim between and around the windows. It ended up being a great look, but it highlights the need for careful planning.

You also need to consider where the stone should stop. Do you want to see the corner trim or have the stone run all the way to the end of the wall? There is no one right answer, but you should be consistent throughout.

Also, you will need to research what kind of stone / brick you want to install. There are two types of products available:

  1. A standard 4” thick brick/ stone product. This product will need a brick ledge on the foundation for support. Due to the nature of modular set, we will need to be very careful to create a deep enough brick ledge to allow the house to overhang the foundation slightly. The other item to consider is that if you run this all the way to the soffit, you will need to decrease your soffit width by 4”.
  2. A 1.5” veneer stone product, either brick or stone. This product is perfect for Modular home applications. You do not need a brick ledge and it can be applied directly to the wall substrate. First, a metal mesh material is installed on the home, then the stone or brick veneer is applied.

One last piece of information: the stone on the front of this display house cost (above) around $4,000. Your cost will vary depending on the type of material you use, the size of the area you apply the material to, and the complexity of the job. As always, our housing consultants are able to answer your questions and get you the look that will please you for years to come.

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