Can a Double-Wide Have a Basement Added?

Like other types of housing, mobile homes often have basements that provide space for storage and for furnaces and other household appliances best tucked away out of sight. Ideally, mobile home owners wishing for a basement have one built before the home is installed. When that is no longer an option, a basement can be installed underneath the existing home. The process takes a few weeks, however, and you won't be able to live in the home while the basement is installed.

A job best left to professionals, installing a basement under a double-wide mobile home begins with removing the skirting and shutting off all the utilities running into the home. Next, the entire home is lifted and placed on top of steel beams that will hold it 4 to 6 feet above the ground while the basement is installed. A ramp is then dug into the earth with a skid steer to grant access to the area below the home so the basement can be dug out -- a process that takes about a week. As with a traditional basement, the walls are built and any new or rerouted utilities installed, along with any necessary ventilation. The basement is then finished and the house taken off the beams and lowered into place. Although an entrance can be built into the home, most mobile home basements are accessed from the outside.