How to Measure a Mobile Home

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Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure

  • Colored tape or other suitable marker (if the mobile home is longer than the tape measure)

  • Paper

  • Pencil or pen

Mobile homes are homes that are manufactured and then transported to the location where they will be placed, rather than being built on-site. Technically, the term "mobile home" refers to manufactured homes that were built prior to June 15, 1976, which is the date that the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (HUD code) was enacted. These homes are measured in terms of length, width and square footage.

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Measuring Length

Step 1

Use a tape measure to measure the length of the mobile home in feet.

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Step 2

Take multiple measurements and add them together if the mobile home is longer than the tape measure. If the mobile home is not longer than the tape measure, skip ahead to Step 8.

Step 3

Extend the tape measure against the side of the home in a straight line until it is fully extended.

Step 4

Mark this spot on the mobile home using a piece of colored tape, or any other suitable marker.

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Step 5

Begin measuring the remainder of the home from the marked point.

Step 6

Repeat this process if the tape measure becomes fully extended again prior to reaching the end of the mobile home.

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Step 7

Record the number of times the tape measure must be fully extended.

Step 8

Record the final measurement. The final measurement will be the measurement in which the tape measure reaches the end of the mobile home without being fully extended.

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Step 9

Calculate the length of the home by multiplying the number of times that the tape measure had to be fully extended by the length of the tape measure in feet, and adding the value of the last measurement to this number. The resulting number is the length of the mobile home. For example: Your tape measure is 25 feet long. You had to fully extend the tape measure two times. The value of the last measurement was 20 feet. The length of your mobile home would be 70 feet (2x25)+20 = 70.

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Measuring Width

Step 1

Use a tape measure to measure the width of the mobile home in feet.

Step 2

If the mobile home is wider than the tape measure is long, refer to section 1, steps 2 through 9 for detailed instructions on how to determine the length.

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Step 3

Record the width.

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Calculating Square Footage

Step 1

Measure the length of the mobile home in feet.

Step 2

Measure the width of the mobile home in feet.

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Step 3

Multiply these two values to obtain the square footage of the mobile home. For example: If the mobile home is 18 feet wide and 40 feet long, the square footage would be 720 square feet (18 x 40 = 720).

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