Post-Hurricane Mobile Home Inspection in North Fort Myers

After a hurricane or a tornado warning in North Fort Myers, part of the damage can be under the home, where it cannot be seen from the street: piers that shifted, anchors that pulled, straps that went slack. We check the level, the supports and the tie-downs and give you a written report. That typically runs $150 to $350; it is a typical range, not a quote.

What Ian and Milton showed

• Ian (September 28, 2022) came ashore as a Category 4 at Cayo Costa. The state surveyed three North Fort Myers parks in its Mobile Home Tie Down Program, and none of the homes observed had left their foundations. About 80% of the damage was carports and add-ons lifting off, and in about 30% of those the carport took part of the roof. The park with the most damage also had the most homes built before HUD standards. Damage was reported at Royal Coach Estates off Bayshore Road, Royal Coach Village, Carriage Village and Lake Fairways.
• Milton (October 9, 2024) brought an EF2 tornado, estimated at 132 mph, that crossed the Caloosahatchee into North Fort Myers and damaged structures in two manufactured home communities before lifting near US 41. An EF1 at Matlacha half-unroofed a mobile home.

What we check after a storm

• The level of the frame at each pier
• Piers and pads that shifted or cracked
• Every anchor and strap, against Florida Rule 15C-1 (Lee County is Wind Zone III)
• How carports, screen rooms and porch roofs are attached
• Skirting and the underbelly
• Standing water under the home, since Rule 15C-1 asks for ground that does not pond

Flood zones

Much of North Fort Myers by area is in a FEMA flood zone, especially near the river and creeks, and the zone varies from park to park. If a storm damaged your home badly enough that it is being replaced or substantially improved, Lee County requires it to be elevated so its lowest floor is at base flood elevation plus one foot (the bottom of the frame in VE and Coastal A zones), verified by a registered surveyor after the home is set. Raise that with us, and with the county, before you commit to a large repair.

Before anyone goes under your home

Florida requires an FLHSMV mobile home installer licence for installation work. Ask whoever does the repairs for the licence number, and look it up.

Typical ranges for the repairs that usually follow an inspection are on the pricing page, and our releveling page covers how we bring a shifted home back to level.