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Skirting is one of those components that looks simple from the curb but carries real technical weight when a manufactured home sustains storm damage. The enclosed space beneath a manufactured home, bounded by skirting panels, serves functions that go beyond appearance: it can help moderate temperatures around plumbing lines, restrict pest and rodent entry, and in some installations contribute to the ventilation strategy for a belly-wrap insulation system. Skirting materials range from vinyl panels resembling residential siding, to galvanized or aluminum sheet metal, to concrete or masonry block in more permanent installations. Each material responds differently to hail impact, wind-driven debris, and the freeze-thaw cycles common across Minnesota winters.
Vinyl skirting, the most widely used option on manufactured homes built in the last three decades, can crack or become brittle with age and ultraviolet exposure well before any storm event occurs. Distinguishing hail-induced fracturing from age-related brittleness requires attention to the fracture pattern itself; hail typically leaves a more random, impact-centered crack radiating from a point of contact, while sun-degraded vinyl tends to crack along stress lines regardless of impact location. Metal skirting shows hail impact as dents or creases similar to those seen on metal roofing or siding elsewhere on the property, and the same test methodologies used for conventional metal siding evaluation generally apply.
Siding on the home itself, as distinct from skirting beneath it, is most often a metal or vinyl lap product applied at the factory, though some manufactured homes have been re-sided with conventional materials after purchase. A key inspection step is confirming which siding generation is present, since factory-applied aluminum siding from earlier decades behaves differently under hail testing than a modern engineered vinyl product. Fastening patterns on manufactured home siding sometimes differ from site-built construction as well, with panels attached directly to a thinner sheathing or furring strip system rather than to conventional wood sheathing, which can affect how wind uplift forces are distributed and how damage presents along panel edges and corners.
Because manufactured homes are frequently sited on rented lots within a community, access and setup considerations also come into play when documenting siding and skirting damage. Homes set closer together than typical site-built lots can experience localized wind funneling effects between units, and debris from a neighboring home’s roof or accessory structure sometimes contributes to siding damage in ways that complicate a straightforward storm-date assessment. A thorough inspection generally involves photographing all four elevations, noting impact density and distribution, and comparing exposed and sheltered surfaces to help establish whether a consistent pattern supports a specific date of loss.
Skirting repairs and siding repairs also raise practical sequencing questions, since skirting is sometimes removed to access under-home utilities during unrelated repair work, and a careful record of what was removed, stored, or discarded helps keep the scope of any estimate accurate. As with all elements of a manufactured home evaluation, the appraisal process is focused on quantifying the physical loss, not on resolving whether a given item is covered under the applicable policy, which remains a question for the policyholder and carrier to work through directly.
This article is general education about how the appraisal process commonly works. It is not legal advice, and specific procedures can vary by state and policy.
Russ Lis is a working property insurance appraiser and umpire based in Minnesota, serving clients nationwide. Contact Appraisal Resolution.