Six categories of questions that come up most often in pre-quote conversations and on intake calls. If your question isn't here, call (573) 275-7647 or submit a quote request with the question in the message field — our P.E. will respond directly.
A 60- to 90-minute on-site visit. Skirting opened at multiple sides, pier spacing measured, pier-to-frame connections photographed, anchor straps and ground anchors documented, HUD data plate transcribed inside the home, exterior HUD cert labels verified at each transportable section, site grading and drainage walked, utility connections checked, towing-equipment status documented.
The homeowner doesn't need to be present once skirting access is arranged. Many dealer and refi jobs run with just a lockbox or a contractor present.
We bring measurement tools and lighting. We don't bring skirting tools. Skirting access is the most common scheduling friction point — on dealer lots and recently-vacated homes it's usually already open; on owner-occupied homes we ask the homeowner or seller's agent to open a panel before we arrive.
The report documents the finding, cites the handbook requirement, and notes the remediation that would bring it into compliance. Common remediations: adding piers (most common), replacing a missing data plate via the manufacturer, correcting site drainage, replacing torn vapor barrier, completing skirting.
The re-inspection after the contractor completes remediation is billed at $185 if the original field visit was within 90 days; full price if longer.
Standard SLA: acknowledgment within an hour, written quote same business day, field visit within 24 hours, sealed PDF in 24 hours from field visit. Rush options for closes inside 24 hours are available with a surcharge. Call (573) 275-7647 directly for active-deal rushes; the form is fine for everything else.
The Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing is HUD's engineering reference for what makes a manufactured-home foundation "permanent." Section 3 covers pier specifications, footings, soil bearing assumptions, anchoring systems, skirting requirements.
A buyer's lender, an insurance underwriter, or an FHA case reviewer asks whether the foundation meets PFGMH § 3 because that's the line between a "permanent" foundation (mortgageable as real property) and a non-permanent one (chattel, mobile, harder to finance).
HUD Handbook 4000.1 is the FHA Single Family Origination handbook. Section II.D.4.b lists the six structural findings an FHA-insured manufactured-home loan requires from a Professional Engineer: (i) foundation per PFGMH § 3, (ii) utilities, (iii) HUD data plate, (iv) HUD certification label, (v) site work, (vi) towing equipment.
The report addresses each finding in checklist order. See the Report page for the full structure.
Not necessarily, but it requires extra work. The data plate is interior (inside a closet door or kitchen cabinet); if it's been painted over, removed, or never installed, the report has to document the condition and either source replacement information from the manufacturer or note the limitation.
FHA in particular has a specific process for sourcing a Letter of Plate Verification from the original manufacturer (or successor entity). We can walk through this if it applies.
Pre-1976 manufactured homes (mobile homes, technically) are not eligible for FHA or most conventional financing regardless of structural condition. The HUD code took effect June 15, 1976; anything earlier is outside the federal-program framework.
Cash purchase, owner financing, and some specialty insurance products still apply. We can issue a pre-purchase due-diligence report on pre-1976 units; we can't issue an FHA-eligible structural certification.
Both, plus seven other product types. FHA is roughly 44% of 2025 volume. The catalog has 9 products: FHA, conventional (Fannie/Freddie), USDA RD, insurance carrier, pre-purchase due diligence, dealer pre-resale, new installation verification, disaster damage assessment, reaffirmation/refi.
See the full catalog for product detail and pricing.
The findings are the same; the cover and citations differ. We re-issue an FHA-format report in conventional-Selling-Guide format for a nominal re-format fee — same field visit, same engineer, restructured wrapper. Common when the buyer's loan path changes mid-process.
Fourteen carriers on active intake, including Foremost, American Modern, Standard Casualty, MetLife/MAPFRE, AAA, plus regional specialists. If your carrier isn't on the active list, we can usually map a new format within about a week from a sample of their intake spec.
Yes — USDA RD field offices are smaller and more relationship-driven than FHA HOCs. We route USDA reports directly to the local field office with a cover memo identifying the case number and the loan officer of record. Approval timelines tend to be slightly faster than FHA once the report is in hand.
By product, with state-of-issuance and travel adjustments. Base pricing $385–$525 single-section, with double-section homes typically at base plus $75. Far-travel surcharges apply for jobs outside the standard travel band. The catalog page lists base price for each product.
Yes for dealer accounts and loan-officer pipelines. Dealer partner tier kicks in at 12 inspections per year and rises with volume. Loan-officer partner tiers apply for pipelines moving 10+ FHA files quarterly. Insurance carrier negotiated rates available on volume agreements.
Fixed surcharges by tier: +$95 for 48-hour rush, +$195 for 24-hour rush, on top of base. We don't surcharge for standard turnaround — that's the SLA.
Always the buyer's money in purchase transactions — typically folded into closing costs, though sometimes the seller covers it via a request for repairs. Refis: borrower. Insurance: homeowner. Dealer pre-resale: dealer. We invoice whoever places the order; reassignment of the invoice between parties is something we can accommodate if needed.
Because the practice is one engineer covering seven states. Treating every job as next-day would mean a lot of windshield time and a much higher per-report cost. We batch by region so a typical week has 2–3 days of out-of-town inspections plus 2 days of metro-STL inspections.
The trade-off: jobs outside the metro are scheduled into the next available regional leg, typically 3–7 days out. See the Coverage page for the regional batching schedule.
Call (573) 275-7647 directly — don't use the form. Active-deal rushes within 5 business days are accommodated by adjusting the next regional leg. We've delivered same-day metro-STL field visits and 24-hour out-of-town visits more times than we can count.
Saturdays occasionally, on rush or batch trips when the geography lines up. Sundays no. Report writing happens evenings and weekends regardless — the standard SLA doesn't pause for the weekend.
Scapular Engineering, P.E. — primary licensure Missouri, with reciprocal licensure in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Indiana. P.E. since 2019. You can verify Missouri licensure on the APELSLA board's public lookup, and analogous lookups exist for the other states.
A generalist home inspector typically can't issue a PE-stamped structural opinion for a manufactured home. What the lender, carrier, or FHA-eligible buyer needs is a Professional Engineer's certification — not a home inspection. Different documents, different purposes, different liability framework.
Yes. $2 million aggregate / $1 million per-claim Errors & Omissions liability through an A+ rated carrier. Every PE-sealed report is backed by the policy; that's part of why insurers and lenders accept the cert as primary documentation. Policy details available on request.
MFG Inspections is the manufactured-housing practice within the Scapular Engineering network. FHA pipelines, settlement packages, fintech-grade affixation, and aluminum-wire certifications all run through the same engineer of record, $2M E&O carrier, and seven-state license set.
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