Block and brick skirting is a masonry wall that closes in the space under a mobile home. In Alabama an enclosed space must be vented (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06). Nationally, brick or concrete block skirting costs $700 to $1,000 for a single-wide and $1,400 to $2,000 for a double-wide (HomeAdvisor national cost guide, updated June 19, 2026). No dated source gives a Mobile-area masonry price or a build time, so the local price and schedule come only from a written quote. The wall cannot start until the Alabama Manufactured Housing Commission (AMHC) has inspected the set-up, or ten days have passed after notice (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.11).
Block, cinder block, brick, stone veneer and stucco compared
Concrete block, cinder block, brick, stone veneer and stucco are the options people ask about. The table gives each option's national price and what we could confirm about where it fits. It compares; it does not rank.
| Option | National price (HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026) | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete block, cinder block or brick | One line in HomeAdvisor's guide: see the cost table below | Homes facing high wind or severe storms, per HomeAdvisor. Mobile and Baldwin counties are a Hurricane Zone (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.02). An enclosed wall must be vented (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06). |
| Stone veneer | No separate price. Faux stone panels: $660 to $1,000 single-wide, $920 to $1,350 double-wide | HomeAdvisor gives no storm note. Like any closed skirting it must be vented (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06). |
| Stucco | No separate price | HomeAdvisor gives no price or storm note. The vent rule above applies. |
| Faux brick panels | $800 to $1,500 single-wide, $1,200 to $1,980 double-wide | Priced separately by HomeAdvisor; no storm note. |
HomeAdvisor's only fit note is that brick or block suits high-wind and storm exposure. In Alabama the anchors, not the wall, hold the home down (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.07). Vinyl is covered on the mobile home skirting page.
Is cinder block underpinning priced differently?
Cinder block underpinning has no price line of its own: HomeAdvisor prices cinder block in the same line as brick and concrete block (see the cost table). Get the quote to name the unit the mason will use, then price the footing, wall, vents and door as separate lines.
Is brick or block better than vinyl?
It depends on the lot and the budget, not on a rule. HomeAdvisor says sturdier brick or block suits homes in high wind or severe storms (HomeAdvisor, 2026). That is the guide's view, not a test result. The Gulf Coast conditions further down matter for the decision.
Block and brick skirting cost: national ranges and what moves the price
| Item | National range | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Brick or concrete block, single-wide | $700 to $1,000 per home | HomeAdvisor, updated June 19, 2026 |
| Brick or concrete block, double-wide | $1,400 to $2,000 per home | HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026 |
| Faux brick, single-wide / double-wide | $800 to $1,500 / $1,200 to $1,980 | HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026 |
| Faux stone, single-wide / double-wide | $660 to $1,000 / $920 to $1,350 | HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026 |
| Installer labor | $60 to $125 per hour (about 60% of the budget) | HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026 |
| Access door / vent | $50 to $85 each / $7 to $25 each | HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026 |
| Removal of old skirting | $200 to $500 per home | HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026 |
These are national ranges from one cost guide. They are not Mobile prices. The guide does not say whether a footing is included. Other sources we read gave masonry prices that disagree with this guide and with each other, and none named a source, so we do not use them. The brick skirting cost for your home comes only from a written quote.
What moves the price
- Perimeter. A double-wide has a longer wall. For a rough sense, a 14 by 70 foot home has a perimeter of 2 x (14 + 70), or 168 feet (arithmetic, not a price).
- Openings. Each vent ($7 to $25 nationally) and access door ($50 to $85 nationally) is a line item (HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026).
- Old skirting. Removal and disposal is a separate cost, $200 to $500 nationally (HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026).
- Labor. About 60% of a skirting budget is labor, at $60 to $125 an hour nationally (HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026).
- Everything else. Ask each company how ground, footing, material and drainage change its price.
The concrete block skirting cost for a single-wide and the brick skirting cost for a double-wide should each be broken into footing, wall, openings, finish and removal. If the answer is one lump, ask for the breakdown.
Replace mobile home skirting with brick
Swapping vinyl or metal panels for brick is a bigger change than swapping one panel for another. The steps are removal of the old skirting, a wall, vents and a door, and the mason's quote should say whether a footing is included. National removal and disposal runs $200 to $500 per home, and the guide says heavier materials can cost more (HomeAdvisor, updated June 19, 2026).
- Steps and decks. Ask how any steps or decks will meet the new wall.
- Utility lines. Ask where water, drain and dryer lines will pass through.
- Existing underside. Ask a certified installer to look at the piers once the old panels are off. Alabama expects set-up work to be done by a certified installer (AMHC rule 535-X-12-.01).
- Timing. Ask the AMHC whether the set-up inspection rule applies to your home before the wall goes up (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.11: a home may not be skirted until the set-up is inspected, or ten days after notice).
- Keeping vinyl. If the old skirting is sound, ask for a price on both a full replacement and a repair before you decide.
Stone veneer and stucco skirting for a mobile home
Stone veneer skirting for a mobile home needs a quote that names the base it goes on. Ask the mason what the base is, how the footing was sized, and what the veneer adds to the quote. For stucco skirting for a mobile home, ask what it goes over and how the vents and access door will stay open, since Alabama requires an enclosed space to be vented (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06). Both are compared in the table above.
How to choose a masonry skirting company and compare quotes
For block underpinning near me, the comparison is the quote itself. Get two or three written quotes and line them up. Ask each company:
- What footing will the wall have: width, depth and steel?
- Does the wall rest on its own footing, or on the home's pier pads? Is any part of it fastened to the home's frame?
- Which block or brick, which mortar, and what finish?
- How many vents will it use, how big is each, and where do they go? Does the plan match the Alabama vented-skirting rule?
- Is the 6-mil vapor retarder with 12 inch overlaps already in place, and who is responsible for it?
- Where is the access door, and how large is it?
- How will water drain away from the enclosure?
- How does the top of the wall meet the underside of the home, and will the piers still be reachable?
- Which parts of the wall use wood, and does any wood sit near the ground?
- Has the AMHC set-up inspection happened, or will the company wait until it does?
- Who pulls any permit that applies, and who removes the old skirting?
- What is the schedule, and what warranty comes in writing?
Ask for a current certificate of insurance. Check any claim of AMHC certification in the AMHC installer search rather than taking it on faith. Walk away from a quote that is a single number with no footing or vent line. Alabama expects the set-up work on the home to be done by a certified installer (AMHC rule 535-X-12-.01), so a mason who offers to re-level or re-anchor the home as part of the wall is a question to ask the AMHC about. For the full job list, see mobile home setup, and for the wider skirting choices see mobile home skirting.
Block skirting installation: the sequence in plain words
Mobile Mobile Home Movers is a referral service, not a mason. Here is what a mason's job looks like, so you can read a quote. It is not a how-to for owners.
Alabama requires the ground to be graded and cleared of decayable material, and says a 6-mil retarder should cover the ground under the home (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.04 and .06). Ask who handles this, since site prep is set by contract between the landowner and the retailer or installer. Anyone digging a footing must give 811 notice two to ten working days ahead (Alabama 811).
- Site check. Ask the mason to walk the perimeter and note slope, trees, steps, decks and utility lines before quoting.
- Footing. Ask for its width, depth and steel in writing.
- Wall. Ask where the vent openings and the access door will sit in the wall.
- Openings for lines. Ask how pipes, cables, dryer vents and any steps or decks will meet the wall.
- Finish. Ask what finish the quote includes and how the vents stay clear.
Ask the mason for dates in writing, and for the plan if rain stops work.
Rules that apply to block and brick skirting in Alabama
- No skirting before the set-up inspection. A home may not be skirted until an AMHC inspector has inspected the set-up. If the Commission has not inspected within ten days after notification, skirting may go on (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.11). Mobile County's mobile home checklist also asks for the AMHC inspection decal and the installer's decal on the home before electrical service is established. The decals show the set-up inspection has happened (Mobile County Inspection Services).
- Vented, with a vapor retarder. If the space under the home is enclosed with skirting it must be vented. A 6-mil retarder should cover the ground under the home, and decayable material must be removed (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06).
- Clearance and drainage. At least 12 inches clear under the frame, and water led away from the home (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.04 and .06).
- Who may touch the home. Alabama defines installation as locating, setting up, siting, tying down, anchoring or placing the home (AMHC rule 535-X-12-.02). Skirting is not in that list. Ask the AMHC whether masonry underpinning counts, and whether the wall may touch the home's frame or pier work. The same rule lets a carrier block a unit only as far as removing the wheels and axles.
- Permit. Mobile County says the property owner, installer and contractor share responsibility for getting a building permit where one applies (Mobile County building code amendments). Ask the county, or your city, whether a masonry skirt wall needs a permit before work starts, and ask the mason who pulls any permit.
Is a masonry skirt a good fit near Mobile Bay?
Four local conditions matter: wind, water, termites and humidity.
Wind and storms
Mobile and Baldwin counties are both named as a Hurricane Zone in the AMHC rules (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.02). Hurricane Sally made landfall near Gulf Shores on September 16, 2020 with winds of 105 mph, and Hurricane Zeta struck downtown Mobile weeks later with winds up to 110 mph. After those two storms, 852 FEMA individual assistance applications came from mobile homes in the city, equal to 70% of the city's mobile-home households (City of Mobile Local Recovery Plan, 2024). Anchors and ties, not the skirting, hold the home down (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.07). Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 (same plan), so ask the mason how the schedule fits the season.
Flood and drainage
The city is low-lying on the Gulf Coastal Plain and has 660 repetitive-loss properties. The same plan says flash flooding is made worse by missing, undersized or worn drainage (City of Mobile Local Recovery Plan, 2024). Alabama requires the site to be graded, crowned and sloped so water does not stand or run under the home, and for new homes the AMHC installer page repeats a fall of at least half an inch per foot for the first ten feet (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.04; AMHC installer page). Ask how the water will leave the enclosure before the first block is laid.
If your lot is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, Mobile County has a Flood Plain Administrator and a Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance (Mobile County adopted building codes). Ask the county before you order the wall whether a masonry skirt needs flood openings in that case.
Mobile County termite risk and skirting
Mobile County's design table rates termite infestation "Very Heavy" (Mobile County adopted building codes). That table is written for code-built structures, so it is a sign of local pressure, not a skirting rule. Ask the AMHC or the county whether any rule covers termite treatment for a skirt wall, and ask the mason which parts of the wall use wood, and ask about termite checks and treatment. This is a risk statement for the area, not a promise that masonry stops termites.
Humidity under the home
The vent, retarder and clean-ground rule is item 2 in the rules list above. Ask the mason how the quote covers all three.
Block and brick skirting is an enclosure, not the foundation
The home stays on its piers. In Alabama's minimum blocking rule, piers sit directly under the main frame, no more than 6 feet apart, each on at least a 16 x 16 x 4 inch concrete pad, with 12 inches clear under the frame (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06). The anchors hold the home down (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.07). Brick underpinning is not tie-down. See mobile home tie-downs for the Hurricane Zone table.
Ask the AMHC what footing a skirt wall needs and how it should sit against the pier pads and the frame. Mobile County's design table lists a 12 inch minimum footing depth for code-built structures (Mobile County adopted building codes), but that table is for houses built to the building code, not for skirting. Questions to put to the mason, and to Mobile County Inspection Services or your city's building office:
- What footing will the wall have, and does it sit apart from the pier pads?
- Is the wall fastened to the home's frame anywhere?
- How much room is left to reach the piers for inspection or repair?
The federal model standard on vents and access
Alabama's rule says "vented" but gives no ratio in the text we read. The federal model installation standard for new homes does (24 CFR 3285.504 and 3285.505). It is not the Alabama rule, so treat it as a planning guide and let the AMHC rule lead. It calls for one square foot of vent opening for every 150 square feet of under-floor area. With a 6-mil ground vapor retarder, that can drop to one square foot per 1,500 square feet. Vents go on two opposite sides, and the covers are rodent-proof. The access opening is at least 18 by 24 inches and 3 square feet.
Worked example, labelled as arithmetic, not a quote: a home with 1,000 square feet of floor needs 1,000 divided by 150, or about 6.7 square feet of vent opening, with no retarder. With the retarder the same home needs 1,000 divided by 1,500, or about 0.67 square foot. Ask the mason how many vents the plan uses and what open area each has, and have the openings planned before the wall goes up.
Upkeep and repairs for a masonry skirt
Put these quote and warranty questions to the mason before you sign:
- What do you check if the wall cracks or shifts?
- How do I keep the vents clear?
- Who do I call about termite signs on the wall, and does the warranty cover them?
- What should I check after a storm? The wall is not a sign that the anchors are fine.
Ask the mason in writing how long the wall is meant to last compared with vinyl, and whether the work comes with a written warranty.
Block and brick skirting questions
How much does block or brick skirting cost for a mobile home?
Nationally, $700 to $1,000 for a single-wide and $1,400 to $2,000 for a double-wide (HomeAdvisor, June 2026). That is not a Mobile price, and it may not cover a poured footing. Get a written quote with the footing priced on its own line.
Does brick skirting need a footing?
Ask the mason what footing the wall will have, in writing, and ask the AMHC, Mobile County Inspection Services or your city what a skirt wall needs.
Does brick skirting hold the home up?
No. The piers and pads carry the home (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06), and the anchors hold it down (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.07). The wall only encloses the space.
Do I need vents and an access door in a block wall?
Alabama requires enclosed skirting to be vented (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.06). The federal model standard for new homes also asks for an access opening of at least 18 by 24 inches, and one square foot of vent per 150 square feet of floor, or per 1,500 with a vapor retarder (24 CFR 3285.505).
Can I replace my vinyl skirting with brick?
It is a larger job than a panel swap: removal ($200 to $500 nationally), a wall, vents and a door, and a footing if the quote includes one. Check how steps, decks and utility lines meet the new wall.
Can skirting go on before the set-up inspection?
No. A home may not be skirted until an AMHC inspector has inspected the set-up, unless ten days have passed after notice with no inspection (AMHC rule 535-X-13-.11).
Is block skirting a good choice in a hurricane or flood area?
HomeAdvisor says brick or block suits high-wind exposure. Mobile and Baldwin counties are a Hurricane Zone, so the wind table for anchors applies no matter what the skirting is made of. In a flood zone, ask the county about flood openings.
Will termites get into masonry skirting?
Mobile County's design table rates termite pressure "Very Heavy." Ask the mason which parts of the wall use wood.
Do I need a permit for masonry skirting in Mobile County?
Ask Mobile County Inspection Services or your city whether a skirt wall needs one, and ask the mason who handles any permit.
Who builds block skirting, and how do I get quotes?
Alabama's rules (AMHC rule 535-X-12-.02) separate moving a home from installing it. Ask the AMHC whether masonry skirting counts as installation. Mobile Mobile Home Movers is a referral service: you call, and we connect you with one independent local company that can quote the work.