Mobilehome FRONT porch

[buffee]

all of you have been so helpful on this forum..so I have another issue that is so mysterious no one can solve it.
less than 3 years ago, I did a hUGE remodeling job on my 71 Doublewide.....which included a whole new front porch. We had a small front porch with a handicapped ramp(the ramp turned out to be NOT up to code) so we had it torn out and 6 feet added to the porch, railings etc.......FYI that cost me 2150.00. Well here we are almost 3 years later and there is I would approimate about an inch high hill across the entire porch. About 2 feet past the security door. Its very apparant to me....and it showed up about 2 months ago. I have had TWO people look at it, and they are clueless.....my own thoughts is CHEAP wood,....that warped??? remember I had a porch there for 30 years that never warped or had a hill in it. The owner of the Remodeling co is coming out in a few days because I had him redo the RELEVEL, because I had issues with places inside...and other contractors said the RE-Leveling job that was done less than 3 years ago basically &*^%$#@, so he redid it all and did what I paid him 3,000 for 3 years ago in leu of me suing him..... I am NOT a contractor, I know jack &*^% about leveling, porches, electrical etc........thats why I hired him....but I swear to GOD every single thing that company did was a NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! anyway any ideas about the porch??? because I am having the OWNER look at it wenedsay and it would be nice to tell him what I think it is........thank u

[Greg]

There are a few unknowns here for me. the FIRST thing that comes to my mind is ground heave, but not knowing where you live or how the porch is supported I can not say. There are not too many things that would cause the problem. In 3 years time I would think any issues with wood warpage would have appeared by now. Greg

[buffee]

what is ground heave?? I am in san diego, calif. The porch is all wood, standard mobilehome porch. The porch before this stood firmly & flat for over 30 years....

[Greg]

OK now that I know you are in San Diego, I doubt that you have much to worry about from frozen ground.
Ground heave happens when the ground freezes & thaws, when it freezes it will shift some. Usually it will raise some, but not evenly. Skirting will bow, homes can actually twist or bend to the point that doors may not latch. This is the reason that we stress the use of below the frost line footers for setting homes on.

Now is it possible that you have a problem with wet ground causing the problem? It seems strange that it was fine for all those years and for 3 years after work was done to it. I am not defending anyone, but to me it sounds either weather or environmental related.

Perhaps JD or someone that knows the conditions in your area will add to this. Greg

[buffee]

yeah thats what bothered me. The porch I had was perfect for over 30 years, not ONE issue until I paid someone 2100$, 3 years ago and now this......what?????????no ground wetness or enivironmental issues for the previous 30 years. very odd indeed.

[JD]

It would take some inspection work to tell what is going wrong with your deck. You would start by looking under the deck. Is the frame made with adjustable steel piers or wood construction? Are there 2x6 joists or is this a deck made with 4x6 beams and 1 1/8" tongue and groove plywood? You won't be able to see the T&G part of the plywood, buy you can see if it 1 1/8" thick. The deck could be made of 2x6 redwood or something else. You didn't say.

Something that I would look at would be the 4x6 beams. If these beams twist, it could easily lift a portion of your deck and inch or so. The beams need to be straight to start with, and they need to be fastened to the piers to minimize twisting. Poor grade lumber could still twist even if it is fastened.

You can check how warped your deck is (or isn't) with a string line. Look for that bright colored nylon line that is called Mason's line, probably less than $5 at a home store. Stretch this tight over the deck and if one end is an inch higher, you will easily see it with the string line. You can also stick a small piece of 2x4 under the string at each end and put a line level on the string to see how level the deck is. This is accurate enough for an easy check. You can get a line level at a home store for a couple of bucks.

I would not tell your contractor what you think the problem is. I would do the string line thing, check the frame and the beams and know as much as I could before you talk to him though.

I would like to ask if I understand your post correctly. Were you charged $3000 for a relevel?

JD

[buffee]

2700$ for re-leveling, thats why I was &*^% off...and had THEM redo it.....because I found out last month from to OTHER contractors who knew NOTHING about the situation, I did not disclose it until AFTER they looked under my home. No centerline Piers, No Jack locks, the back half of the coach had all the NEW stuff, nothing in the front.....it was a mess.....so I made the contractor re-do it...and he is coming out tomorrow to CHECK all the work...hell I am no contractor, I know NOTHING about leveling, porches etc........I rely on the honesty & integrity of who I hired(my mistake) but the owner(who is coming tomorrow) NeVER checked any of the work......I never went under the house...and even if I had I certainly am not educated in Piers, Jacks, pads, tie bars & jack locks......and about the porch...I am convinced they used CHEAP wood.....My original porch stood there, though smaller without a hitch even the railings were strong. I had already noticed on the front porch, that the railings do not seem as sturdy, and that bump in the floor is about 12 inches long. I will make him go under the home & check it out because the guy who redid the leveling said he looked and couldn't see anything....I do believe hes a liar............I don't think he ever went under there and looked, its called laziness.....they charged me 1650$ for a teeny tiny kitchen stairs....and a friend of mine who owns a contracting business for mobilehomes(I didn't meet him until June 2007) and all this was done April of 2007, so I got HOSED. He said my kitchen porch railings are not sturdy because there are NO screws in the bottom....I swear everything was done Half--$%#@ except for the New carpet & the new kitchen & bathroom floors because I chose a specific company I had worked with before & they do stellar work. Also my contractor friend I met in June....I wanted the 13 windows in my California room that were that horrible vinyl junk replacwed with actual windows.....everyone else wanted 6900 & up to replace 13 windows & frames, my friend charged me 4400$ and di a fabulous job..windows & frames are beautiful......I just hope I can solve the mystery of the 12 inch bump in the porch....my very 1st thought was cheap wood....