pier problem

[hartlanders]

Hi Greg i had a licensed mobile home repair man out to check the problem.
He put a 4 foot level down and checked all floors north/south,east/west.He seamed satisfied
except for the back of house which is the kitchen area floor was off 1/4 inch
in 4 feet,so if i am figuring correctly that would amount to one inch in 12 feet?
He looked down the sides of house and it is slopingfrom end going down in middle and
it goes back up and the other end.
He went on roof and there is a bulge on roof around the smokestack from fireplace,where
crack is.What he wants to do is raise the middle of house,seal the stacks on roof and
estimated 1500.00-1800.00 for job.Does the explanation sound like this would be the way to go
to correct the problem? Just want to get your opinion.
Thanks,hartlanders

[Greg]

Apparently it does not take much to be "Licensed" in your state. A 4' level is one step from useless when leveling a mobile, as you figured 1/4" drop per 4' over the length of the home is a LOT!!! That is why the only accurate way to level a home is with a water level.

The way I do it is to make a plot of the piers on paper, set up and zero on a middle pier and work your way around to every pier. I use a soap stone also and write the reading on the frame next to each pier as well as on the paper. Once you have all of the current elevations on paper you can see where the problems are and what needs correction. Mark's book covers the releveling procedure in detail.

Greg

[hartlanders]

Well this is getting frustrating.We had a inspector out this morning
He said i don't have coveralls to go under house.When i talked to him before he came out
i told him it was a manufactured home.I have done searches online for mfg.home repair/inspectors
and have only come up with service magic who got us in touch with the inspector who was here
this AM.Is there anyplace that i could call or look for someone? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
hartlanders

[Greg]

At this point I think I would contact a few mobile home dealers in your area and explain to them the problems you are facing. They should know of a few reputable people that could help you. I would contact a few and see if any name comes up more than once or if there are any to stay away from.

Greg

[hartlanders]

Thanks Greg,i found someone who has signs on yards of people who he
has done work for.I was able to talk to two people who he did work for
they are happy with the work. I called him and he is going to check tiedowns
and relevel home next week.He didn't ask for a down payment he said he will collect after
the work is finished.He is also going to rust proof the roof stacks and check
the shingles for any problem.I did ask him if he uses a bubble level he uses
a different method to relevel.I will report the job to you if you want.
I ordered Marks repair book,i really appreciate your help and suggestions,Greg
hartlanders

[hartlanders]

Hi Greg we had the repair man out he said the house needs to be leveled.
He also said the stacks on roof need to be resealed and rust proof applied.
When i asked him about how he relevels he said he doesn't use a bubble level,
i asked how he knows when level he uses a level? He did the job and i guess
we have to wait to see after crack is repaired if it comes back,when will
it show up if the leveling did not correct the problem?
hartlanders

[Greg]

Check the "Articles" section of the site for "Is your home unlevel?". There are a few signs to look for.

Glad you FINALLY made some progress.

Greg

[hartlanders]

Thanks Greg i have the book and i will definately
check it.
hartlanders

[hartlanders]

Hi the crack is disappearing but it is summer and the true
test will be when winter comes and the ground freezes.
Now i have a 2-3 foot wet spot on both side of where crack was.
It shows up and then it goes away but comes back again.
Could it be condensation is there any way to check this out?It
is always in the same spot when it looks wet.
Thanks in advance for any help,
hartlanders

[hartlanders]

The wet spot i mentioned in the last post is 2-3 foot long
and about 1 inch wide on each side of crack.Could it be condensation
it's not dripping wet.Is there a way i could find out what it is
and should i be concerned about it?
hartlanders