Rotten/moldy plywood behind skirting

[rectifier]

Hi all,
Looking at buying a mobile in a park, the home itself is in good shape except for some water damage in the bathroom, looks like I will need to replace that floor.

Underneath in the crawlspace it reeks of mold. The previous owner has put plywood behind all the skirting, perhaps to reinforce it against wind? Anyways the plywood has obviously wicked up water from the ground and all gone rotten and moldy.
There is no mold on the belly of the trailer (there a little on the surface, where it meets the plywood skirting.)

I am wondering if I should just rip out all the plywood, leaving only the skirting. Maybe bleach the bottom of the trailer where it meets the moldy plywood.

Does this sound like it would solve the majority of the problem? I am in a dry and cold Canadian climate where most humidity comes from rainstorms, I am surprised at the extent of mold on the skirting.

[1987Commodore]

Well, the plywood has definitely got to go. Is there provision for venting the crawlspace? If it is too tightly sealed, the natural dampness can't escape.

[Greg]

Hi & welcome. As Commodore said, Plywood needs to go. I would get the skirting opened up for a few days and get it aired out and dried up, Bleach is unnecessary.

The rule of thumb for ventilation is 1sq/ft of vent per 150sq/ft of floor space, But you can never have too much. I would try to find out the reason for the plywood, if it is a wind/snow issue consider installing steel skirting (See "A better skirting idea" in the articles section of the site)


Greg

[rectifier]

Thanks guys, the reason is the previous owner's son did a lot of work around the place and knows just enough about construction to be dangerous.
If I buy it I also get the bonus project of repairing an addition that has a roof with no wrap and no flashing... just shingles on OSB. Big surprise, it leaks! Luckily the addition is built in a way that doesn't compromise the envelope of the main mobile unit.

I am really starting to think of buying a different unit as mold really turns me off (I used to live on the coast where any mold is pretty much a death sentence for a home)