Uneven floor were the two sections are joined

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Christal
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Nov 18, 2006 5:08 am

Uneven floor were the two sections are joined

Post by Christal » Sat May 19, 2007 3:58 am

Husband & I bought a double wide last summer.Just recently we noticed the floor was uneven were the two section were joined together !
We thought it was the padding at first untille we rolled the carpet back.
And seen the floor was raised by at least an inch !
What could have caused this? And what can be done about it Our warrenty ends in Augest

admin
Posts: 327
Joined: Thu May 25, 2006 6:36 pm

Re: Uneven floor were the two sections are joined

Post by admin » Sat May 19, 2007 7:04 am

It sound like your home has settled and most likely both the sections need to be releveled. All structures settle. They actually measure the amount that the Empire State Building settles into bedrock in Manhattan every year. In some cases the settlement is very slight or so even across the home that settlement is never noticed. The degree of settlement depends on soil conditions.

While settlement is not unusual it is probably not covered by your warranty as it is not a factory defect. Call the dealer who you purchased the home from and ask about their relevel policy. Some dealers will pay their installer to return within a reasonable amount of time to relevel the home. In many cases this is the home owners responsibility.

You should NOT try to level your home by yourself. The operations involved in jacking and raising the home can be very dangerous and should be attempted only by experienced individuals.

The Releveling Kit from Aberdeen Repair includes complete step-by-step instructions and a waterline level. Use these instructions and the enclosed waterline level to determine whether or not your home is out of level. You will also use this information to become a better-informed consumer and give yourself the upper hand when it comes to hiring a contractor to do the job, or requesting home warranty service.

The detailed instructions will show you how to do the following: learn the causes of why your home becomes unlevel learn how to set-up, calibrate and read a waterline level determine where your home is unlevel and by how much learn what to watch-out for before, during and after releveling your home learn proper jack placement learn how your contractor should safely jack-up your home
David Oxhandler
mailto:[email protected]

mannymanbo2
Posts: 29
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 3:08 pm

totally disagree

Post by mannymanbo2 » Mon May 21, 2007 10:23 am

Any home, including a manufactured home should be supported in a manner that will not settle.
Sounds like a bad installation.
You need piers with footings that are on stable ground, this means they needed to dig holes in the earth. the floor needed lagged together and certain peirs needed to be installed on each side of the openings in the marriage wall that are 4' or larger.
Besides the settling problem, I have to wonder about the anchoring system of your home, is the home is moving around like you say, the anchoring systen has to be messed up too.

I am sorry, but the response above is not correct at all. Don't accept a bad installation!

rbonnie
Posts: 70
Joined: Sun May 28, 2006 8:14 am

Re: Uneven floor were the two sections are joined

Post by rbonnie » Mon May 21, 2007 11:02 am

If the floor is appropriately connected one to the other, by means of either lag screws or bolts. It was probably set this way. The installer must line up both the ceiling and the floor, if necessary, he may have to jack up the ceiling to accomplish the line up of both at the same time. This is not a manufacturers warranty issue, but an installation issue. The column support piering spoken to above, is most important to provide support for the ridge beam in the roof. The floors should align one to another.
Roy T. Bonney

scottman
Posts: 9
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 6:03 am

Re: Uneven floor were the two sections are joined

Post by scottman » Tue May 22, 2007 5:57 am

We had the same issue. The installers came back out and made it better although not perfect. They were amateurs at best. Anyway there is a floor levelling compound that looks like drywall mud. You put it over the marriage line and smoothe out the uneven parts going out a few feet. You can even put in pergo or other hardwood flooring after this, even with an uneven floor.

admin
Posts: 327
Joined: Thu May 25, 2006 6:36 pm

Re: totally disagree

Post by admin » Tue May 22, 2007 6:59 am

Manny you must live in an area where soil conditions permit only minimal settlement. There is no way to overcome gravity and all structures settle. Some more and some less depending on soil conditions and foundation systems.

(SEE - Soil: The Other Half of the Foundation - Fine Homebuilding Article) "A few things need to be understood about settlement. First, all houses settle. The amount may be so small as to be undetectable or may be so uniform as to leave no signs, but it unquestionably happens. Second, because of the natural and construction-related variations in soil properties, not every point on a foundation settles the same amount."

(SEE - Soil Settlement and its Effects on the Building )"Whenever a vertical load is placed on a layer of soil, the soil will react by deforming in the vertical direction. This effect is due to the characteristics of the soil particles that are contained in the soil bed. Between the soil particles are voids or spaces that are filled with either air or water. When the vertical load is applied to the soil, it causes the soil bed to compress, and the air and water that fill the voids are squeezed out of the soil. This process is called preconsolidation. The result of the process of consolidation is soil settlement"

The best MH installation can still result in uneven settlement - especially if the soil has been decompressed by recently clearing the site of trees and/or grading the surface of the home site.
David Oxhandler
mailto:[email protected]

rystodd68
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed May 23, 2007 12:43 am

Re: totally disagree

Post by rystodd68 » Wed May 23, 2007 12:57 am

It is not the installation of the home that is the problem it is the contractor that did the foundation. Every home settles and all contractors should have in mind of the settling problems. You need to confront the contractor and get them to solve the problem. Keep in mind they are NOT on the brake light gauarentee like everyone sayes they are liable for their work for seven years.

Christal
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Nov 18, 2006 5:08 am

Re: Uneven floor were the two sections are joined

Post by Christal » Sun May 27, 2007 3:35 am

I thought it important that I fill you in a bit more I had recently had granit counter tops installed I asked everyone if the weight would be to much
Was told no it wouldn't hurt. Also I was under my skirting and the ground was damp .
Thanks crystal

trmimo
Posts: 202
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:54 am

Re: Uneven floor were the two sections are joined

Post by trmimo » Mon May 28, 2007 6:35 am

The damp is likely a big part of your problem. While David is right that all structures settle, there are accepatble and unacceptable amounts of settlement. Damp or wet soil is much less stable than dry soil. You need to get the water problem solved and have the house releveled. The marriage line will also need to be unbolted and re-bolted once the house is releveled. But get it dried out first. Your house won't be stable until it is sitting on dry ground. The granite probably doesn't have anything to do with it.

Christal
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Nov 18, 2006 5:08 am

Re: totally disagree

Post by Christal » Tue May 29, 2007 3:11 am

wright after we moved in our home last Augest We found out the insulation under the house was bellied with water ! Cause the cloths washer wasen't hooked up proper. The worst part was the manager left the wet insulation on for around three months or so .
I read that they were suppose to take the skirting down for air to circulate and a fan to dry under the house None was done
Is it passable for the dampness to raise the floor ? Also my neighbors was telling me there soil under the home is dry. Mine is red and very damp

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