The Manufactured Housing Forums

I own a 1971 arlington doublewide set in a gated community. We purchased this home in July, 2008. Unbeknown to us, it had the original metal roof panels. There had never been any sealent applied to them. In December and then January, 2009, the area had severe storms like had not been seen before. When we arrived the end of January, we found several roof leaks and wet ceilings. We contacted our insurance company only to be told the problem was neglect and they would not cover repairs. After several estimates, none of which was a permanent solution, we decided to reroof with a torch down rolled roofing. This was what I wanted and could afford.
Everything was fine till the last 2 weeks; the area had suffered more of those severe rains and wind. When our caretaker opened the front door, she was hit with an awful smell. She went looking and found wet, sagging ceilings in both bedrooms and the master bath; covered with mold. Again I contacted our insurer to report the damage. The adjuster told me that this was not the right roofing for a MH and again denied coverage. I have spent days on the net trying to find a yea or nea about this roof. The adjuster said it was too heavy and had caused some of the trusses to collapse. I was all over this roof last fall and did not notice any weak spots. The area where the trusses collapsed is under where we had an old swamp cooler removed when we had to put in new HVAC. That unit had leaked for years because the ceiling in that bedroom had been replaced and you could see where water had ran down the outside wall and delaminated the paneling. After all this, My question is; was this the wrong roofing? And was it too heavy?
Thank you.

RUN TO YOUR COMMISIONER OF INSURANCE AND FILE COMPLAINTS. I wish you could get a consultant to help figure out how this happened. He might be able to check your insurance policy and find a way they have to pay in his report. MOST STATES THE ATTRONEY GENERAL WILL NOT HELP EITHER. WE NEED A CONSUMER AGENCY TO REGULATE THEM.

We have a 1997 single wide Belmont with metal roof. My husband wants shingle roof, like regular house. I feel that's too expensive.

I'd like suggestions for alternate roofs at reasonable cost. Also, would you advise a replacement that fits over existing roof or tear off this entirely and replace with new roof?

If you don't have to take off the old metal roof don't. It is best to not expose the interior to the elements. Most metal roof can be saved

Elastomeric Roof Coating is the best product that I have found for coating metal roofs. It is not the cheapest product on the market but it is the most effective. It forms a rubber like layer over the roof that protects the roof from the elements. The white color helps reflect the sun and will keep you home cooler in the summer.

This type of system works best when there has been no rust. If you have rusted areas you may need to replace some of the metal prior to coating it.

I paint the metal roofs on the homes I own every three years. We first coat the perimeter the seams and around the stacks and vents and let then dry. Then we roll the coating on working in one direction (example -from the hitch end of the home to the rear). After that dries we put a final coat on rolling in the opposite direction... (from the front door side to the back door side).

This effectively gives you triple coating on the seams and perimeter where you are most likely to get leaks and double coating on the rest of the field. You can order at Mobile Home Parts Store Online

The best time of year for this job is in the heat of the summer when the seams are expanded the most so that you can get the maximum amount of coating into the seams.

Prior to painting you should pressure clean the roof. You want to apply the paint directly to the metal. If there is dirt between them the paint will not seal and could start to peal off.

This can be a very dangerous job, and should not be attempted by anyone not used to walking on an open roof. On most homes you need to walk only on top of the rafters, not between them, to avoid, at worst, going through the roof or at best kinking the metal. The Rafters on older homes may not be substantial enough to hold a persons weight.

Additionally once the roof is wet from cleaning or applying paint it becomes extremely slippery. It gets so bad that if you take just one step onto the wet surface you will likely find yourself heading to the ground instantly. Experience roofers work walking backwards from one end to the other to avoid stepping on the areas that are wet. So you must always be aware where you are about to step.

If you dont have much roofing experience you may just want to hire a local MH repair guy for this task