The Manufactured Housing Forums

The ceiling in the mh that we are looking at is sagging. The ceiling is firm to the touch. The manager said that what happened is that in the past it got wet including the wood frame and all of it sagged. She said that it dried that way and it's now as good as ever except that it's bowed down. I asked if it could be fixed and she said no.

There aren't any water marks or loose ceiling pieces just a bowed down ceiling in all of the rooms.

Your input would be appreciated.

Sally

You have a very good reason to be cautious... The seller is offering an home that at best appears "broken". I would not want to purchase or live in a home with sagging ceilings. Anything that was made by man that is "broken" can be fixed by someone that understands why it is broken and has the tools and experience to fix it. The question would be is it worth fixing?

Sagging ceilings can be cause by a number of different events. If in fact the ceiling was wet how can we know that the truss-rafters that supports the roof and that the ceiling panels are attached to are not warped? Even one warped truss could cause the support of the roof to be compromised. On the other hand a sag in the just the ceiling panels is a cosmetic problem that CAN be repaired.

Inspect the locations where the ceiling panels are attached to the rafters. In most older homes the seams between the ceiling panels are covered by wood or plastic trim that is about an inch to an inch and a half wide. If these seams appear to all be hanging straight and level (not sagging or bowed) the odds are that the trusses are still doing the job they were designed for.

If the ceiling has no water stains there is a possibility that it has been painted to cover the stains. You really need to look and think... Is the ceiling color brighter and appears less faded than the rest of the original finish inside the home? I have seen ceilings that looked like inverted mountain ranges but were strictly cosmetic damage.

To be sure that there is no mold growing above the ceiling you can hire a mold inspection company to bring in sophisticated equipment that can detect mold thru the ceiling..... If you dont want that expense then one of the panels must be taken down or at least cut open for a visual inspection of what's going on above those ceiling panels. Above the ceiling in every manufactured home is a sheet of plastic that the insulation sits on. When you open the ceiling you need to take precautions because there is a good chance that the plastic barrier has been broken where the ceiling sags and the insulation will come tumbling down.

If the trusses are still good and there is no concern for mold the ceiling panels that are damaged can be replaced with like panels. Often, with older homes, there are no like replacements available. In that case the entire room will need to be replaced with an all new ceiling. This may be a bigger and more expensive job then the seller (or you) are willing to take on... There is an alternative that we have used successfully several times.

If wetting the ceiling panels made them soft enough to be reshaped it is possible that wetting them again will make them soft enough again to be forced back into their original shape. We have done this using "dead men" - a sheet of plywood pushed up against the wet ceiling panel that is then supported by 2x4 "legs" wedged between the plywood and the floor, holding the plywood flat up against the ceiling line you want to restore. Leave the dead-men in place for several days 'till the ceiling is totally dry again... Turning fans on the area will decrease the time this takes. When you take the plywood down plan on repainting the ceiling. The first time this method was suggested to me I thought it sounded crazy but I have seen this work very well several times.

You can Do-It-Yourself! There are many types of ceilings in manufactured homes. For some additional proven methods from the long time experience one of the best known hands on men in the manufactured housing industry for a great week-end project see the free article Manufactured Home Ceilings - Repairing or Rebuilding

Another possible reason for ceiling sag is too much added weight by additional layers of roofing. If this is an older mobile home it is common to have sagging ceilings when certain types of added roofs have been installed.
Sagging ceilings can be repaired but it may be cost prohivitive. An inexpensive solution if the ceiling is sagging at the marriage line next to the bearing kitchen wall is a 4"X 4" post added on the unsupported side, with a pier directly below the post. This can be tricky so have a mobile / manufactured home specialist contractor (in California this would be a classification C-47) take care of it for you. If there is a built up (or framed up) roof added over the original roof it may be possible to cut holes in the original roof and "pull the old ceiling up and attach it to the newer framing. This method is expensive and complicated and may take a week or more to complete. Again you'll need an expert at mobile home structure.
As mentioned some of the framing for roofs are truses, some are rigid boards cut with angles. Either way you'll need a trustworthy experienced expert who will come out and look at what you've got.

If there are other homes of similar value and quality with a flat ceiling you may wish to conseder them.

Greg Filian MHI