LARRYS HOMES

[RANDY]

WE RECENTLY PURCHASED A MANUFACTURE HOME FROM LARRYS HOMES WHO JUST CLOSED ALL HIS STORES.OUR HOUSE IS SET ON A FULL FOUNDATION COSTING US A LARGER EXPENSE. OUR PROBLEM IS THE HOUSE IS NOT COMPLETELY FINISHED. LARRYS LET US DOWN,THE MANUFACTURE LIFETIME IS TRYING TO HELP US BUT MOST REPAIRS OUR NON-WARRANTY MATTERS.WE WISH NOW THAT WE DID NOT BUY A MANUFACTURE HOME . THE DREAM OF A NEW HOME PURCHASE JUST TURNED INTO A HUGE NIGHTMARE.

[Sandy]

Instead of saying that you wish you hadn't bought a manufactured home, you should be saying that you wish you hadn't bought a manufactured home from Larry's. What do you mean the house isn't finished and that most repairs are non-warranty matters. We just purchased a manufactured home and all the repairs, all matters, the manufacture has come out and fixed. Sorry to hear about your experience.

[RANDY]

WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR HOUSE DELIVERED, THE RETAIL OUTLET IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SET UP, INCLUDING ANY DAMAGES DONE TO THE HOUSE.OUR HOUSE IS NOT DONE BY MEANS OF THE CARPET NOT SEAMED, TRIMING NOT ALL UP,TOTAL FRONT DOOR UNIT DAMAGED.INTERIOR WALLS DAMAGED AND OUTSIDE TRIM DAMAGED. LARRYS CLOSED HIS OUTLETS SO THEIR IS NO ONE TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEMS. THE MANUFACTURE IS FROM THE STATE OF INDIANA AND WE ARE IN PENNSYLVANIA,THEY WANT LARRYS TO PAY FOR ANY NON WARRANTY ITEMS WHICH ARE THE ABOVE MENTIONED.

[Jon]

Randy:
I agree with Sandy. The unfortunate problems you are experiencing stem from Larry's organization, not the manufactured home industry. The same problem could have happened had you purchased a stick-built home and the builder went bankrupt before completing the work.
In any case, did you finance the purchase of your home? If you did, contact the lender and tell them the home was not completed. In other words, let the lender know they paid for an unfinished product and you want an appropriate adjustment. Different lenders have different methods to handle such situations. See what your lender says. Sometimes they will issue a refund for the value of the work or they may retain a firm to complete the home.
Good luck.

[Richard Wilde]

Wow! Don't we learn the hard way. I bought a Skyline Manufactured House through a developer in Martinsbur, WV. / Summer Hill. The house is bad enough, let alone the lack of getting repairs made to the foundation, driveway, etc., .We have asked repeatedly for things to be done, and I am beginning to believe that my wife and I don't really exist. My biggest problem : PARTICLE BOARD SUB-FLOORING. BUYER BEWARE. I won't be able to sell this house fast enough - and won't make this mistake again......

[RANDY]

UPDATE FROM MY LAST E-MAIL IS THAT THE MANUFACTURE LIFETIME CAME THRUGH AND REPAIRED ALL PROBLEMS. WE NEVER DID HERE FROM LARRYS HOMES.

[Jennifer]

I too bought a Lifetime Home from Larrys in Pennsylvania. We bought it a year ago and have had nothing but problems since. The house was finished but we have had nothing but problems ever since as far as service repairs. I chose a manufactured home because they are beautiful and for the simplicity on my part as I am young and not knowledgeable in buying a house and they helped me through everything. Most of our problems are with the foundation. I had Mark Conte from HUD come out and do a state inspection and he found numerous violations of HUD codes. He has been extremely helpful to me. Apparently they are going after Larrys as we speak. Lifetime has been very cooperative with wanting to fix things but nothing has been done so far. They have to raise my house and redistribute pressure on the foundation. I am also in a flood zone and the contractor that did my crawlspace assured me that the 2 layers of block that I added will be sufficient. Funny how I can't get flood insurance now because I am 2 feet below the base flood level. Larrys was slick to find an insurance company who normally doesn't offer flood insurance to add a flood clause into a regular homeowners policy for one year. Now a year later I either have to raise my house and add more block or pay $2,000 a year for flood insurance. I am actually speaking with an attorney this week to help me. The only funny thing about this whole experience is that the guy from Larrys that did everything for me, Andy, is now able to open his own dealership and sell houses all over again. I'm glad Lifetime was able to fix all of your problems. Mine have just begun!!

[RANDY]

JENNIFER, IF YOU GET THIS E-MAIL LET ME KNOW WHO YOUR CONTACT IS AT LIFETIME HOMES.DID LARRYS OFFER YOU THE SERVICE TO DO YOUR CRAWSPACE,OR DID YOU FIND SOMEONE ON YOUR OWN.ALSO WHAT TYPE OF PROBLEMS ARE YOU HAVING WITH THE HOUSE.

[Jennifer]

I have been dealing with Bill at Lifetime (219-562-2777 ext. 3318). He keeps promising that my problems will be handled but now he wants me to find a reputable contractor in the area to do the repairs. The people that they have are too far away. I have talked to several different people (home movers, contractors, and they all tell me that you can't just "lift" a double-wide up, it needs to be torn down and taken completely off the foundation and set to the side. What Bill is telling me is that it should cost about $1500 to do the "lifting and fix the foundation" but these people are telling me that just setting a house costs around $2,000. So I've hired an attorney to help me sort this out. When we found the property that we wanted we knew that it was in a flood zone and it was even written in the sales agreement that we gave Larrys. They did everything for me...including the contractor. All my job was turning the key to my new house. I kept asking the contractor, "Are we high enough, are we ok" He assured me that the 2 extra layers of block that I added would be fine. The whole crawlspace consists of 8 layers of block now. The problems that Mark Conte found with the foundation is that the house is not properly supported (an I-beam is not fully resting on the perimeter foundation wall, the concrete block piers at the center of the crossbeam span are not evenly loaded, one center line support bears directly under a floor heat duct crossover, there is only one vent in the whole crawlspace, several supports from the crossbeam to the floor are improperly constructed as the concrete cap blocks are applied on their sides, the centerline piers are miss located and do not support the marriage wall columns, the main beams at the ends of the home are not supported by crossbeams making the end walls bear directly on the foundation. A big one is that my house is not anchored at all. A partition wall is pushing up into the ceiling to the point of breaking the ceiling gypsum, my drain lines are not supported, the ridge vent on the roof is gapped away from the roof deck and now this past week I've found a brown stain in the ceiling of my kitchen. All of this comes directly from Marks inspection report. I cannot get flood insurance at a reasonable rate because I'm 2 feet below a base flood level when federal law says that a house should be 1 foot above the flood level. So I need to add 4 layers of block somehow. Most of my problems stem from the installation of the house. Besides the partition wall problem, the house itself only has some cosmetic problems but none that would cause future damage. I actually do love this house, I just want those liable to fix it to comply with the laws of the National Flood Insurance Program so I can get on with my life. This has turned my family upside down this past year and it absolutely amazes me that they can get away with it. Andy has a whole new dealership opened up and he's the one who organized this whole charade. And as soon as I find out what the name of it is, I'll be sure to let everyone know not to go there!! I'm living in a money pit I can't crawl out of and he's driving around a cadillac and has gold teeth. Who was HADD?

[David Oxhandler]

Im sorry that you are having a problem with your new home. I hope we can assist you.


If you have any complaints about the performance of your manufactured home that have not been resolved by the retailer where you purchased the home, in most states you must contact the manufacturer that produced the home. If the problems are left unresolved by the factory then you need to contact the state agency where you live that administers the federal code regulating manufactured housing. It is important to provide the following information with your complaint:

First write a numbered list of all the problems. After you have listed each problem then list the dates and names of the people at the dealership and the manufacturer that you spoke to about the problems. Then list the dates that service men came to your home and what they did during that visit.

Also be sure to include:
Your name, address and a telephone number where you can be reached during the day
The name of the manufacturer
The serial number and model number of your home
The HUD label number (the red tag on the back of the home)
The date purchased
The name of the retail business who sold you the home.
Copies of any correspondence or contacts with the retailer and the manufacturer to resolve the problem.

Make copies of this letter. Keep one and send a copy by Certified Mail Return Receipt to:

-1- The Dealership where you purchased the home

-2- The Manufacturer of the home

-3- The Agency that regulates manufactured housing in your state. You can find the contact information for that agency on our site at http://manufactured-housing.net/saa
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Please let us know how you make out. Good Luck.
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David Oxhandler
mailto:[email protected]

THE MANUFACTURED HOUSING GLOBAL NETWORK