Home settling and setup responsibilities

[Matt G]

I have lived in my Palm Harbor manufactured home for almost 2 years now, and although I got the perfect home I wanted at the time, one thing has continued to be a thorn in my side. Almost since I first moved in the floor seam on the marriage line (a doublewide), has become uneven. It was one of those things that you just happen upon one day, wonder to yourself "hmm", and continue walking. Well, it eventually got worse, with the carpet showing a distinct line as one side of the house seemed to settle lower than the other.

At about 6 months after moving in, I "invited" a representative each from my dealer and the company that installed/setup the house out to see what was blatantly becoming lasting damage to my new home. Essentially the consensus from the "experts" was that it was normal settling. Within a few weeks, to seemingly remedy the issue, someone was sent out from the setup company to intall some lagbolts under the floor (from the visit came the realization that over 20 lagbolts had not been installed in the marriage line, which would tell me that my house wasn't put together correctly in the beginning), and another crew appeared to pull up my carpets and putty the uneven seam which was supposed to even it out smooth, or so I got from the explanation.

It is now 18+ months later, and everything has gotten worse. The floor seam is still uneven along the entire marriage line, at many points along the ceiling seam the line seems to be separating (leaving gaps in the seam covering of 1/8-1/4 inch), and on the master bedroom side of the house the outer wall has cracked, again along the marriage line, from top to bottom, with the biggest gap near the ceiling nearing 3/8 inch wide.

The question I pose is what can I do. I have tried to call the maintenance branch of the manufacturer, which due to convenient "staff changes" have failed to address this problem despite calls every week for almost 3 months straight. I have spoken to the dealer's office numerous times and continue to get the answer "it's normal settling, and we don't cover that after installation", when I get an answer or call back at all. I fear that this will be irreparable damage to my home, hurting even more should I end up selling it a few years down the road.

Do I have legal grounds to go after any of the aforementioned groups for damages, or am I just stuck with it all? Maybe fork out the money for leveling and an inspection and go from there? What can I do?

Thank you for your time.
Matt

[David Oxhandler]

It sound like your home is out of square and needs to be releveled. 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

Get more details Here

[rmurray]

You have not mentioned if you bought this home from a Palm Harbor owned dealership or an independent dealer...In any case..NO manufacturer will warrant that YOUR ground will not move...The manufacturer made the dealer return to lag bolt the house..which would have been part of the required set up in the owners manual...This is not likely part of the problem now....You should have your footings inspected and make sure they are at least what is called for in the set up manual that you have....If not you may well have an argument with your dealer....Most likely that dealer had an arbitration agreement as part of his purchase agreement papers....which means you would have to file for arbitration before legal action...In relation to the courts this process is quick and inexpensive...Consult with an attorney after you have had an expert check out your set up and the manual...If the expert determines that the home is set correctly and the ground moved..you will have to pay for this repair...