Buckling Floors

[jason]

Hello I went look at a double wide on a nice lot. I could not see the inside because it was locked. It is empty and the floor in the kitchen is buckled. I called the person selling it and they said that there are some busted water pipes also. I was wondering what may cause the floor to buckle and the pipes to bust, are the problems related? I did notice from walking around outside that the ground seems to be pretty soft in the area. Any insight on this would be great. The home is a foreclosure and sits on a great lot in Virginia. Im not sure if I should put in the effort to fix it up. What kind of work is involved in fixing a buckled floor. Thanks

[Tom]

If its been sitting with no heat, the pipes probably burst if they didnt blow out the lines. Thats just a guess however, as it could have been a previous leak also. The floors probably got soaked and are basically history and will need to be replaced with plywood. There is probably alot of plumbing work needed if these pipes were not fixed. Sounds like this home may need alot of work and expense to repair. Tom

[Donna Young]

I have a different scenario with buckling floors and I need some help. My doublewide was hit by Hurrucane Charley and the floors in my kitchen and bathroom are buckling. also the ceiling in the above rooms are buckling. SO far the insurance adjuster is doing double talk. At first he said he was totallying the house. but now says 7000.00 will fix it. IE:

severe wind roof damage now says they are going to patch
home shifted now says only 800.00 to reset
carport blown away now says they will straighten out the beams

the adjuster said they would probably total after he saw kitchen floor was so buckled.

Can you tell me what other hidden things might be damaged so I can confront this adjuster again? Any help as quick as possible will be greatly appreciated.

Donna Young

[Tom]

This is a tough call. Without an independent assesment of the damage and repair costs other than what the adjuster is telling you, you really dont have much ammunition to argue with him/her. So basically you have two options, accept what they give you or fight them and wait for who knows how long it will take to resolve it. I dont envy you, as its something just about everyone who has this type of damage has to endure and hope you make the right decision. Tom