Water leaking where roof joins together

[MommyOf2Girls]

I just bought a 1988 double wide (champion) 3 weeks or so ago. It is definetly a fixer upper. We got it fairly cheap, or so I thought. I had it professionally inspected, but It seems we find something wrong everyday. Most importantly, the roof started leaking today. Its cold, and its been rainy. The roof was put on summer of 2010 (or so they say). It certainly looks new, although the inspector said the vents are too low. Now since its been cold and rainy, I heard water on my floor (theyre laminate wood) and i saw water leaking where the house joins together. Just in the living room/kitchen. Its not a constant leak. I checked the rest of the house and i didnt notice any other leaking. I also noticed the floor is VERY unlevel where one side of the house meets with the other, almost stepping up. How do I fix this issue? and how costly is it going to be? I also found the hot water side of the hall bath does not turn on, but it is hooked up to the water heater, the water pressure is horrible in the master bath, and it looks as if the hot water is leaking behind the wall when Im running the tub water...

[David Oxhandler]

It sounds like your home may need to be re leveled and the roof marriage line recapped. It is hard to see what the problem is from here. Find 3 or 4 licensed, bonded, insured, manufactured home installers and ask each to come out and give you a WRITTEN estimate of what it will take to correct the problems. (verbal bids are not worth the paper they are written on...)

Competitive bids are important. Don't look only at the lowest price. Be sure you get an itemized list of what that price will include so you know you are getting bids on the same work. I almost always pick the middle price. The lowest price is in most cases too low to do the job correctly, and will cost you more before your repair is finished. The highest price, if a lot higher than the rest, is probably selling you more than you require.

Don't let this condition continue. If you don't stop the incoming water the results could be health hazards, like mold plus higher and higher correction costs the longer you wait.

If you have a family or friend handyperson available that might handle or help with the work Be aware that re leveling a manufactured home can be very dangerous. DOWNLOAD The Manual for Manufactured Home Repair & Upgrade... It includes info on how to check to see if your home needs Re-leveling and roof maintenance.

[MommyOf2Girls]

if the roof was just done in 2010, shouldnt the marriage line have been capped..i know the place does need to be re leveled, and I was planning on doing it this spring anyway (by a pro). Is cappring the marriage line something a handyman can do, or is a pro job?

[David Oxhandler]

If in fact the roof needs to be recapped because the home is out of level, the halves have settled in different directions. That could be causing the roof problem. It would be senseless to rework just the roof because when you re-level the home you may just have to do it again.

If your home is so out of level that the halves are separating, the roof may be only the most notable problem. As a home settles out of sq and level there can be lots of stress on the doors, windows and structural framing.

If the roof was just recovered any licensed roofer should have given some warranty. Call them and get them to come out and tell you why their work is failing.