mobilehomerepair.com

Hi, folks! Never thought I'd have to actually post on this great forum 6 yrs ago when I found it, but we have significant damage due to the Sabine River flood in southeast Tx last March. Lots of issues, pretty overwhelming so just trying to take one thing at a time.

We have a 2002 fleetwood carriage hill 72 x 28. Water rose to just about subfloor level, but didn't get in the house. Some flooring began to bow up pretty quick. The rest is bowing now. We removed the underbelly & insulation as soon as we could but it did take a while. I can attest to the fact that if you have particle board subfloor, and nothing b/t it & the ground below, it WILL absorb moisture, and WILL bow and warp over time.

After many delays with ins co, mort co, and filing a supplement claim for the subfloor, we just began repairs. We had it re-leveled last week. Joists look good, from what can be seen below. We also had the house raised up 8", on our dime. Entire HVAC system to be replaced next week, and contractor says ducts will work better than they ever did from the factory.

Finding contractors for the flooring around here is a joke. Most don't return my message. Some I find to have bad reviews or other issues. Some tell me they'll call back & I never hear from them again. Several scheduled to be here, and never showed up. Really, I can handle it if they just say they're too busy to take on new projects! So, still searching for someone to do the subfloor.

From what I'm reading, replacing the subfloor is time consuming, but not really difficult? So, in what circumstances would we need to remove the particle board from under the walls as well?

Ins co will replace with part board, we'll pay the difference for OSB or plywood. If we do OSB, is that ok? I mean, will it last? We've had leaks and etc thru the years, this particle board served us well, guess we got lucky we never had warping or rot before. Not sure we can afford plywood upgrade though, I hear it's pretty pricey these days.

SO many other issues and questions, but the subfloor seems like the logical first step. thank you all for ideas and advice.

Plywood, it may cost more, but totally worth it. As to under the walls, you may be able to get away with adding blocking to the joists to support the floor. That depends upon the condition of the particle board under there now.

Support all joints with 2x4 blocking flat.
Glue and fasten 6 inches o.c.
Use plywood tongue & groove 5/8 if not your regular plywood will do.
You could possibly leave particle board under wall if not overly swelled up.
If it was under water for along time you would want to replace.
Leave min 1 inch protruding out from under walls so you can slide your 2x4 flat blocking under the OSB you did not remove and fasten to your 2x4 blocking that is flat and the fasten your plywood to the 2x4 blocking.

I agree with the other posters here. Plywood not OSB. I can bend the edge of an OSB panel with my bare hands. You can feel some give on new OSB nailed down to 16" centers. Contractors will add a profit percentage to all materials purchased, so it will cost more than the plywood itself. I always use 3/4" ply, and 3/4" Sturdi-floor T&G when more than one sheet is required.

Finally got a contractor out here & just got his bid. Not sure about his numbers, though. His bid states 40 sheets of 3/4" plywood, 1 case of subflooring adhesive, 5 lb of primeguard 2" screws, Material cost =$4,000?

And that's just materials, labor was quoted separaretly. I'm just not seeing the price of 40 sheets of t&g 3/4" plywood and case of adhesive & screws adding up to 4k using my local lowes website, anyone have any thoughts? Am I looking at the wrong thing?

He quoted you for aprox 1282 sq ft of sheeting assuming sheets are 4x8.
You say your house is 2016 sq ft. So he is not over on sheeting.
Stick with plywood tongue and groove.
Glad to see he is going to screw and glue.
That is a good sign.
Make sure plywood does not have allot of plug holes.

Yes, 1,255sf of t&g, 4x8. I know he's not over on the number of sheets, I was questioning the price of 40 sheets + case of adhesive + 5 lbs of 2" screws. The most expensive t&g 3/4" here is less than $30/sheet. $30 x 40 sheets is $1,200, plus another couple hundred max for adhesive and screws, how's that add up to $4,000 materials (plus the $7,295 for 2 guys labor, and this is not an actual company or contractor, just a guy who does this stuff)

Just trying to understand the numbers so I can make the best decision for us, appreciate your help!

When my roof needed to be done - the bids were all super inflated on the materials. Being the insurance company sent me the check - I had the contractors just bid labor. I then went down to HD and bought the materials myself. They didn't like it - but I wasn't about to pay them a 250% premium just for them to buy the materials.

I'm not opposed to a contractor making a decent wage. Heck, even above decent is sometimes ok. But I won't support the "killing" attitude.

I didn't even think about doing that. Lowes will deliver, I don't see why I can't do that part myself, too. There's no way 40 sheets of that plywood & adhesive & scews cost 4k.

I'll tell him we'll buy materials & get his bid for labor only. Although since he already gave me a bid for labor, it shouldn't change right?

His bid for labor shouldn't change. If he balks - then he has got some 'splainin to do. Unfortunately, too many get their eye set on collecting every single penny of the insurance money. If they don't, they see it as leaving free money on the table. There is no free money.


Like I said, I'm not opposed to a contractor making a decent living. Just not all at one job.

Thanks for pointing this out to me. I didn't show him the ins co bid for that very reason, just made sure to give him a scope of work, with their measurements, but no $ amounts, so I could compare apples to apples.

I also asked him for his estimate to replace the remainder of subfloor that hasn't been inspected yet. He estimated 6 weeks to replace the entire subfloor, I was expecting 3-4 weeks, but that shouldn't have surprised me, "contractors" around here dont show up till 11-12 & leave by 4 at the latest. Every single one, except lowes replacing our roof in 2009, shows up very late & knocks off very early.

Apparently, if we hire this guy to replace the subfloor, he'll charge us much more for materials, even though we get it from the same place. We won't have enough $ to replace the floor coverings or countertops (ins co says old ones would fall apart when removed to replace subfloor). I'll message him shortly & tell him we'll get the materials out here.

Been searching for someone to replace this floor for so may months now, everyone else either doesn't call back or schedules & then doesn't show up. I'm tired of house being torn up, all kinds of bugs getting in, floor will make you break your neck if you're not carefully navigating the hills, holidays coming up, I just want it put back together.

This is what my local Lowes has in stock, is this the correct stuff?
Plytanium 23/32 CAT PS1-09 Tongue and Groove Pine Plywood Subfloor, Application as 4 x 8
They have 5% off if you order 48 sheets or more, total delivered price for 60 sheets (to do approx 2,000sf) is $1,841.48.

Looks good.
Make sure it accepts vinyl if planning to install vinyl.

Thank you!!!product page says:
Single layer flooring panel for use under hardwood flooring, carpet, pad, and vinyl floor coverings
Easy instillation with Quick-Fit tongue-and-groove profile
Features full sanded face