Replacing Subfloor Reveals Surprises

Repair help for the do-it-yourselfer.
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Holegrain
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 7:50 am

So far, most of the living room and kitchen area have the old particle board removed, and new plywood is glued & screwed down.

Biggest surprise so far was when they removed the fireplace & saw that the roof had been leaking around the chimney. Handyman got up on the roof & said that area was rotten to the point he felt he might fall through. He replaced the osb, felt, shingles etc in that area. He pointed out that the new roof had been installed over the old felt, don't know if that's standard or problematic.

New roof was installed by Lowes in 09, and they had to come out shortly after installation to fix leaks at the chimney & skylight. Apparently, chimney had developed a tiny leak again since then, no idea if it's covered by warranty or not. He took pictures on the roof before he repaired it, and was supposed to send them to me. Four days later he tells me "they didn't save for some reason". Not happy about that.

Pretty interesting to see how the house was constructed though. Also slightly disturbing to see the bones of your house completely exposed. If I can figure out how to post pictures, I'll give you a visual, if it may help someone else some day.

The kitchen cabinets also surprised us - they really weren't bad to detach at all, and even the counters came off intact.

Regarding floor covering- we have to pick some out this week, and I'm set on vinyl sheet, stone-look, since the newer stuff looks really great! I have dogs, kids, dirt, mud, and husband.

Any recommendations for vinyl sheet brands & thickness that feels good to walk on? Will install as floating, and across marriage line. Really need something not high maintenance or delicate.
Markfothebeast
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 4:38 pm

I put in a couple roof vents last week and had to cut through 5 or 6 layers of shingles to find the roof decking. I didn't count the layers of roofing tar paper, if that's what you mean by felt. On a standard stick built house I believe the rule is 3 or 4 layers tops (low pitch roof) for shingles due to truss load. Especially in regions with snow.

What year is your home? My mother sold her house and bought a brand new double wide and I'm afraid it's going to leak also. I saw the drywall cracking around the ceiling edges already. I'm curious as to how your roof vents moisture? Are there soffit or fascia vents? If not, the roof will not have the ability to vent the attic of moisture and continue to contain moisture.


For the vinyl flooring I use the rolls and not the floating stuff. We currently have that laminate wood and in our place it literally "floated" apart. Mobile homes seem to have a lot of structural movement. Atleast the ones I've owned. Thickness has really made no difference to me because it is pretty rugged. It will probably flex better with the sub floor if it is thinner.
Holegrain
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2016 7:50 am

Well, it's a 2002 fleetwood 72x28. Had the new roof due to hurricane Ike, installed in 09.

So is the soffit the part just under the slight shingle overhang, with little holes in it? We have that, and we do have roof vents too. Our house was damaged during a flood in March, and A few months later, I found water in 2 light fixtures, located on opposite ends of the house & opposite sections (1 on the front section & 1 on the back). Both fixtures are near the marriage line, and water was present after it rained. Guessing due to the flood & soil erosion & house moving, perhaps leaking along the roof peak. Will have it checked later. But the chimney has apparently been leaking a long time.

Pretty sure vinyl sheet is best for us & the only place getting carpet is *maybe* master bedroom. Hope it won't be overload with vinyl sheet throughout the entire house lol
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