Major floor issues, need options

Repair help for the do-it-yourselfer.
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willroach
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:05 pm

Folks,
I recently purchased a '73 hawthorn signal wide in a mobile home park. I did purchase the home in a "as is" conditioned and made the mistake of not doing a inspection of the underside of the trailer. Well i was doing some cleaning and inspecting recently and noticed i have a huge floor issue that seems to beyond my ability to fix. to make a long story short i started tearing out the underside and insulation and found holes, rot, and signs of rodents. I called in a professional and they quoted me 6-10k to fix the issues. Since i don't have this kind of money and would never get my money back out of this, what other options do i have? you can see in the attached pictures that They're some serious issues that need addressed.

The inspector said i could do temporary patches underneath to support the floor if i needed to, and this should buy me a few years until i can save to get rid of the place. My last question is, even though i bought the house in a "as is" condition is there some sort of discloser law that the seller must provide if they knew of these issues? I am 99% certain i can prove they knew of the issues but i don't want to raise a stink if i don't have a leg to stand on. Any help is appreciated.

Will
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Greg
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Location: Weedsport, NY

Hi & welcome. The problems you have are a VERY common problem in homes of that age group. You have Particle board subfloors, It is made of pressed & glued sawdust. It works great until you add water to the mix. Water dissolves the glue and you are left with...Sawdust.

The EASIEST way to solve your problems is to pull up the finish flooring and cut & patch (with PLYWOOD or OSB) the subfloor as the inspector said. The BEST way would be to replace ALL of the particle board with plywood or OSB. You can do a patch job that may work well for years but you always run the risk of having another problem a few feet away in a year. If possible I would do the whole room at a time.

Patches are not too hard to do, but are time consuming. There are many posts here, you can do a search on the subject and read the posts.

For $6-10k you should be able to do a complete rehab job of the home by doing the work yourself. Again not hard work but time consuming, But you would have the home they way you want it and know the TRUE condition.

As far as Disclosure laws go, You could probably prove they knew there was a problem very easily. However in most states Mobile homes are not Real estate so disclosure laws do not come into play, Most states classify Mobile homes in the same category as used cars - Buyer beware.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
willroach
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:05 pm

Thank Greg, I will search and see what i can find. I appreciate your help!
dedou
Posts: 60
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 6:25 am
Location: Central Vermont

Hi and welcome,
Your pictures look like what I see when I crawl under OUR place :lol: We're doing a room
at a time - all started more intensely when we discovered the floor under our toilet was rotted (and our sink, and our bed, and our windows and door, etc.) If money is an issue, be sure to spend the little bit Mark's book costs - it'll answer lots of general questions and get you off to a good start.
Devon
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willroach
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:05 pm

Not to bore folks with my story, but this is my second residents as my family stays hours away and I work in the metro Detroit area where this MH is during the week. The reason i mention this, is for financial reasons. I do not have he money or the time to do a complete rip out of the floors. I am only at this location during the week and i travel back to my other residence to be with my family on the weekend. Because of work and school i only have two nights a week to do any type of work. this is why i am considering a under the trailer patch job just to get me through the next few years until i can afford to walk away from the place. Attached are the pictures i have done to patch the smaller of the holes using 7/16" osb and some sealant. I plan on doing this for the remainder of the issues and then re-insulating it, then using the TYVEK wrap to close it all up. I know this isn't the correct way to do it, but its what i believe is the best option i have within the parameters i can work in. Your thoughts?
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Greg
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OK, I have to say you are the first person that I have heard of that is working from under the floor. Personally I think it would be easier from the topside. Find your joist centers and cut the damaged section out with a circular saw then lay new section in. Set the saw just deep enough to go through the particle board. But do what works for you.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
willroach
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:05 pm

I know, this is why i am debating what to do. the pic are of the OSB between the joist and not on top of them. essentially just putting patches on the soft spots so i don't fall through, going to support the OSB with 2x4 or 2x6 between the joist....this is my thought at least. But all the articles and literature i read says do it from the top.

Will
willroach
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:05 pm

After looking at it again tonight, i cant argue that doing it from the inside will be my best option. too much rot to patch up. My question now is, do i need to install the underbelly and insulation first prior to installing a new floor? Or can this be done once the floor is in place. only have limited time to make it happen, so i would like to do it correct the first time if possible. I do appreciate the help!

Will
1987Commodore
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Location: Steuben County, NY

You can do it either way, If it were me, I'd do the floor first.
bobfather99
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:09 am
Location: Indiana

What kind of underbelly material is there(if any)? After you repair the floors, you can always make some kind of "blanket" out of loose insulation glued to a membrane if its missing or too damaged. Drag it under the home and tack it up off the ground. Ive even seen these "blankets" wired in to screws, the wire goes across from screw to screw in an X pattern(looks like a shoelaces) Great budget solution if you have that problem.
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Greg
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Tyvec will work in a pinch, Any mobile home supply store should have the material or Mark has it in the Site's store.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
willroach
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:05 pm

Ok, I ripped the floor out of the back bedroom and did everything but sister up the edges. I will agree its alot easier to do from the top. Just do it one room at a time. Two questions, i went to the mobile home store and explained that i was going to use TYVEK for my under belly and they gave me the "dont use it speel" they mentioned its not breathable and will retain mositer. they tried to upsell me their roll of under belly and tape for about $120.00 more than the TYVEK and tape. Are their statements legit? or can i go ahead and use the TYVEK?

The last room i decide to do will be the bathroom as it will take some time to complete. I need to know what the proper way of insulating the tub is? currently the trap and under side of the tub is exsposed to the weather/underside of trailer, this is partly due to the trap leaking and the "maintenance" guys cutting the floor so the the water would drip on the ground vs. just fixing the leak :evil:

The dark spot in the middle of the picture is of the hole and trap, i did fix the leak so any photos or info on how this is suppose to be insulated would be appreciated.

Sorry for the long post and thank you!
Will
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DaleM
Posts: 385
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:07 am

If the humps and bumps in the floor above aren't too bad you can just deck over the whole room with the OSB. I know a fellow that has 40 rental units and thats all he does when things go bad in a room. It's cheap, quick and from what I've seen a pretty decent repair for the money. He uses 1/2" OSB.

As for the underside Tyvek will work just fine.
bobfather99
Posts: 195
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:09 am
Location: Indiana

Looks like that was cut out for some kind of service, then left exposed. What you could do is piece in some insulation, and brace a little "square" up underneath so you can service it again if necessary. Just stuff insulation into the "square" to keep the pipe/p-trap from freezing up in cold weather.
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Greg
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Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Tyvec claims to be breathable although not as much as belly material. I think for the length of time you plan on owning the home you should be OK.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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