UGH...now I know this means that the home is moving! We had a relevel done the following year and a half after our move in. We knew it wasn't level when they set the home originally, because everything was off. So the initial home set up company came back within 6 months and releveled it....so they say, we beg to differ.
Anyway, the person that did the relevel 1-1/2 yrs later, mentioned that the house is warped out of level. So he leveled it and told us that one side of the house is floating until it sets itself back and when it does, it'll be level. Well that was 4 years ago and we are still cracking!
Should we just have the house "releveled" so-to-speak to where it's floating so it doesn't fluctuate anymore, meaning should we just set the jacks so it doesn't float anymore and be done with it? Or does this all sound like baloney? Either way, we've been cracking for years and it hasn't stopped. They're hairline cracks, but still it is constant and continuing on from cracks that were originally there.
What should we do?
Constant hairline cracks
Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD
Annaz, Hi & welcome.
It is hard to say for sure what is going on. What type of support/ground do you have? Blocks on dirt, blocks on a cement pad, full foundation? There are different types that act different.
I doubt your home is floating, but again with out more information it is hard to say.
What type of walls do you have, is it possible that the wind is flexing it? Greg
It is hard to say for sure what is going on. What type of support/ground do you have? Blocks on dirt, blocks on a cement pad, full foundation? There are different types that act different.
I doubt your home is floating, but again with out more information it is hard to say.
What type of walls do you have, is it possible that the wind is flexing it? Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
We have a 2002 32 x 78 foot home w/hardi-board siding and all tape and texture walls 2 x 6 w/2 x 8 floors. We have "jack stands" on bricks w/a dirt foundation, and we live in Arizona. I highly doubt it's wind. It's not that windy very often. So it's very dry and it's very dry underneath the house. We have brick skirting as well. We had a few hairline cracks that have been fixed in the first few years, but I keep seeing more. This is our 2nd mobile, the first one never had a crack.
As far as floating...I never looked underneath. The guy said one side of the house wasn't touching the jackstands after the relevel and needed to drop a bit ... because it was warped.
We need new floors. In our last home we could have had tile. This one, there is no way, with continual cracking, which I'm assuming the house is moving. We have cracks that were fixed in the siding after the 1st year, but they have reappeared in the last few. Mmmmmm
Ann
As far as floating...I never looked underneath. The guy said one side of the house wasn't touching the jackstands after the relevel and needed to drop a bit ... because it was warped.
We need new floors. In our last home we could have had tile. This one, there is no way, with continual cracking, which I'm assuming the house is moving. We have cracks that were fixed in the siding after the 1st year, but they have reappeared in the last few. Mmmmmm
Ann
For the most part you cannot totally stop a house from moving. Even stick-built houses built on basements will move some.
The cracks you see may be classified as stress cracks. They never get real big, but are annoying. They may even occur in the same place season after season.
One new product that we are introducing will hide those stress cracks. It's a 2-part product. First, you fill in the cracks with a pink putty. When the putty turns white, then you spray over it with a rubberized coating. Let dry and paint. The rubberized coating will keep those stress cracks from showing.
The product will be in our shopping cart in a couple days.
Mark
The cracks you see may be classified as stress cracks. They never get real big, but are annoying. They may even occur in the same place season after season.
One new product that we are introducing will hide those stress cracks. It's a 2-part product. First, you fill in the cracks with a pink putty. When the putty turns white, then you spray over it with a rubberized coating. Let dry and paint. The rubberized coating will keep those stress cracks from showing.
The product will be in our shopping cart in a couple days.
Mark
You can't fail if you don't try!
I know what you mean when you say floating. Often when we do relevels, we will find a frame that is warped. You can level 2 points of the frame and the middle area will be higher. When we relevel, we level to the best the home is capable of. We don't allow the frame to "float". I have found that the frame itself will not relax down to where it is being supported by the piers in the middle. It is possible for one end of the home to settle due to earth movement which could drop the high part iof the frame down to the piers, but the frame will still be bent. So I like to be sure that the entire frame is supported by the piers, regardless. That is just my opinion.
JD
JD
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Today is PERFECT!
All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
Hi annaz
Can't really completely diagnose your problem on a forum like this.
Generally speaking I would relevel as best you can then support at each pier like JD said.
Do you have the Installation Manual? This will tell you about the pier spacing. I see you have Hardi-board siding. That's heavy siding so you'll want to be sure you have the correct number of piers.
My 2 cents.
Harry
Can't really completely diagnose your problem on a forum like this.
Generally speaking I would relevel as best you can then support at each pier like JD said.
Do you have the Installation Manual? This will tell you about the pier spacing. I see you have Hardi-board siding. That's heavy siding so you'll want to be sure you have the correct number of piers.
My 2 cents.
Harry
Aside from the roof leak, soft floors, rats, mice and bursted plumbing ........ how do you like it?
Mark I read your post with great interest. Can I presume that the new product may be applied over drywall where stress cracking is evident due to the constant expansion & contraction of our homes? How large a joint will the new product fill and how will the paint flex to accomadate this expansion? I have been searching for just such a product ever since I drywalled the entire length of my home. (12X70 S.W. ca. 1970) Mind you..I don't have huge cracks (I do exaggerate at times)...but a bunch'a cracks. Every seam, tape-joint and but-joint. Walls and ceilings. Most folks never even see them...I do. Even level, sitting on a slab, tied down and re-inforced walls and rafters, our homes continue to expand and contract more than most folks ever realize. I personally would never advise drywalling a mobile home again...from personal experience. Tell me more about this new product please. YMHS...Audie..the Oldfart.
Thanks everyone. I think we'll check if it's still floating and have them jack it so it doesn't flex. Then we'll get some of that good flexible stuff Mark mentioned. The hardi-board shouldn't be a problem. It came straight from the factory.
As for drywall, Oldfart, it really hasn't been a problem with either home. We do know on this home that we had questionable leveling and wanted to make sure that the possible floating could be the culprit before begging the guy to come back out to the boonies to fix. I would never get anything but drywall. Our first home never ever cracked.
Annaz
As for drywall, Oldfart, it really hasn't been a problem with either home. We do know on this home that we had questionable leveling and wanted to make sure that the possible floating could be the culprit before begging the guy to come back out to the boonies to fix. I would never get anything but drywall. Our first home never ever cracked.
Annaz
Aye Annez perhaps the problem is mostly in the older homes such as I have..eh? Rest assured I do love drywall and it has so many advantages. Fire-retardant, some R-value and an excellent sound reducing agent. It's easy to finish and paint, repair is simple and easy. The drawback in the older homes with 2x2 walls and ceilings is expansion and contraction. Our homes do so rapidly and uncontrolably... even when leveled properly and secured. I hope that Mark may have an answer to our problem. I have helped in the building of many new "stick-built" homes..and this has never been an issue in them. YMHS...Audie..the Oldfart..annaz wrote:
As for drywall, Oldfart, it really hasn't been a problem with either home. We do know on this home that we had questionable leveling and wanted to make sure that the possible floating could be the culprit before begging the guy to come back out to the boonies to fix. I would never get anything but drywall. Our first home never ever cracked.
Annaz