A message to the MH builders out there

Repair help for the do-it-yourselfer.
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Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD

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Mark440
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:33 am
Location: Anna, Tx

ATTENTION MOBILE HOME BUILDERS!

STOP IT! Stop it right now!

When ya'll hire young punks who don't even know the right end of a screw driver - you screw all of us buyers. You cheap solution only furthers the reputation of mobile junk.

I cannot tell you the goofy, shabby, shoddy, stupid construction 'work' I have found - and had to 'fix' over the years. From electrical to structural, to finish work - I have come close to just taking a bulldozer to the whole mess.

My current project was to replace the two light switches in my kitchen. One of the switches is intermittent. But!!! Because of the janky electrical components used by the manufacturers + the shoddy installation work......I will have to cut out a whole section of the crappy vinyl covered 1/4" drywall and start over. Why?? Well, when they installed the two switches the knocked out the drywall surrounding the cutout (just leaving the wall paper)...and then jimmied up the switches to hang on by a thread....all covered with a 2-gang wallplate.

I was good with installing an "old work" box. no problem. But the cut out is so jimmied up in length and width - and the drywall knocked out from behind - that there is nothing for the little 'flags' of the work box to hold on to. Nothing.

So now the project has morphed into figuring out some kind of wall covering.....instead of just replacing a couple of switches.

And the hits just keep on coming.

So - clean up your act and stop selling all of us short.

Ok. I have to go back and figure out what i am gonna do with this stupid wall switch.
Opportunity has a shelf life.
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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

You can glue some shim stock or 1/4" paneling/plywood on the inside of the wall for the flags to grab on to.

Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
Mark440
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:33 am
Location: Anna, Tx

I found a piece designed (RACO) for this exact predicament - but the big boxes don't carry it in stock. Gotta special order - and buy 10!

So, yes, that's exactly what i am trying to do. I went into town and picked up one of those mega-jumbo wall plates so hopefully it will cover up any mess - and fit in the space alloted.

Take me back 20 years and I would probably do some cussing and then laugh this off. I would figure out a fix and do it. But, the older I get the less tolerance i have for fixing other people's screw-ups.
Opportunity has a shelf life.
Mark440
Posts: 279
Joined: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:33 am
Location: Anna, Tx

...and it's done. I ended up sandwiching a 2x3 with a 1/4" spacer into the closest stud. Thankfully i had a 8" bit extender for driving in some extra long deck screws! Then i screwed the box to the 2x3. The wiring was a bit tight - but it's done and i ain't gonna do it again! :)
Opportunity has a shelf life.
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