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bookert_gw

How often should home be re leveled?

bookert
15 years ago

Have some creaks in the floors in various places and wonder if I just need to have the home re leveled?

There is no damage to sub floor etc.. Home is 4 yrs. old.

Can't notice on carpeted areas, but on the linoleum and laminate wood flooring in some areas.

Thanks for your help.

Comments (13)

  • coolvt
    15 years ago

    If you live in an area that is affected by frost and your home is not on a slab or deep foundation, it probably should at least be checked every year. Few people do that, but don't go more than 2 years.
    In almost any area with a slab, it should not really need releveling. If you are in a non frost area and have no slab or foundation it will depend on how well the home was installed taking into consideration the type of earth or gravel it was placed on.
    I would suggest using a 4' level and go throughout the house placing it on the floor in different areas and in different directions. That should give you some idea whether it's level or not. Also, when it goes out of level
    normally the doors and windows begin to bind because their openings are no longer square.

  • bookert
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    coovt,
    Boy do I wish I asked earlier!!!!!
    When we moved our "home" the crew was beyond skeptical. We payed them just to get rid of them!!!

    Some of our Kinro windows have NEVER opened correctly and although we paid to have some of the springs and tension bars replaced they still broke! I'm not happy with them especially since we paid extra to upgrade them! ugh....

    Our front door is the main culprit and I feel needs to be replaced as it's never closed just right. I adjust the screws from time to time depending on the weather and that has helped some.

    We are sitting on a huge hill of granite and d.g. so we are very stable. Our crawl space isn't as deep as we'd wanted and when they set the house we couldn't change it. We can shimmey under there with some difficulty, but there's not much room and you have to go on your back.
    A slab foundation would have cost us $20K! so that wasn't an option! =(

    Thank you for your wisdom!! Any other suggestions are welcomed!

  • bookert
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    coolvt,

    Sorry about the vague description. About 1/2 of the windows are great. Some of the windows are just a bit resistant to open and close. Some of the windows have had issues from day one. Had someone come from the place we purchased from and he blew me off saying I wasn't using enough pressure etc.. Knew he was not wanting to deal with the issue and didn't want him coming back, so we lived with it.
    After having several windows become inoperable called a window tech out to ck it out. He knew very little of how to operate the windows even though the window company used him as a reference to call. He ordered new springs and tension bars which we paid for, and came and installed them weeks later when they arrived.
    They worked for a short while and then the same issues started again. Difficulty in opening and closing. I don't mean a little, it's obvious when the window you are dealing with has issues as it opens much different than the normal ones that operate as they should. We have 3 sections to our home and they are on opposite sides of the middle section as there are only 3 windows in that section. The problem windows will go up, but the tension bar comes out (goes to the top causing us it to barely go back down and we end up not using it at all. The inards of one window came out completely and we have to prop it up if used at all. We are NOT hard on the windows as I'm sure could be surmised. We are frustrated and I've even taken the time on several occasions to fix them somewhat myself. It's a learning process, but I've been able to do it. Inevitably they do the same thing soon after.

    I hope this gives insight on our issues.
    Now the front door is a minor annoyance. It isn't level, as it opens up toward the wall when left open. I do adjust the screws so the top corner doesn't hit the frame when it expands or shrinks from the heat or cold. I'd like to replace it with a larger door, but would have to create a larger opening and not sure if that is doable. There is just enough space to allow for the larger door however.
    I'm thinking it wasn't installed correctly as this too has been an issue from day one.
    Heck our home was ready to be delivered when we noticed at the plant that there was no heater unit installed in the cabinet it fits in!! That delayed us a bit among other things.
    I will say we are happy with our home for the better part, there are things we should have put our foot down on and insisted upon, but we backed down when told it wasn't needed for sure.

    Thank you for your insight, it's very much appreciated!!!

  • countryboymo
    15 years ago

    For all 16x80 owners with a shingled roof I would support the outside of the wall where every support comes off the I beam or at least every other. If you do not eventually the floor will crown from the weight of the roof on the walls. I poured a full slab to the outside dimensions and bolted 2x6's to the slab and built an insulated wall around mine and it was more solid than my house I have now on a basement by far. I used siding on the outside of the wall and sat through 100+mph winds and it never quivered.

    If nothing else get some support and it don't take much on the outside edge every so often. It will make a huge difference in making it seem more solid also.

    just a helpful FYI

  • Shades_of_idaho
    15 years ago

    Bookert when we had creeks in the floor the Fleetwood guy went under and screwed the floor back properly to the frame. He said sometimes in moving or building them they get a joist crooked and it rocks on the frame and makes the squeak. We had a couple squeaks fixed right off and 15 minutes after they left they were back. Then we had another guy come and he fixed it right and never another problem and I have scads of weight in that one room with my mosaic glass and china storage. So have them check your floors from underneath. We had several BIG squeaks at first. Now all is quiet.

    I have also been pretty frustrated with the Kinro window and then I told the repair guy about it and he replaced the springs and no more problems other then if you do not hold your tongue just right it can be hard to shut the windows down all the way to lock them. And don't you just HATE the paper labels they left on them to be scraped off with razor blade!

    Do not give up on getting your repairs done. We have already had a MONTH time where workers have been in our house repairing. Even next week they are coming back to put in the SECOND new vinyl floor in kitchen. This is such a pain but with as much as we paid it NEEDS to be right. They are the ones keep screwing it up.

    We have also had the front door replaced once and had a little trouble with the doors closing right. It they are not shut hard they do not shut well. HATE slamming doors. And the door knobs have been replaced a couple of times too. Sigh.

    I am not giving up until it is all done right.

    Chris

  • rks-d
    15 years ago

    Wow Shades of Idaho....I commend you for your not giving in. We too had problems with the home when it was delivered. It got to the point where the company we bought it from would not take my call anymore. So I had to personally go to the office and drop of my "lists" of what I expected to be fixed. And unfortunately, they didn't finish all of it. We were only guaranteed for a year. And of course they waited that long and didn't finsish it all. Now we have an underbelly that is ripped up, frozen floors, air ducts with no air pushing through and numerous squeaks in the flooring, doors that don't seal correctly. Keep strong and push to get it all done before the warranty is gone, trust me!

  • sheys-garden
    15 years ago

    rks-d,
    I am not sure what state you are in,but you could check with your states Dept of Insurance.Your mobile home mover/set-up company is liable for that home for a certain period of time and it is usually longer than one year.Your warrenty is gone from the Manufacturer,but no the contractor.The Dept of Ins will make the contractor fix those things.Just something to think about.

  • rks-d
    15 years ago

    Thanks sheys-garden. I just don't think after almost 8 years they will.

  • coolvt
    15 years ago

    When I was selling homes I had many legitimate complaints. Others could be questionable.
    The one that I remember most is the man who complained that if he was sitting on the "throne" and flushed it, water would bounce up and his his behind. I had a worker with me who was normally pretty quiet, but I guess he had overheard enough of the complaints. He blurted out, "Stand up before you flush it and problem solved." We never did look at the toilet.

  • sheys-garden
    15 years ago

    Yes,that is the sad part that people wait too long because they think there is nothing that can be done.And most mobile home movers do not want to touch a house with years old problems.They get into more than bargained for and also makes them liable for others work that was done incorrectly to start with.

  • kellydp
    14 years ago

    Who do I call if my home does need re-leveled. My back door does not close properly and I have a bulge in my bathroom wall. I am a few years out of warranty and I'm not sure who to call. What do I look for in my yellow pages or how do I google it?

  • pris
    14 years ago

    Call your local mobile home sales and service dealer. If they don't service customers other than ones who buy from them, they should be able to tell you who to call in your area.

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