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View Full Version : The most damaged mobile home that you'll ever hear about


buglegs
Sep 22, 2009, 02:16 AM
Here goes: My 14x56 (1984 Skyline) mobile home has water damaged floors -- the sills are gone on most areas, and the areas around the water heater and washer/dryer are becoming soft and letting go. This has taken place over a very long period. We have particle board throughout. Naturally, there's mold and mildew there, and in the walls -- especially under the windows. When it rains, my bedroom floor gets wet. The paneling is soft and mushy in those places, or crumbly after it's dried. We had considerable steam damage in the house several years ago (long story), which caused patches of mold/mildew to get on closet walls, under windows, and where the floors meet the walls, in general. The roof is the type that has no over-hang, so water just runs down the side of the trailer when it rains, getting into the unsealed areas. I'm sure that it's fit to be condemned, but I want to fix it. The wood in the walls appears to be solid, above the height of the window areas, throughout the house. Not all of the windows have such leaks. Do you think it's possible to repair and reinforce the lower halves of the walls, up to the sections that are still in good condition? I know that it would mean taking apart the walls, inside and out, etc. and replacing rotted wood, paneling, insulation, siding, etc. I am going to replace the windows. I wonder if $15,000 or $20,000 would be enough to take care of this? I can't get the entire place "de-mildewed." I just want to put in nice, dry wood and keep the place dry and sealed afterward. I know that the mold will still be able to fester, but?! I know everyone thinks I'm nuts - I can afford to get a new home for the amount it'll take to rebuild this one. Maybe I will, but I want to know if any of you have taken on a huge restoration like this. Thanks in advance to anyone who cares to try answering this question... :D

speedball1
Sep 22, 2009, 04:57 AM
I worked for Skyline at the Sarasota factory as a line plumber back in the 60's.
It's possible to rebuild anything but what you're going to end up with is a 25 year old trailer that you sunk a lot of money in with hidden mold. The mold by itself would stop me but unless you plan on doing all the labor yourself the labor cost would eat up the value of the unit. My personal take?
Take those big bucks you were going to spend and buy yourself a nice shiny new double wide. Good luck, Tom

ballengerb1
Sep 22, 2009, 09:06 AM
I agree withTom on this, don't throw money at this trailer. Sounds like you'd need to strip it down to just the bones and its not worth it.

Fr_Chuck
Sep 22, 2009, 10:47 AM
Let me see why not merely buy another used trailer, sorry not worth fixing