New Mobile home owner needs help

[catk102]

Hi,
About 2 months ago we bought a 1979 Bendix double wide mobile home.It needs help a lot of help I think.But it was affordable.
So here are a few questions I have.The flooring was replaced about a year ago with plywood,unfortunatly I think it was done badly since around the seals of the 2 halves there seems to be a lot of buckling underneath.In addition there is carpeting everywhere including bathrooms and kitchen.luckily in one of the batjrooms and the kitchen the floor seems even.So I was wondering if I can replace the carpeting in those 2 rooms with stick on tile and which way would be the best way to go about it(what kind of prep work will that need or can Just stick the tile on?)
Secondly underneath is no Underbelly insulation.It is mostly ripped up or torn down.I live in Indiana were the winter can get cold.Underneath has been used as a storage space I think(You would not believe the amount of trash I have already thrown out and still need to throw out).So I understand that that needs to be fixed but it seems a little late in the year or is it something that can be done cheaply and say in a weekend?
Thirdly The home hasa pitched roof and not a flat one,there seems to be small roof leeak right around where the heater vents out,I am thinking that it just needs to be sealed and it should not be a big deal,my question is however can a Mobile home roof hold the weight of an adult person while doing that or how else would one go about fixing this?

I am so glad to have found this forum everyone here seems to be very kind and helpful,I am sure I will be back with many morequestions.
Thanks
Kat

[JD]

Hi Kat and welcome to the forum,

The buckling at the marriage joint could be just a result of the home settling. Replaced subfloors will tend to buckle at the joints if room was not left for expansion. Subfloors buckling at the marriage beam is not very common, although settling can create a hump.

I would not advise peel-n-stick tile in a wet room. Sheet vinyl would be the better way to go. If the subfloors are in good condition, you would only need to float the edges and seams of the wood, if this has not already been done.

It would take me longer than one weekend to install new insulation and underbelly material under a double wide mobile home, and I have done this job many times. It is pretty straight forward though and can certainly be done DIY if crawling and working under your home is something you can do.

Sometimes you can see an obvious leak situation when looking at a suspected vent. Then it is just a matter of sealing up the area with some roof mastic, usually. Sometimes leaks can be hard to find. You can look at any bumps that may be curling shingles up above the roof jack. Especially look at the ridge cap area to see if there is an indentation of the shingles at the peak of the home. A mobile home built for comp shingles should have no problems if you walk on it. Be sure to watch for water damaged roof sheathing areas though.

JD

[Yanita]

Hi,

Welcome to the site! Glad you found us, you will certainly find lots of great info here from other MH owner's. Mght I suggest thqt you purchase our MH Repair Manual in the books Parts link. It will be one of the most read books in your home, especially as you move forward with repairs/upgrades.

As JD said, we do not recommend peel and stick tiles in wet rooms, but not to say this has not been done successfully. When people choose to use peel and stick we recommned that it be done over existing vinyl flooring. In your case that is not an option. Lowe's Home Improvement generally has a bin somewhere in the flooring area of discontinued or end of the roll sheet vinyls. These are generally the newer patterns and almost always fit our rooms with minimal waste and cutting, and they are deeply discounted!

Good luck and keep us posted.

Yanita

[catk102]

Thank you all for your advice and responses.So you would not recommend stick on tile,but sheet vinyl.I can probably find a pattern that I like lol.As for the underbelly I was afraid you were going to say that.I just spent literally the alst 4 weekends getting rid of stuff leftin thr home shed and underneath the trailer.How imperative is it to get done before it gets real cold?Is it just a matter of high heating bills or is it vital to the home?(Also money is a serious consideration).And yes next payday I will defintly buy the book I already talked to the hubby how I really need one
Thanks
Kat

[Yanita]

Hi,

If you live in an area with freezing winter temps, IMO, your underbelly material is imperative. To not have your underbelly in proper repair you will certainly have frozen pipes, not to mention very cold floors and extremely high heat bills.

Yanita

[Dean3]

I think Yanita is right on the money,frozen pipes and cold floors.. I would,at the very minimum,at least insulate the joist cavities that have water feed pipes and be sure the main feed(from floor down into the ground)has pipe wrap insulation with working heat tape within.

Would the heat savings alone offset added bank interest if you borrow enough to do the complete projects underneath now instead of waiting?.

Also before covering the pipes would be a good time to pressure test them or at least do a thorough visual inspection,that's better than getting them covered then having them leak in a year or two.

Dean