We have a 2009 Skyline 28x80 mobile home that was set in March 2009. A few months after we moved in, we started to notice a problem with the floor that has now spread throughout the entire home. It seems that the floor decking is tongue-and-groove OSB (or something similar) that is perpendicular to the joists. The problem is that the tongue-and-groove seams are swelling and buckling upwards. The worst spots are as much as half and inch above the rest of the floor. They make a lot of squeaking and creaking noise when you walk over them as they flex a lot. Under the linoleum, it's easy to see the ridges running the length of the home every four feet. The problem seems to be worse under the linoleum than under the carpet, but it might just be the carpet padding hiding the problem.

I complained to Skyline and they sent a tech out twice. Both times he went under the home, cut through the insulation and stuck shims in to minimize the flexing and thus minimize the squeaking of the floor. This did nothing to eliminate the ridges and each time it lasted about a month before the squeaking returned.

The third time they sent a rep out, it was a different person. After some lengthy discussion, this person admitted that they had just started using this new flooring product and that if we were to pull back the linoleum, we'd see that the manufacturer of the sheeting had stamped on it that it was NOT to be used in mobile home construction and that it was NOT to be used under linoleum without an underlayment. But, Skyline had done both of those! He then went on to describe exactly how they would fix the problem as if he'd already done it many times before. In short, he said that they'd have to cut through all of the belly insulation, scab in 2x6's between each joist so that they'd be under the tongue-and-groove seams, screw the decking down, sand the seams flat, TAPE the insulation back together, and put the floor covering back down. He claims that the seams are somehow taking on moisture and that is the cause of the swelling. He also said that the seams should have been "gapped" during installation but that they weren't. He said that they'd probably also run a saw down the length of each tongue-and-groove seam to create the necessary gap and that they then fill that gap with some sort of filler.

I have several problems with their proposal and I'm looking for advice on how to proceed:

1) I can't help but feel that this is causing a major loss of resale value in our home and we bought it as a temporary solution that we plan to resell soon.
2) Since the linoleum was put down first, all of the interior walls and cabinets are on top of it. So, they plan to cut the linoleum around the walls and cabinets in order to get to the floor sheeting. Then, they'll put it back down and put a fatter baseboard to cover the edges. This just seems wrong to me. I don't want to have to deal with a fat baseboard....
3) I can't believe that cutting through all the belly insulation and then taping it back together will last very long. I haven't been down there to check it myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if where they've already cut through and taped it hasn't already fallen apart.
4) Like I said, some of the ridges are nearly 1/2" high, if they sand those flat again, there won't be much material left!
5) If it's really caused by moisture getting in it somehow, what's going to prevent that from happening in the future?
6) If this sheeting isn't supposed to have linoleum directly on top of it, what other problems are going to crop up in the future?

In addition to the seam problems, we've had several places in the floor where the staples that hold the sheeting to the studs have worked lose and worked their way up and poked holes in the linoleum. The Skyline reps pulled them out, and dabbed a little glue over the top of the linoleum and called it "good". I wasn't impressed.

I still have a few months left on the factory warranty. This last rep told me that since it was a known and reported issue, they'd "take care of me" even after the warranty expired. However, I don't have that in writing. I'm seriously considering talking to a lawyer about this....

Any advice?

Thanks!

-Farren

Skyline has historically been an industry leader in customer (homeowner) satisfaction, so I'm surprised to learn about your frustration.

From your description of the problem it sounds like something has gone dramatically wrong. Using any component in a HUD code manufactured home in a manner unapproved by its producer sounds like someone has made a serious mistake. If you are experienceing this level of problems now what will the floor system look like in five or ten years ??


The proposed fix would worry me too. Sanding the joints, scoring cracks between the sheets, slicing and repairing the belly wrap, all sound like experiments in reverse engineering that might leave your home exposed to any number of problems in the future. You will probably have to sign off as accepting any repairs that are made, which might compromise your ability to request additional warranty repairs in the future. If that was my home the only thing that would give me peace of mind would be removing and replacing all of the sheets that were not supposed to be used as floor decking.

A vinyl floor replacement can be trimmed with baseboard or quarter-round trim to look very good when it is done by an experienced craftsman.

Document every conversation you have had with any of Skylines representatives. It is important to put down the dates and the names of the people you have contacted or who have come out to your home. There are set procedures for manufactured housing warranty disputes that you may need to follow and a careful documentation will be necessary. But first contact Skyline's home office and connect with their NATIONAL service manager.

Skyline Corporation Headquarters
2520 By-Pass Road
Post Office Box 743
Elkhart, Indiana 46515
(800) 348-7469
(574) 294-6521

We have been hosting these forums for many years. The number of postings about problems with Skyline products has been extremely tiny compared to most national builders. You may find a very different attitude from the guys at the top then at the local factory where the home (and problem) was produced..

Please come back here and share the results of your contact with us.

David Oxhandler
mfdhousing@gmail.com

Most of what what you described is quite common in manufactured homes with OSB floors. Most of this actually happens to some degree in site built homes with OSB floors as well, but is hidden beneath underlayment or carpet pad. The seams should have been gapped and sanded in the factory. Doing that now isn't a big deal. The staple pops are because OSB is not well suited to staple installation because it flexes so much more than particleboard the staples work loose. Most of what was suggested sounds like a standard approach to me, however the part about cutting a bunch of holes underneath does not. This may be a scare tactic used to put the idea in your head that it is more trouble than it is worth. Over the years I have had to make these repairs to many dozens of homes with OSB floors. Continue complaining as David suggests, Skyline has earned a reputation for taking care of consumer complaints in a satisfactory fashion.

Farren,

I regret to hear of the problems you have experienced with your Skyline home and the confusion regarding repairs. I would like to help resolve this issue but will need the serial number of your home to proceed. Please call me at 1-800-348-7469 at your convenience or email me at rfoster@skylinecorp.com.

Regards,

Ronald Foster
Director, Consumer Affairs
Skyline Corporation
1-800-348-7469

Excellent !!!

Thanks for jumping in here Ron!

David Oxhandler
mfdhousing@gmail.com

I, too would like to thank Ron from Skyline for responding to this customers cry for help. It's good to see that Skyline and hopefully many other manufacturers are looking at this site to see what's going on at the consumer level. Again,Ron thanks for standing up and helping this individual in his time of need. Hey someone at Skyline give Ron a raise...

Buy a Skyline what great service WOW

Farren,
Thanks for sending your serial number.
Our Service Manager Doug Thomas will call you this morning to arrange the repairs. If you wish to contact him please feel free to do so at 1-800-658-1611.

I will continue to monitor the progress of the repairs and am confident Mr. Thomas will correct the issues to your satisfaction.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Sincerely,

Ronald Foster
Director, Consumer Affairs
Skyline Corporation
1-800-348-7469

Just to follow up, Skyline did contact me before I had a chance to contact them. Nothing can be done until we're out from under this pile of snow, but once that's out of the way they've promised to take care of things. If I remember, I'll come back here with an update when it's done.

Thanks!!

-Farren



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2010 11:24AM by Farren.

We have just seen the best possible reason to buy a Skyline home.

I know this is not a unique situation. During my 30 years selling Manufactured Homes I have heard several stories about down right heroic efforts by Skyline to correct warranty problems. I hope some of you out there living in Skylines will post here and tell us of your experiences.

In this modern era where greed has literally bankrupted our society these are rare actions of honorable people.

GO SKYLINE !!!

David Oxhandler
mfdhousing@gmail.com

There is a reason why Skyline is the only remaining financially viable manufacturer not owned by Berkshire Hathaway.

Yes there is and i am proud to say i have been a Skyline dealer for over 20 years and i see this kind of stuff from time to time. If Skyline makes a mistake they will step up to the plate

Are there any Skyline dealers in Texas?

Contact one of the dealers or Skyline plants below to find the location nearest you


These are the Skyline dealers located in Texas

Baldwin Mobile Home Sales
401 N Col Rowe Blvd
McAllen, TX 78501
Phone: 956-686-5241

Landmark Home Builders, Inc.
1920 Alfred Lane
Bossier City, LA 71112
Phone: 318-747-0052

Clayton Homes #880
8601 South Shields
Oklahoma city, OK 73149
Phone: 405) 631-7600

Prestige Homes
37311 45th Street
Shawnee, OK 74804
Phone: (405) 275-3555
FAX: (405) 214-6299
Email: info@prestigeoklahoma.com

Sweitzer Mobile Homes
Rt. 1, Box 115B
Prague, OK 74864
Phone: 405-567-4188 ·
FAX: 405-567-4083

Top Value Mobile Homes
5700 E. Sixth Street
Stillwater, OK 74074
Phone: 405-743-0858
FAX: 405-377-3765

These are Skylines plants in the Western US

Skyline Homes
920 W Second
Halstead, KS 67056-0311
Phone: 800-728-1314
Local Phone: (316)835-2214
FAX: (316)835-2211
Email: halstead@skylinehomes.com

Skyline Homes
315 W. Skyline Road
Arkansas City, KS 67005
Phone: 800-658-1611
Local Phone: (316)4429060
FAX: (316)442-5003
Email: sales125@skylinehomes.com

Skyline Woodland
1720 E. Beamer St
Woodland, CA 95776-6218
Phone: 800-338-6703
Local Phone: (530)666-0974
FAX: (530)666-7962
Email: woodland@skylinehomes.com

Skyline Homes, Inc.
499 W. Esplanade
San Jacinto, CA 92583-5098
Phone: 800-726-2284
Local Phone: (951)654-9321
FAX: (951)654-0490
Email: sanjacinto@skylinehomes.com

This info was found on Skyline's website

David Oxhandler
mfdhousing@gmail.com

We replaced our old mobile home with a new Skyline Manufactured home on our own 1 acre of land in 2001. 1 year after this, we had our termite inspection done and the man came out from under the home and said the underside was full of water. I called Skyline and a man came out on 10-16-2002 and said our guest bathtub drain was not connected. He cut the vapor barrier and connected the drain. Little did we know, he never replaced the vapor barrier or the insulation. It all laid open to the weather. We trusted this guy who worked for Skyline. ( we loved our home so much, still do.) About a year later, my husband was diagnosed with 3rd stage colon rectal cancer. As we went through all the chemo and radiation and surgeries, we began to notice the floors warping in several rooms, including the kitchen. I called Skyline again, they sent the same guy out and he said nothing about the underside of the house, he just said that the linoleum causes condensation under it and sometimes causes the floors to do that. He said he would go back to the shop and let them know. I waited for a few weeks, then I called them and was told they would get back with me. I was called by the Director of Consumer Affairs (not giving any names, but I received a letter as well.) in January of 2007 and was told we are no longer under a warranty and he suggested we contact our insurance company.
This was shocking since the first complaint of the floors warping was on 10-12-2003. Our warranty is 10 years. The guy from Skyline consumer affairs was very rude and said he will not help us. I do not know if he, or any of the other people I had out here are still with the company, however; I have ALL the papers with dates and all the names and all complaints documented. My husband survived the cancer, now I am ready to finish this issue.
I just want everyone to know my experience with SKYLINE manufactured homes was and is not a good one. Will never buy from them again.

Expect more trouble in the future!! These homes are cheaply built! Check your roof. There is no underlay!!!! If you have skylights REPLACE THEM NOW!!!! Leaks will be a problem soon. Weather proofing is almost nonexistant on these homes. They want to built and sell them as fast and cheaply as possible. Just my opinion!!! EXPECT TO PUT THOUSANDS OFF DOLLARS INTO A SKYLINE HOME OVER THE FIRST DECADE!!!!! I put mine in on June 2000 and have had to work on design flaws and cheap crap ever since.

In 2000 there were about 150 manufactures in the business..I am glad to see that your eyesight has returned since it must have been gone when you bought this home...No kind of house is built to be maintenance free for 12 years...My expensive ($ 100 / ft.) stick built built in 2005 has required quite a few thousands of upgrading and maintenance. I would expect your 2000 model $ 30/ sq. ft. house to have required some attention.

I have owned as many as 60 rental homes at one time. Some manufactured homes some site built, framed, some block construction. As a business man I need to understand what my potential expenses will be from year to year so that I can be prepared to protect my investments.

For that reason every week I set aside enough money to cover taxes, insurance and a minimum of $100 per month for newer homes and about $150 per month for older homes to cover routine repairs and maintenance.

This is not tied to the cost per sq foot but the fact that things keep changing. All structures are temporary, even the greatest bridges and buildings in the world require repairs, renovations and maintenance. The Empire State Building settles a measurable amount yearly into the bed-rock that makes up Manhattan Island.

Most builders follow procedures to insure they are producing homes that will serve the needs of their buyers. It has been my experience that the vast majority of problems experienced with manufactured homes can be traced back to improper installation.

There has been some discussion recently about making the builders responsible for installation and including the site portion of construction under the federal warranty. I am starting to feel this is an idea whose time has come, so manufactured housing can cement public trust and become and more popular housing option.

David Oxhandler
mfdhousing@gmail.com

It has been a little over a year since my post about the floors warping. A Skyline worker contacted us in private and told us to file with the State. He said Ron Foster (director of consumer repairs for Skyline) is lying to customers and having his employee's "stall" us till warranties are out. This must be why we kept being told that we would be contacted to set up a repair date. Every time I called we were told that they are backed up with repairs and someone would contact us soon. ( never happened ) So this employee said he is trying to help some of us that he is aware of, by telling us to contact the State? Like who would he mean? I am investigating. In the meanwhile, so many others just like me are showing up all over the internet. And Skyline is NOT BBB Accredited! Hmmm... I wonder why? (lol) Skyline is NOT going to be around much longer with problems like this. I will keep you all informed.

Ms. McAlister,
I am not sure with whom you were speaking in the past but I would like the opportunity to clarify a few areas.

First, A warranty item is a warranty item regardless of the expiration date of the warranty. As long as an issue was reported during the warranty period, it is covered. Unfortunately the problem with your floor was reported after the warranty had expired. I see from your earlier post that although the warranty had expired someone did come out to your home.

Secondly, All Skyline homes come with a 15-month warranty. We do not offer 10-year warranties. This is not to say you do not have an extended warranty sometimes offered through the independent retailer. It is just not a Skyline warranty.

Finally, Skyline is not only accredited by the BBB, (And has been since 1953) we have maintained an A+ rating.

[www.bbb.org]

Although the home is now 10 years out of warranty I will be happy to review the papers and documentation mentioned in your earlier posting.

Please feel free to call me at 1-800-348-7469 or send them to the address below.

Sincerely,

Ronald Foster
Director, Consumer Relations
Skyline Corporation
2520 By-Pass Road
Elkhart, IN 46514
1-800-348-7469