Posted by Tiffany --Previous Message--
on 11/7/2005, 2:06 am, in reply to "Please Don't Give Up"
170.215.115.211
: First, I am so sorry to learn of your
: situation. I know it won't make you
: feel much better, but you're in good
: company. Most complaints with
: manufactured homes involve
: water-relater problems/damage. There
: are design flaws inherent in many of
: them, and poor work by the set-up
: crews compounds this many times
: over. My wife and I live in what was
: billed to us as a "top of the
: line Clayton Dream Home." In
: addition to numerous leaks we found
: during set-up and hopefully fixed, a
: home inspector has recently told us
: we have excessive moisture in ALL of
: our exterior walls. My wife Amy
: suffers from allergens already, and
: is extremely sensitive to the spores
: from mold and fungus. Here's another
: story (Lisa's) that yours reminded
: of from the "Screwed by
: Oakwood" message board:
: "When we bought our 1997
: Oakwood/Destiny home my first
: mistake was not doing the
: walk-through.I figured it was a new
: home so it must be ok.They also told
: me that after set up if anything was
: wrong make a list and they would
: repair the problems within a
: year.After setup I found that the
: none of the doors in the house would
: shut properly and when i turned on
: the water to fill the water heater
: they forgot to hook it up so it blew
: the water heater and the water had
: collected under the house and was
: weighing down the material that is
: under the house.When the repair man
: came out to fix the water problem
: and replace the water heater he cut
: slits in the material to drain it.
: When he fixed the warped door
: problem all he did was reajust the
: wood on the inside of the door jam
: so now i have a door that shuts but
: is crooked.My biggist problem is
: what we just found.We have had our
: home for 7 years now and just
: recently my kitchen window (in
: between the two pains of window)
: started leaking.So we tried to
: figure out the problem and noticed
: that the rain runs down the side of
: the house instead of off the
: roof.Around this same time we had an
: electrical problem in my son's
: bedroom so we had a electrician
: working on that problem when he had
: the wall receptical off and had his
: hand in the hole reaching for the
: electrical wires when he noticed the
: outside wall was wet. He called it
: to my attention and I stuck my hand
: in and felt of the outside wall and
: what i found made my heart drop. The
: wall was like a sponge it is
: completely saturated.The next time
: it rained we walked around the house
: to see where all the places on the
: house that the rain is running down
: the side were located.It runs down
: the front of my house right at my
: son's window where we found the wet
: wall, kitchen window, dining room
: window and a few other places. We
: noticed that when it runs down the
: side of the house it goes over the
: vent holes in the siding under the
: eve.So I'm assuming that is how the
: wall is getting wet.Our ins.
: adjuster came out to look at the
: damage to the kitchen window and he
: felt the wet wall and told us it is
: not covered because it is not
: considered storm damage like when a
: tree falls on a your house or
: tornado damage.So now I'm wondering
: if maybe this is a defect due to a
: problem with the shingles not coming
: off the the roof far enough.We
: haven't removed the siding to see
: the extent of the damage yet because
: of the rain but i don't kwow what
: were going to do about the damage
: i'm sure its extensive and has been
: going on since we have had the house
: but is just now coming to light.I
: don't even want to think about he
: fact that there could be mold in the
: walls and that could be why my son
: has a continuess cough year
: round."
:
: The health effects can be devastaing
: -- especially on young children:
: "The health effects from
: biological contaminants like mold
: are serious. Such pollutants may
: initiate allergic reactions,
: including hypersensitivity
: pneumonitis, allergic rhinitis, and
: asthma. Infectious illnesses
: (including influenza, measles, and
: chicken pox) are transmitted through
: the air. Mold and mildews also
: release disease causing toxins. The
: EPA lists some possible symptoms of
: biological contaminants as:
: sneezing, watery eyes, coughing,
: shortness of breath, dizziness,
: lethargy, fever, and digestive
: problems. Just as with formaldehyde,
: people can easily develop
: sensitivities to such biological
: toxins. While these pollutants may
: produce little or no visible
: symptoms in any given person over a
: period of time, the same person
: could quickly become very sensitive
: to the toxin, having severe allergic
: reactions to it. Other diseases,
: such as humidifier fever, result
: from exposure to microorganisms that
: are best known for growing in the
: ventilation systems of large
: buildings like schools, but which
: can also be found in home heating
: and air conditioning systems, and
: even in home humidifiers (hence the
: name)! As with other home
: contaminants, the young, the old,
: and those with preexisting medical
: conditions are most vulnerable to
: their effects." (Source:
: Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook)
:
: It sounds like you have SOLID
: evidence that much of your water
: damage was due to the poor
: construction and set-up of your
: home. All of your inspectors seem to
: agree. Document everything you can
: and keep copies of every report.
: Take a camera (digital is most
: useful) and take pictures wherever
: there's missing caulk or improper
: work including the missing metal
: tracks and warped wood. Take your
: most damning evidence to attorneys
: until you find one that can help
: you. Post your city / state here --
: maybe one will call you. Use the
: lawyer referral services and
: websites like:
: https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/submit_form.html
: It can be hard to find a lawyer
: willing to take this industry on,
: but it can be done. I found one, and
: others have too. The bad news is
: that you are fighting a giant. The
: good news is, if you can prove your
: case (document, document, document!)
: and get a jury of your peers, the
: giant can be pretty vulnerable. One
: of the first things you'll need to
: know is whether or not you signed an
: arbitration clause (bad news), and
: whether or not it is enforcable
: under your state law and particular
: circumstances. I wish you the best
: of luck; our prayers are with you.
: Please write and let us know how it
: goes.
:
: PS. All lawyers are not equal -- try
: to find one you have confidence in.
: And if money is tight (and for most
: folks in this boat, it's always
: tight!) look for a lawyer who will
: take your case on a contingency
: basis. They may still want you to
: pay court filing fees and for
: inspections. This can also give your
: lawyer added incentive to fight hard
: -- if he or she doesn't win, they
: don't get paid.
:
Well as I sit here writing this, I am no longer allowed in my home. We have lost this fight for now....we have to walk away empty handed.
We have no where to go, there are no rental even in our area! And since I have been fighting so nicely with the mortgage company over this, they have us on time period until we modify our loan. But the only way they will modify it is if we take on all $ responsibility to the home and its repairs. By the time it is all said and done, we will be over 50,000.00 over Home Value.
Although, I did get a professional mold inspector to my home, and just as I assumed, we have HIGH levels of five different molds in the home, all toxic to the children, and the strain off pinicyllin, which I am very HIGHLY allergic too!
Anyhow, our IAQ levels were amazingly high, the spore count, and the spore %background air was scary.
We were told to get out, and so we did. NOW WHAT!
Well they have a ball of fire on their hands now. I have researched non stop since April, I have a solid case, and just seeking an attorney.
Thank you for your help Wes, keep in touch.
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