Decks, Patios, Porches and Docks - need lots of help with deck problems

Hi,

Last year I purchased a modular home - in Edmonton Alberta. It is a 2000 SRI. It has an attached, uncovered deck approximately 412 square feet and faces east. Last summer when I moved in I notice the paint was flaking off. The deck is made of spruce (someone told me) and there are no spaces between the boards at all for the air to circulate. In addition, the deck has siding around it which probably doesn't let any air in under the home at all. The previous owner used a latex paint with Olympic Waterguard Multi Purpose Sealer. I noticed last summer that the paint was coming off the deck. During the winter months the ground heaved enough so that the deck was slightly slanting toward the home and the snow and ice accummulated there for most of the winter. I'm on a limited pension and I need to know the best way to refinish this deck. I am on my own so I can do somethings but working with real heavy equipment is not an option. I would like the deck to last as long as possible. The fact that there are no spaces between the boards and there is siding around the complete trailer makes me wonder if I should be doing something to dry out the ground under the trailer. The previous owner used a latex paint with Olympic Waterguard Multi Purpose Sealer.

Sorry for being so long winded, but I've been on the internet, talking to all different types of contractors, but I think being in a mobile home has it's own issues.

Welcome to the forums

Not having any gaps between the boards and no air circulation under the deck is a problem. When you say the MH and the deck have siding all the way around do you mean as in underpinning? Does it have any vents? A lot of MH underpinning is perforated to allow air circulation.

I don't have any magic cure for the board spacing. Are the boards pressure treated or just plain wood? Genarally stain wears better than paint on a deck but I doubt any coating will last long term if water stands on the deck or it otherwise stays damp.

Do I understand that the previous owner mixed a waterproofer with paint to make a stain? The best coatings are found at a paint store. Big box stores tend to favor price over quality - that's why pros will spend the extra $ at a paint store. But with moisture problems I don't know that a quality coating will last any longer than a cheaper one.

Does the ground under your home stay damp? Does rain run off drain away from the MH? If not I'd start there first.

Thanks for your reply Mark. I'm not sure what underpinning is. The siding on the MH is horizontal, the stuff or skirting they call it around the MH is white and the material seems like a flimsy aluminum and runs vertically from the ground to the edge of the deck and it looks like a sofit (?) on top of that holding it on to the deck. Actually the skirting is completely around the whole MH and I really don't know about vents - I'll need to find out though. It is raining right now, and the water is sitting there on the deck. They have maintenance people here at the park, none of which live in a mobile home. I'm going to try and find out more about the venting issue for sure - because with all the snow and now the rain, I'm afraid there will be mold growing. I've seen other decks around here, most have lattice work from the edge of their deck to the ground. Would that not be problematic in the winter months - with pipes breaking? I don't want to install a phone jack in the office here because I don't want any other holes put in the bladder other than the ones that were here when I moved in.

A lot of MH underpinning/skirting is made of vinyl. The panels are usually about 2' wide and set in a track fastened to the ground and have a 'cap' the covers and holds the top in place. I think that is what you have. There are 2 different styles of this type. One has vent holes in every groove and the other has solid panels and seperate vented panels.

I'm not fond of using vinyl underpinning around decks. While it does make for a nice clean job as you noticed it doesn't allow for as much air circulation as lattice does. Because of the lack of gap between boards this probably isn't a big problem at this time. Usually you will have skirting under the MH next to the deck to restrict air flow under the MH.

Is the plastic/vinyl wrap under the MH what you are calling the bladder? Whenever possible it is best to keep it intact. Holes can be taped up but the tape doesn't always stick lng term. More often than not phone and cable wires are run along the outside and a hole drilled thru the wall to bring in the cable. The cable and hole are then sealed with G.E. silicone caulk.

Hi Mark,

I did an inspection around the MH this morning and yes, the underpinning/skirting is made of vinyl and exactly as you said they are set in a track and have a cap the covers the top in place. There are, as you said solid panels and then panels with seperate vents. My place is 16'x 76' and the front 16' area faces the north. The deck is on the east side of the house and covers an area of 412 square feet. There is one vent only on the east side, two vents on both the north and south end and there is one vent only on the west side. The underpinning/skirting around the deck has NO vents in in. I pulled away some of the skirting and the ground is soaking wet, as to be expected with our 7 month winter and the rains we are now having.

I've done a mini course on this mobile home and in addition to the venting problem, it states in the manual that dryers are NOT to be allowed to vent under the home or into the heated cavity below the deck. Well my dryer vent is below the deck, however it is obviously not heated. Do I need to address this issue?

The boards on the deck are not pressure treated.and with scraping off the ice and snow etc. the paint has come off in the major areas. I was going to get someone to come and use a pressure washer to get the paint off but in reading the manual for this mobile home it states that the water pressure must not exceed 500 psi, if so then you need to install a pressure regulating valve at the water input to your home. Do ou know what the usual psi is of the machines people in the business use? If it is over 500 psi, then I could have a problem. I can always phone and ask them, but at this point it is like dealing with Revenue Canada, if you have a question, you need to make 3 phone calls and if you receive 2 of the same answers to your question, you go with that.

I went up to the MH office and got a name and number of a fellow in the park and I called and told him my problem and that I had questions to other issues also. He said he help build some of these places (don't know if that is good or bad) He's going to drop around sometime - hopefully before a week - but he mentioned that the deck may need to be re-leveled so the water runs off it. In doing so, is there any harm that could come to my MH. Right now all the doors work and I had laminate flooring put in and I certainly don't want the house to be out of wack. Any comments about this?

I don't know where you live, I'm expecting probably in the States somewhere so you probably don't have any contractor contacts in Edmonton. If you do per chance, let me know. Right now this city is growing so quickly it is very difficult to get trades people. Also, the trades people that are putting up both MH and houses are not always qualified and there have been many issues in the paper about new homes just built with mold problems etc.

Sorry for venting - I would just like an unbiased opinion. I had one fellow say the easiest way to correct the venting is to put at 6"x6" hole in the side of the venting and then get a screen at home depot and put in on the hole. If I do that, then how high should this 6" x 6" whole be?

I should change my message from need lots of help with deck to need lots of help!

I'm considering taking up drinking (ha ha can't afford it).

Thanks again Mark, you are wonderful!

Donna

I would think that you need more ventilation under your MH. I know specs change in different locales but in S.E. USA it's ideal with your type of underpinning to have the vents about every third panel. While the vented panels will allow some cold air to get under your MH in the winter it isn't like a blowing wind [if you had no underpinning] You can buy vented panels [they come in 8' maybe 10' lenghts] at any mobile home supply center.

I've never heard of a fairly new MH venting the dryer underneath, usually they come out an exterior wall. This is easy to fix. Bascally you get some fleaxable piping [4" pvc will also work] and extend it out to the skirting connected with an exterior dryer vent. The height doesn't really matter as long as it has room to exhaust while in use. We don't get enough snow for that to be an issue here but might be where you live. Check with the neighbors and see how theirs are vented.
I think the heated cavity your manual refers to might be between your floor and the wrap that holds and seals off the floor insulation.

Your deck should be separate from the MH [not attached] so leveling or giving it a slope shouldn't affect the MH itself.

Your house water pressure is probably +/- 50 psi. A pressure washer takes water from your spigot and runs it thru a pump, pressurized line and tip. The pressure washer pump builds the pressure for cleaning use, it doesn't increase the water pressure in your home, if anything you might notice a slight drop in water pressure while it is being used.

Whenever construction is booming it can be difficult to hire good tradesmen. The good ones stay busy and may not want to bother with small jobs or postpone them until their work is slower. That leaves room for all the not so good workers to get plenty of work :eek: always check references and pay after the job is done satisfactory.

Hopefully I answered all your questions, if not just holler :D

mark

...... if you wish to replace the vinyl around the bottom of the deck with lattice for better air circulation with a little luck you can reuse the vinyl to close off the gap between the underside of the deck and your MH.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for all of your good advice. I was given a name of a contractor who lives here in the MH park and actually help put some of them up. He came over and I told him my concerns about insufficient venting around the house, the fact that the air dryer duct is located underneat the deck which according to the manual is a no no and a host of other issues. He said the inside of my house is level, which is great because I had new floorin put in. He will re-level my deck to slant downward so the water will not stand on my deck. He said my deck was attached to my house and I told him I did not want my house to be moved in any way shape or fashion because everything inside works. He is planning on doing this sometime in July.

Just for my information, how does one go about reslanting a deck while ensuring that the house is not moved? I'd like to know because I will be here when they do it, and I want to watch to make sure it is done in a proper fashion.

Again, many thanks
Donna

Usually a deck isn't attached to the MH but if it is...... he may be able to just lower the outside edge, you only need to drop the outside about 1" to make it drain if it is otherwise level. I don't think that will change how/where it is attached enough to affect the MH leveling.

The easiest way to lower the ouside edge of the deck would be to lower the support posts on that side. Around here they aren't deep enough for it to be difficult to remove some dirt from under the posts providing they weren't set in concrete. Because of the deeper frost line in Canada he may need to do it differently. I would assume he knows what would be the best way to accomplish this with your deck. As long as he only works on the outer side/edge of the deck it shouldn't affect the MH.