Hi MHUers,
I wanted to community to weigh in here on how long it generally takes to setup a mobile home, and more specifically if rain affects any part of the process. I’ve had a contractor in charge of setup and the homes have been there for about a month and a half. They are blaming the inability to anchor on rain. On top of that, when they did try to anchor, they hit the natural gas main line and water lines as well. This caused the fire department to come out and gas company to do an emergency repair, and could have resulted in an explosion. Obviously, it seems like they should check for pipes before they anchor. I’m about to fire them and move on to the next company, but wanted to get some insight here.
Thanks,
Aaron
Things are taking longer right now due to the Covid.
Typically if it rains you can expect a delay. The contractor loses the rain day plus they lose the dry out days.
I’m glad they didn’t get hurt when they hit the gas line. Honestly probably not his fault. Gas lines should be buried deep enough that an anchor should not hit it. Gas lines are minimum 18" deep. Maybe if he has the Auger style anchor then he could go deep enough to hit that.
Keep in mind that the building inspector is probably totally backed up due to the Covid. So don’t get too upset if things take too long.
Firing them at this point is probably a bad idea. The contractor can sue you for not giving him a reasonable time frame to complete the job. If you are not happy just don’t rehire them.
In normal times here is my expected time line.
Day 1 Home arrives.
Day 2 Plastic Barrier and First half of home set
Day 3 Second half of home set
Day 4 All Piers installed, crossover done
Day 5 Utilities hook up, start inside. Steps
Break for Ring out inspection
It takes 1-2 weeks to get the Ring out inspection done.
Day 6 Roof Cap, Ceiling Cap, Carpet
Day 7, Skirting Frame
Day 8-9 Skirting
Day 10 Paint and Prep (light bulbs, cleaning, etc)
Day 11 Awnings Sheds etc.
Break for Final Inspection.
So basically 2 solid weeks of guys working on the unit with a 2 week break in the middle for inspections and a 2 week wait for final inspection. This is for a perfectly prepped lot with everything on hand.
I have had sets take 2-3 months as well.
AW
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If this guy hit a water and gas line because he didnt order a locate at my Park he’d be a goner. I just had a used home come in 2 weeks ago, it came in Sat afternoon was leveled by 4pm and installer spent about 3 more days and was DONE. He worked hard and fast because he wanted to get paid and move on. Your guy sounds inept and or making money elsewhere. “You’re Fired”!
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I was under the impression that gas lines should not be under homes nationwide if that is where he installed the anchors - under the home? Maybe someone else can enlighten me? In one of my communities the gas company discovered that just a corner of one of my homes was over the gas line and they proactively relocated it. In terms of the water lines, they would be the responsibility of the community owner to identify or have them identified by private locate. In colder climates the waterlines are located below the frost line and generally deeper than any anchor will penetrate. In warmer climates, the supply lines might be much shallower and can pose a problem if their location is unknown.
In terms of timing for set-ups, it should take no longer than 1 day per half or singlewide to set and level. doublewides generally take another day to “button-up” the halves. Depending on the set-up people, skirting and final hook-ups can be completed in a day, but should not take more than two if they know what they are doing. Generally, 2-3 days/single and 4-5 days/double. As the community owner you also need to coordinate electric, gas and air conditioning hook-up if applicable.
Our industry has experienced massive growth in the past 5 years and there is much more demand for transport and set-up than there is contractors to do the work so “I would not bite the hand that feeds you” if you have someone capable and qualified to do the work.
P.S. I have noticed that they generally do not like working in the rain. 