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E-mail correspondence between John Hollenhorst and Cavco Industries:
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 11:00 AM
To: John Hollenhorst
Subject: Inquiry on 1997 Cavco Home
Mr. Hollenhorst,
The insurance company's determination that the wetness problem was due to infiltration of rainwater-runoff from outside the house is likely to be accurate.
Improper set up and grading are not uncommon issues with manufactured housing. Industry standards require the finished grade slope away from a manufactured home in the following manner: (1) Concrete surface ¼" per foot; (2) Earth surface 1" per foot for at least 6' from the home or the property line, whichever is less. In other words, the slope of the property must be graded to prevent water accumulation underneath the home. The warranty may be voided if the home has deterioration because it is set below grade or if water collects underneath the home. As manufacturer, Cavco is not involved with the set up and grading of the home. However, Cavco does provide a detailed set-up manual with each home that it manufactures
I appreciate the opportunity to review your summary of my statement. I revised the summary to include a reference to Cavco's quality control procedures, which require the piping system to be tested with 100 p.s.i. air or water pressure for fifteen minutes without leakage or loss of pressure. Additionally, the one year warranty offered by Cavco is an industry standard, although some manufacturers do offer longer warranties.
The home was manufactured by Cavco. The plumbing system passed a pressurized leak test as part of Cavco's quality control procedures and the home passed a federal inspection when it was built in Arizona. The home carried a one year warranty, which is standard in the manufactured housing industry.
Cordially yours,
Norman Ball
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From:John Hollenhorst
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 4:09 PM
To: Norman Ball
Subject: RE: Inquiry on 1997 Cavco Home
Thanks for your information. It's a big help as I try to understand the situation here in Utah.
The homeowner in Washington, Utah, Gina Escobar, claims to have noticed the wetness problem in their home about a year after they moved in. However, she didn't file a claim with the insurance company until the year 2000, which was approximately about 3 years after they moved in.
At that time, she apparently did not suspect a manufacturing defect. She believed and the insurance company concluded that the wetness was due to infiltration of rainwater-runoff from outside the house, possibly due to incorrect landscaping and foundation work.
Gina claims the wetness continued for many years. It was only a year ago, in 2007, that a hired contractor discovered leaky plumbing under the tub. Later, the same contractor and a representative of the insurance company concluded there were other leaks in plumbing inside the house. Extensive mold was discovered as well.
I plan to broadcast a story about all this tomorrow night, Wednesday Nov. 12.
I intend to summarize your statement in the following way.
"The home was manufactured by Cavco. The company says the home passed a federal inspection when it was built in Arizona and was warrantied only for defects that became apparent in the first year."
Please let me know as soon as you can if you feel that line inaccurately states Cavco's position or if anything important needs to be added.
Best Regards,
John Hollenhorst
Senior Correspondent
KSL-Television
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From: Norman Ball
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 1:46 PM
To: John Hollenhorst
Subject: Inquiry on 1997 Cavco Home
Mr. Hollenhorst,
Good afternoon. Cavco is in receipt of your voice message concerning a 1997 Cavco manufactured home. Specifically, you asked about inspections by government officials and Cavco's warranty.
Our homes adhere to the manufactured home construction and safety standards set forth by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). During the construction phase and under the guidelines set forth by HUD each home is inspected by a third party inspection agency (IPIA) approved by HUD to assure compliance standards and to evaluate the ability of manufacturing plants to follow approved quality control procedures. The IPIA also provides ongoing surveillance of the manufacturing process. As required by HUD, the systems of every home are tested before they leave the manufacturing facility. Once each home has met said requirements, a HUD label is affixed to the unit to verify compliance with the standards.
Regarding Cavco's warranty, please be advised that all Cavco Homes are warranted under normal use to be free from manufacturing defects in material or workmanship. The warranty extends to the first retail purchaser and begins on the date of original retail delivery and extends for a period of one year from that date. The warranty covers only those defects that become evident within the applicable warranty period and where notice was given to the selling dealer or the manufacturer not later than ten (10) days after the expiration of the warranty period.
Cordially yours,
Norman Ball
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