I am surprised at how much site preparation is necessary. There’s a lot more teamwork and coordination involved than I thought. For example, while our home was still being manufactured, the Sun Meadows construction coordinator got things rolling by obtaining site work permits from the Riverside County Building Department. Once the necessary permits were issued he arranged for the home site to be graded, trenched for utilities and prepared to receive our brand new manufactured home.
That done, the construction coordinator went to the factory and performed a “walk through” inspection of the home to make sure it was built to the specifications of our customized sales order. Once satisfied that everything was as it should be, he notified the Transporter Company that our home was ready to be moved from the factory and delivered to our chosen community.
As soon as the Transporter Company obtained the required Transportation Permits from California’s Department of Highways our home was on its way to the home site. Fortunately, it’s only about 30 miles from the Silvercrest factory in Corona, California to our new Sun Meadows community in Sun City. The transportation took place around 2 a.m. to avoid traffic or delays.
Entering Sun Meadows slowly and carefully, the Transporter backed our home into installation position. That’s when the unexpected happened. Our home was delivered to the wrong site in the community!
Fortunately, the mistake was soon discovered before any damage was done and our home reached its proper destination that same morning. The Setup crew got busy right away. They removed the shipping materials, installed our home on the piers, removed the axles and hitches and closed off or weatherproofed the sections.
The next step was up to the Concrete Contractor who dug for footings around the perimeter of our home, installed the reinforcing steel, and called for a Building Department inspection. Upon receiving a favorable inspection report, the Concrete Contractor then constructed the concrete block foundation walls and called for another Building Department inspection.
After approval, the contractor filled all the cells in the block wall with concrete grout, locking the reinforcing steel and anchor bolts in place. Once the grout was cured, a weatherproof sill plate was bolted to the top of the wall using anchor bolts.
The Sun Meadows Setup crew then attached our home to the sill plate. This was also the time that they connected utilities and made cross over connections between the sections.
Now that our home is “permanently” in place on the foundation, the Drywall Contractor finished the walls and ceiling at the section seams, known as the “marriage line.” After this was complete the Concrete Contractor formed and poured the garage floor, driveway, porches, steps, walks and patio. The Garage Contractor’s next job was to construct the attached two-car garage.
Working inside our home, crews finish, texture and paint the drywall. Then the pad and carpeting are installed. A cleaning crew takes over and provides the finishing touches. A final home installation and garage construction inspection is required from the County Building Department. A Certificate of Occupancy is then issued certifying that the home is suitable for Don and I to move in, as soon as escrow has been closed. We are closing escrow by FAX from Florida.
Since we will still be in Florida at the time of closing our daughter Cheryl and her husband Ron who live near Sun Meadows will conduct a “walk-through” inspection on our behalf and make a list of any needed corrections. This way our kids will have keys to the new house so they can do some work before we arrive. They have graciously agreed to coat the garage floor, place shelf paper in all cabinets and closets and a few other things ahead of time. Tackling these jobs before our furniture arrives helps smooth our long distance move. Who says it isn’t great to have your grown kids nearby?
Don and I arrive at our California home a few days ahead of the moving van with our belongings. At that time we will conduct our own “walk-through” inspection. Since everything is under warranty by the factory or Sun Meadows we don’t foresee this being a problem.
I want to add a personal note of thanks to the Sun Meadows construction manager for explaining and simplifying the home site preparation procedures to me for this e-journal.
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