written a long time ago and 4 moves ago
How to Move, Military way.
This is the story of our moving our mobile home. It all started when the Military decided that the quality of life in a mobile home was not adequate for the military Member and their families. So the Military decided to close all mobile home parks located on Military facilities. First we got a notice that we will have to move our mobile home off the base before September 2006. We thought fine, we are moving before then so we will just move it to the next base and sell it there instead of our original plan of just selling it here when we moved next. Things were going along fine, kids in school everyone happy, but the populace in the park was getting thin as people were moving out. Then the military decided they needed to increase security on base because of the 9-11 attack so they redirected all delivery truck to come in the base at the gate by the mobile home park, not considering that this gate is a very small gate an a very small road. And all there delivery trucks had to be inspected. Soon the delivery people were complaining about the back up this arraignment was causing. A study was made….. And a decision was made….. Half the mobile home park must be closed immediately so the gate could be expanded and a staging/inspection area could be built. After Thanksgiving we received a letter stating we must vacate before March 15 when construction on the expanded gate was to begin. Panic insued. We went out and found a park that would accept a 10yr old 16 x 80ft mobile home. Not an easy task. But we did it. It was a very small park out in Mascoutah. We called a moving company and some one to unblock and re-block our Mobile home and arraigned a move date of Jan 5th. We then notified the park of when our home would be arriving. We then started the turning on all utilities effective Jan 5th and filing the change of address forms with the million subscriptions, credit card Co. , Banks, family and friends. Everything looked good from our side. But unknown to us the park who said our home would fit failed to mention it would fit after she did some work on the lot. First she had to have the gas meter moved over, and then she had to have Electric Meter and the phone meter. Then she had to move the water meter. On Monday, Jan 2nd we picked up the mailbox key from the post office and rented a U-haul to pack up our stuff. Friend showed up on Jan 3rd and cleared out our house. All large furniture went into the U-haul and everything else went into boxes around the house. All cupboards were emptied out and bed frames dismantled and mattresses put on the floor. Then it started to Rain. It rained the entire weekend. The Mover called us late Sunday night and said he had went to the lot where we were to move to and the lot was entirely flooded and there was no way he could put our house there unless the lot dried out. So the move was moved till Friday, Jan 9th. We went to the park on Monday to discuss the issue with the landlord and were told the water on the lot was our problem not hers, and none of the utilities meters had been moved either. We asked her how we were supposed to put our house on her lot when nothing was ready for us. Her reaction was a stoned face no reply and an “It’s not my problem.” The ground froze solid on Tuesday so we got our friends to go to the lot and chip and clear all the ice from the lot in hopes that the mover would be able to put our home there and we could worry about the meters later. Thursday, Jan 8th the mover showed up at our house and took all the skirting off our home and put the wheels and the tongue to tow by on the home. We moved into a motel. Our Propane take was removed so the heat was turned off in the house. So to keep the pipes from freezing we left the water running in the house. The mover then went to the new lot and found a not tacked to the yard stating that the piers failed. For those that don’t know what a pier is, that is the cement slab that the mobile home is set on the bricks are piled on it to make the home level. Turns out the new lot had NO piers. And the County had made a new rule about a year ago stating no mobile home could be placed without adequate piers. So the move on Friday was now canceled till the landlord could put in piers. We called her to talk about the piers and to see how long it would take her. She wanted US to pay for part if not all of the piers cause it was our home. When we refused to pay for them she said it would be at least three weeks before they were ready. I was very upset to say the least. And told my handyman friend that he would not be hooking up the utilizes on the weekend as planned cause we still could not move our home. He understood and hung up. About 30 minuets late he called me back. He was at a mobile home park in Shiloh . They usually only take home under 10 years old and only under 70 ft long but were willing to look at our home and make an exception if it was in good enough condition. I started saying huge prayers. <S> The owner of the new mobile home park came out to the base and said he would be willing to take our home. Just a few conditions. He needed to put in some piers so our house would fit. I thought, ‘Oh no, I can’t wait three weeks for him”. We went out to his park and looked at the lot. The handyman at the park was already digging the holes for the piers. <VBS> so we signed the contract and the park called our mover for us and arraigned a move in date. I was in shock! Is this the way it was supposed to work?????? We then went back to Mascoutah and told the original park we would NOT be moving to her place and we wanted our money back. She refused. I lost it. I yelled her, what about the money we were out for turning on and off the utilities on a lot we NEVER used. What about the money we paid the City for all the inspections that the park kept failing. She didn’t care. I stomped out but my husband stayed. 5 minuets late he waked out with a check. He just told her he would be speaking to the legal department about making her reimburse us for all the funds we were out and the cost of the motel for the time she caused us to wait on her. She wrote him the check and not so politely told him to get off her property and never come back. I now am in a hotel arraigning for utilities to be turned off in Mascoutah and turned on in Shiloh . And trying to notify million subscriptions, credit card Co. , Banks, family and friends of the new change of address. We are now scheduled to have our house moved on Friday, Jan 16th. Things are looking good. Tim had to go back to work on Jan 12th and the boys had to start their new school on Jan 19th. So I was driving the boys back and forth to school everyday and trying to keep things together while we are still living in a motel. The movers show up on Jan 16th and all things go well with the move. But we still can’t move in because there are no utilities. My friends show up on the weekend to hook up the utilities, things are looking up. Then the plumber noticed the incoming water pipe is frozen solid and the threads were frozen. I start to panic…. He contacts the park for me and the park handyman came over and spent Monday working on the incoming water pipes and hooking them to my house. Only problem is the mover cut the plug off the heat tape, but I should be able buy one at Lowe’s so it wasn’t a problem. I had the propane scheduled to be delivered and hooked up on Monday and the occupancy inspection scheduled for Tuesday. We checked out of the motel on Tuesday because everything should be ready for us. Then we found out Monday was a holiday (MLK Day) so both had to be moved to Tuesday, I thought no problem, I can get the heat tape fixed and be ready for the inspection……NOT. The plug could not be found so I had to replace the heat tape before the park would let me turn on the water. So here I was sitting under the mobile home cutting the old insulation off the copper water line, removing the old heat tape, putting a new heat tape back on and re-insulating it. The inspector arrived at 2pm . We still had no water. He said everything passes except the water and he would drop in sometime on Wednesday to check that. So here we are no hotel living in a house with no water. I finally finished with the heat tape at 6pm . Turn on the water….no water…. PANIC. Check to be sure the line is warm and it seemed fine. Called the park and they send over their handyman and he checks his pipes and it wasn’t frozen so it had to be in the house. He and I are standing there looking at the house trying to figure out where the frozen part was and we decide it had to be after the copper incoming line but before the water heater. So we took a space heater and stuck it in the closet with the water heater and waited, and waited, and waited. At 11 pm the water in the house started running. I celebrated! Then turned off the space heater and turned on the water heater. Things were looking up. The cable guy arrived on Wednesday morning and hooked up my cable. The inspector came and passed us (yippee). And I started unpacking the million boxes all over the house. On Thursday a friend showed up and surprised me and unpacked everything for me. My house is all finished except the new skirting. We are still waiting on the delivery date for the skirting. Total days in a hotel: 12 ($400)Total days we had to pay for the U-haul: 16 ($800) We are hoping the military will pay for the U-haul but we know they won’t pay the hotel. I will NEVER move a mobile home again!
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