newbie with a project hi lo
 

Hi all. Well I did a really dumb thing. I bought a 2003 hi lo 29 footer. I got a really "great" deal. The cable was broke so they couldn't raise it up but i crawled all through it. No soft spots on the floors or water stains on the ceiling. The people I bought from assured me that walls I couldn't see were in great condition also. Well we got it raised today and guess what? It has some pretty major water damage in at least 6 different spots. The first thing we are going to do is of course clean and reseal the roof and then go from there. The wall covering will most possible all have to be removed as I don't see anyway that I way of matching the wall covering. I'm sure we will have a lot of questions starting with what is the easiest wall covering to install? Thank everyone in advance for the help.

Sorry about that. You're not the first to do something dumb, so don't feel alone. I am always surprised at the dishonesty of some sellers.

Look around on here, there are several threads that show what others have done to rebuild the top half of their Hi-Lo.

Good luck

butterfish, You never know, take and send pictures of the damaged areas to the PO with an estimate and ask him to help out with the costs. He probably knows about the damage and could help you out. Just a suggestion.
Tree

butterfish, I learned a trick from another Hi Lo owner that you can remove the "wall paper" with a heat gun in the really bad areas, then use "TSP" from the depot. Mix according to directions. Wash the "paneling" down and rinse with fresh water, Wa-la, it's ready for paint. We brightened our 27'er up two shades of gray and gloss white trim. And it doesn't scrape off! This is AFTER you find and correct the leaking areas. With new fabrics, our unit no longer looks like a hunters cabin.
Tree

Welcome to the forum
 

Sorry the seller was dishonest. The good news is you water dammaged walls can be fixed by you. Try J&R in Ohio for replacement paneling. DH and I fixed our water dammaged uper walls. We didn't realize that all the windows needed to be taken out and resealed and this caused the dammage. Several of us have done extensive repairs and can guide you. Post pictures and we can answer your questions. I believe you may need to rip some walls all the way back to the fiberglass or aluminum.Is yours a classic or a towlite.? The next thing you will need to do is fix your cables. Look up this post Cable replacement in my 1998 HiLo 24TD 3-3-2010 After you fix the cables you might want to replace the seal between the upper and lower half. Several back postson buying the parts for the cables and making them up your selves. Yes, You can buy them from J&R in Ohio. This iis very expensive to buy them ready made. If J&R doesn't have you matching paneling then you can purchase something at HD or a like store. Keep the questions coming.

Thank you for your reply. The DH got the cables fixed. It is now going up and down. We have a rotted board to replace by where the couch tips out. We are going to try to try have the roof done this week. I peeled the paneling and luan off where it was really bubbled. the wood underneath seems solid, thank goodness. We also have a gash on the outside by the vent that we need to find out what to use to patch it. I will post pictures later. I was reading the forums and did tell him the windows might have to be pulled and resealed.

Repairs
 

The window removal and reseal are a must do item. Looking forward to pictures so we can help you more.