My Money Pit

wingnut4772

Well I am so depressed right now. Hopefully you guys can cheer me up. I bought my house 2 years ago and we found out afterwards that the family room was wood frame and not cement block !:eek: O.K. So I was assured no big deal. It was a pretty strong structure with the stucco etc. Well...mysteriously one day, one of my Real Traps just falls off the wall. I feel the drywall where it was hanging and it was mush.

I have removed all the drywall from the windows down as my handyguy and I discovered leaky windows. They have been leaking for who knows how long as there is rotted plywood and beams all at the base of the walls on one (almost) complete side of the room. All of the insulation was wet and moldy as well. It also seems that a previous owner had the same issue and supported the rotting beams with little new ones....which have now also rotted.

I am beside myself. At first what I thought would be a leaky window , drywall fix has revealed itself to be something more....and something I am afraid I won't be able to afford to fix. How did the home inspector pass this?

bobman1235

My advice to you (aside from drinking heavily) is to actually watch the Money Pit. It will make you feel better because a) your situation can't be that bad, and b) you'll laugh your **** off.

Ricardo

Sorry to hear that; these things just happen and there's nothing you can do about it; prioritize fixes and go as you can (while you drink heavily )

halo

I am so sorry to hear this Darla.

It absolutely sucks but you have to move on.

Make sure you get the necessary permits and maybe look into hiring a "lead man" to follow the contractor & subs that have to tackle this mess.

The last thing you want now is a half assed job that you'll have to pay to fix twice.

Try to have you or your partner home for the inspections.

Good luck D.

Thoughts & prayers sent

tonyb

Sorry to hear about this.....maybe your home owners policy will cover some of the repairs.I would also check for mold seeing your in florida and the wall has been wet for some time.Good luck to you and have a reputable company do the repairs.
And being the nice guy that I am,will even accept all your gear and keep it up to snuff,mold and dust free for you.:p

dkg999

Did the home inspector test the inside air for mold spores? The knife blade test around windows will sometimes detect rotted wood. I would check the home inspectors agreement and warranties, as you may have a claim. Unfortunately a lot of times their liability is limited to the cost of the inspection. I would also notify your mortgage holder if the inspector was one of their approved vendors. In today's high default environment your mortgage holder may work with you to help you fix it.

As for the fix, do it right if you plan to keep the house. Even if you don't plan to keep the house, you will have to disclose mold in a sale, and then you'll take a hit if you can't prove it was done right. You shouldn't have to tear out everything at once. You should be able do a little at a time as money allows. I would suggest the Fine Hombuilding and Journal of Light Construction website forums as resources for research.

And buy the James Taylor CD with "I'm your handyman" on it

wingnut4772

tonyb wrote: »

Sorry to hear about this.....maybe your home owners policy will cover some of the repairs.I would also check for mold seeing your in florida and the wall has been wet for some time.Good luck to you and have a reputable company do the repairs.
And being the nice guy that I am,will even accept all your gear and keep it up to snuff,mold and dust free for you.:p

Thank you for the offer.:p Unfortunately My homeowner's insurance does not cover pre-existing damage...:(

engtaz

HTrookie wrote: »

prioritize fixes and go as you can (while you drink heavily )

+1 give or take the drinking
Did the home inspector guarantee their work? If so, talk to them. Get estimates on repairs. Do what you can afford a bit at a time. Start with structure 1st.

Good Luck and so sorry to hear.
engtaz

halo

tonyb wrote: »

Good luck to you and have a reputable company do the repairs.

Reputible or not better to be safe. Cover your a$$. Be there to watch them (contractors & subcontractors) as often as possible, hire an independant to watch over them (lead man), and be there for the inspectors / inspections. You can not be too careful here. Never assume that the work is being done properly. Beware of "minimum code requirements". Going that little extra mile here makes a big difference. Make sure your contractor is on the same page (at all times).

Serendipity

Sorry to hear that. If you are going to hire a contractor, check with the BBB for any complaints. Also like stated before find a reputable contractor.

TroyD

The bright side being that if you HADN'T found it just now.....it would only get worse and more expensive to fix.

What they said though, get a reputable contractor and be an informed consumer.

BDT

irishaz

Sorry to hear about your troubles...

+1 on checking with the local BBB. You may also want to check out the Registrar of Contractors in your area. When a contractor isn't getting it done or has complaints, this is where you can find them. There are also many, many unlicensed, unbonded contractors out there. Do a little research on the contractors and even ask for references.

bruss

if the previous owner fixed it did he disclose it to you in the sellers disclosure?

wingnut4772

bruss wrote: »

if the previous owner fixed it did he disclose it to you in the sellers disclosure?

Nope. But this looks like it pre-dates him as well. I think he bought it in 2003-2004 ish and this is easily 7-10 years worth of damage.

I definitely appreciate the advice on finding a contractor but my biggest problem is paying for one.

I am looking for the home inspection guarantee....

madmax

Sometimes this sort of damage looks worse than it is. Just make sure you get a few estimates.

When my back door was leaking it rotted out everything around it. When I removed the door I saw the floor was rotted. When I removed the floor I saw the joists were rotted. I had a big hole through to the basement! Looked like the house should have been condemed. Freaked me out. Slid in some new joists, cut some flooring and put over it, repaired the wall, no problem. It wasn't nearly the problem it looked to be once I got serious about fixing it.
madmax

wingnut4772

madmax wrote: »

Sometimes this sort of damage looks worse than it is. Just make sure you get a few estimates.

When my back door was leaking it rotted out everything around it. When I removed the door I saw the floor was rotted. When I removed the floor I saw the joists were rotted. I had a big hole through to the basement! Looked like the house should have been condemed. Freaked me out. Slid in some new joists, cut some flooring and put over it, repaired the wall, no problem. It wasn't nearly the problem it looked to be once I got serious about fixing it.
madmax

Ok...THAT made me feel better. ...a little. Thanks

halo

wingnut4772 wrote: »

THAT made me feel better

:cool:

hoosier21

I second the drinking, try that

wingnut4772

hoosier21 wrote: »

I second the drinking, try that

I don't really drink tho.....

Bill Ayotte

wingnut4772 wrote: »

I don't really drink tho.....

Makes it cheaper then.....:D

treitz3

Hey Wingnut, I can lead you thru a DIY repair starting right now that will not involve a contractor. I have dealt with this type of thing for a long time now. There isn't much I haven't run across. I have gotten so good with water damage / mold that I can smell it as soon as I enter a dwelling, regardless of whether the damage is visible or not.

You are correct in that insurance will not cover this. Slow leaks are NEVER covered, now if a pipe immediately bursts....different story. You have stated that money is a big issue and I'd like to tell you that it will be OK. Now if I were charging you to do the repair, yes, it would be a money pit. But I'm not.

That said, the first thing you need to do is get rid of all of the moisture and mold. For your health first and not the house. What I would advise is to immediately remove all soft sheetrock, regardless if it is located on the ceiling or on the walls. For right now, leave all trim and window casings alone, we'll get back to that later. Pull back the carpeting [if applicable].

Hold on. First are you interested in my assistance? Second, would you be able to post pictures of the ripout / rebuild?

If you are interested in my help, my very first question is ....does the wetness start at window level or ceiling level? Or can you tell yet? Don't be upset if you can't. It's not always readily apparent.

halo

treitz3 wrote: »

Hey Wingnut, I can lead you thru a DIY repair starting right now that will not involve a contractor. I have dealt with this type of thing for a long time now. There isn't much I haven't run across. I have gotten so good with water damage / mold that I can smell it as soon as I enter a dwelling, regardless of whether the damage is visible or not.

You are correct in that insurance will not cover this. Slow leaks are NEVER covered, now if a pipe immediately bursts....different story. You have stated that money is a big issue and I'd like to tell you that it will be OK. Now if I were charging you to do the repair, yes, it would be a money pit. But I'm not.

That said, the first thing you need to do is get rid of all of the moisture and mold. For your health first and not the house. What I would advise is to immediately remove all soft sheetrock, regardless if it is located on the ceiling or on the walls. For right now, leave all trim and window casings alone, we'll get back to that later. Pull back the carpeting [if applicable].

Hold on. First are you interested in my assistance? Second, would you be able to post pictures of the ripout / rebuild?

If you are interested in my help, my very first question is ....does the wetness start at window level or ceiling level? Or can you tell yet? Don't be upset if you can't. It's not always readily apparent.

Kudos treitz3

Ricardo

wingnut4772 wrote: »

I don't really drink tho.....

Good moment to start :eek: :eek:

wingnut4772

treitz3 wrote: »

Hey Wingnut, I can lead you thru a DIY repair starting right now that will not involve a contractor. I have dealt with this type of thing for a long time now. There isn't much I haven't run across. I have gotten so good with water damage / mold that I can smell it as soon as I enter a dwelling, regardless of whether the damage is visible or not.

You are correct in that insurance will not cover this. Slow leaks are NEVER covered, now if a pipe immediately bursts....different story. You have stated that money is a big issue and I'd like to tell you that it will be OK. Now if I were charging you to do the repair, yes, it would be a money pit. But I'm not.

That said, the first thing you need to do is get rid of all of the moisture and mold. For your health first and not the house. What I would advise is to immediately remove all soft sheetrock, regardless if it is located on the ceiling or on the walls. For right now, leave all trim and window casings alone, we'll get back to that later. Pull back the carpeting [if applicable].

Hold on. First are you interested in my assistance? Second, would you be able to post pictures of the ripout / rebuild?

If you are interested in my help, my very first question is ....does the wetness start at window level or ceiling level? Or can you tell yet? Don't be upset if you can't. It's not always readily apparent.

Thank you. It starts at window level and I have already removed most of the drywall from the level of the bottom of the windows down. I just kept ripping it till I got to dry stuff that did not look damaged but it is almost the entire wall and some of an adjacent. (most likely more)

The pics are not in smell-o-vision but it stinks. The tight shots are the most damaged areas wood wise and I included a picture of one of the main culprits which is the track of the sliding glass door. The wood to either side is trashed.

No carpet and the ceiling is tongue and groove.

wingnut4772

Sliding glass door track outside.


Darn it. Can't get that pic.:mad:

disneyjoe7

The repair doesn't look to bad too me, but I'm pretty handy. Whats a flag to me is that this had been repaired before and from the look of the damage I thinking that the windows them self are installed wrong, something missing flashing wise.

disneyjoe7

wingnut4772 wrote: »

Sliding glass door track outside.

Ok you're right that's F^ck up also.

wingnut4772

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

The repair doesn't look to bad too me, but I'm pretty handy. Whats a flag to me is that this had been repaired before and from the look of the damage I thinking that the windows them self are installed wrong, something missing flashing wise.

Yeah. That was what was pinpointed as the problem at first but I think the water is coming in at the door as well. The windows are crap for sure.

wingnut4772

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

The repair doesn't look to bad too me, but I'm pretty handy. Whats a flag to me is that this had been repaired before and from the look of the damage I thinking that the windows them self are installed wrong, something missing flashing wise.

Really? What about the load bearing beams being rotted? Is it fixable relatively easily? I suppose we should get new windows? My handyman siliconed where he thought the leeks were as he had me run a hose on them and looked for the problems.

wingnut4772

Grrrrr! double Post

VR3

2x6 for studs, jesus h christ.

They sure do build them up in Flordia -- but I guess you got to eh...