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Hellrazor
Bah Humbug
join:2002-02-02
Abyss, PA

Hellrazor to nunya

Member

to nunya

Re: Walkout basement doorway leaking

said by nunya:

Caulking is not the solution for improper flashing. Caulking will last 5-10 years (if that). Proper flashing, 100 years.

Don't you buy your 30 year caulk where he does?

John Galt6
Forward, March
Premium Member
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp

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If your builder is this clueless about the issue, I'd be willing to be you are going to have other problems with the other windows and doors.

Msradell
Premium Member
join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY

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I certainly wouldn't be doing any caulking or anything else myself. If you do, the contractor will come back to you and say that the leak is because of the things you did! Let him do a work to stop the leak and document everything he does (take pictures while he's doing the work if possible).

bcool
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25

bcool

Premium Member

Sound advice. Since they already caulked there before, I'm probably ok with what I did and it was also inspected by one of them and deemed good.

But your advice is good for now on.
Hellrazor
Bah Humbug
join:2002-02-02
Abyss, PA

Hellrazor to bcool

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bcool,

Who inspected the job during construction? You could bust on them for missing the flashing, etc and not forcing them to correct it.

ITICharlie1
Ass Mode
Premium Member
join:2003-01-22
Saint Louis, MO

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My brother bought a new home about 10 years ago and has had to replace the header above the garage, repair around the sliding doors, repair walls underneath the roof overhangs, and just repaired around the picture window in the front of the house. His home has no flashing anywhere...the builder went cheap. All the other homes in his subdivision are having the same problem. When the city was asked about the home inspections, apparently they only checked the first home built, and let the builder slide on the others. The builder is no longer in business, and the city may be sued for the lack of inspection. Unless I have a private subcontractor where I can supervise, I would never own a new home.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO
·Charter

nunya

MVM

Most public agencies (municipalities) employ a tactic known as "sovereign immunity" when it comes to building inspections (amongst many other things). You can try to sue the city, but the case will be thrown out and you will pay the court costs. Most courts give deference to the city anyway.
Missouri is one big, giant, sovereign immunity state.

Along the same lines, private inspectors usually have a clause or release in their contract to prevent a homeowner can't come back and sue them down the road.
Sometimes it sucks, but that's the way it is.

That's why I posted earlier that this will be a civil matter between the builder and the owner.
It all comes back to the guy who did the shitty work, e.g. the hand that crafted the mistake.

bcool
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25

4 edits

bcool

Premium Member

Thank you all. I hope once the builder's wounded pride heals a bit that we can sit back down and talk about these and other issues like grown ups. I'm not asking for anything that shouldn't already be mine, i.e., dry concrete walls, permanently dry basement door/entryway, main i-beam in crawl space that runs under the floor joists that IS actually properly supported and doesn't sag, flashing where deck is attached to house (verifying this one still), portion of driveway that doesn't deteriorate before its time because it was originally poured during a rain downpour (which I let ride in the spirit of compromise and that I will live to regret) which compared to these items, any of my other little complaints aren't even worth mentioning here.

It's ironic. Water intrusion was first topic I brought up when I first met this builder. The discussion came up a few times while the house was being built. And near the day we closed, the discussion came up once again. Water intrusion or the prevention of water intrusion is one of my anal things. Sweet irony that it should be the very first thing I face with the very first storm that hit my house.
Hellrazor
Bah Humbug
join:2002-02-02
Abyss, PA

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A builder would hate me if I was the one building a house. I would be checking things every day if required. I learned a few things doing project management for a $5.5m renovation at work. I sat in on every prime meeting and all project meetings with the architects/engineers. Plus I walked every part of the job atleast once daily. I also made sure the job site foreman for each prime contacted me, the GC and their company with any issues. If they had a problem, I had a problem.

Plus I learned how to piss off the architects and engineers. That was more fun than the actual project.

One thing with a big project, you can hang contractors by their balls when they don't finish and you are holding up their bonds. I held one for 8 months past the completion date for failing to complete the last 5% of the work in a timely manner.

bcool
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25

1 edit

bcool

Premium Member

Sadly all I have now is a "12 month warranty on paper" which may or may not be worth the paper it is drawn up on.

garys_2k
Premium Member
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI

garys_2k

Premium Member

That's why it's now time to talk with a lawyer.

wishera
join:2000-12-12
Everett, WA

wishera to bcool

Member

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I hope it is just a camera artifact, but the columns on the front porch look out of kilter to me... they both look top out.

bcool
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25

bcool

Premium Member

"...they both look top out" ---- could you explain this just a little bit more for me so I get what you're saying. Thanks.

stevek1949
We're not in Kansas anymore
Premium Member
join:2002-11-13
Virginia Beach, VA

stevek1949

Premium Member

said by bcool:

"...they both look top out" ---- could you explain this just a little bit more for me so I get what you're saying. Thanks.

It may just be a parallax, but the comment probably means that the columns may not be plumb and the distance between the columns at the top looks to be more than the distance between them at the bottom.
35245635 (banned)
join:2013-03-04
North Reading, MA

35245635 (banned)

Member

said by stevek1949:

said by bcool:

"...they both look top out" ---- could you explain this just a little bit more for me so I get what you're saying. Thanks.

It may just be a parallax, but the comment probably means that the columns may not be plumb and the distance between the columns at the top looks to be more than the distance between them at the bottom.

If you put a ruler on your computer monitor the top and bottom measure exactly the same.

wishera
join:2000-12-12
Everett, WA

wishera

Member

Ha! Welcome to the world of astigmatism.... I guess I need to update my prescription.