1995 Construction - Builder complaints ignored

[Elle wells]

I am confused rearding the water intrusion which has occurred to one west facing wall of my home multiple times; "damage" having been repaired at great expense previously.
The builder and insurance company were notified in 2004, previously and
December 2010. Both have stated that no point of intrusion can be
located. The damage is extensive and appears to occur during "driving
rain" in Southern Nevada.

One spot in the center of the wall/roof line reveals no problem on the exterior. The Insurance company said the roof looks great. There was
some mention of "weep holes" but that is beyond me.

The home was Inspected 2006 and nothing reported.

ANY input is appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

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[Benjamin Thompson]

Looks like a pretty basic defect, the windows were not properly flashed during construction. Big stucco cracks like that indicate water entry and swelling of framing and enlargement of stucco cracks, eventually the stucco will lift and spall.
Often the stucco needs to be removed around the windows, proper flashing installed and re-stuccoed.
This is a common "tract built" home issue in my area.
On the positive side, It's only a problem when it rains

The weep hole issue may indicate that the holes in the window frames that are designed to allow water to drain out of the tracks have been stuccoed over.
FYI, I would expect some mold issues.

[Elle wells]

Thank you Benjamin:

You make it sound so simple. LOL! It's been a while since I laughed...

[Darren Miller]

It looks to me like kick-out flashing is missing. Look here DryFlekt® - Welcome to DryFlekt®!

Call a stucco company or an inspector whose specializes in stucco.

[Scott Patterson]

All of that damage has to do with the lack of proper flashing at the windows and roof to wall joining's! Simple and basic building/waterproofing principals that have been ignored.

[Elle wells]

Scott Peterson, Darren Miller. Thank you! Wow I am Impressed although even more confused that the builder, Insurance company and Private Inspector, Mold Remediator; etc etc continually said "No problem evident"???

Thank you for taking the time to review my issues. I am
considering my next action right now.

Elle

[Benjamin Thompson]

Wow I am Impressed although even more confused that the builder, Insurance company and Private Inspector, Mold Remediator; etc etc continually said "No problem evident"???

Were they all the same guy?

[Elle wells]

LOL! Sadly...Four different men, all Licensed, etc.

[Eric Barker]

Unless someone knows what's suppose to be present in the first place they'll most likely not recognize when it's absent. You may want to consider specifying the repairs yourself. This isn't too difficult to do. There's a huge amount of info on the internet that you can draw from but be cautious, some of it will put you right back where you are now.

[Garry Sorrells]

Elle,
With the response of ..."The builder and insurance company were notified in 2004, previously and December 2010. Both have stated that no point of intrusion can be
located. "....

The ....."..no point of intrusion can be located. ".... and "located" being the pivotal point. Find someone to determin how/where the water is entering. They will need to document the methods used for the determination of the "point of intrusion".

Like a roof leak that is not obvious but still house has water damage. Looking at the roof no point intrusion can be located. Therefore the roof is not leaking.

[Elle wells]

Thank you! Eric and Gary: I believe I have decided to pay for a highly recommended Contractor's Inspection and Report regarding
required repairs. From that, I believe the work can be properly
sub'd.

Elle

[Eric Barker]

Elle,

It'd be interesting what the new contractor's contract has in it - and what it doesn't. You should have one that is specific as to what is going to be done and how. If you have a problem down the road you want to have a solid contract that gives him very little wiggle room for weaseling out of his obligations. Don't get railroaded by some schmoozing sales talk. If what you're being told just doesn't sound quite right you need to go into alert mode.

If possible, talk to some previous client's of the contractor - people who had similar work done. Ask if the workers showed up when they said they would. Did they stay with the job until it was completed? Were there any issues during the project and how did the contractor handle them?

One final thought. Please remember that "code" requirements are minimum requirements - kind of like getting a D- but still passing the test. You want your contractor to specify that he will follow both manufacturer's specifications and industry standards. In essence, you want "best practice" workmanship.

[Elle wells]

Eric

Thank you. I will print this out and make sure I am very clear and

that the responses I get are also. [I will try to set the standards]

Elle

[I'll keep you posted!]

[John Carroll]

Elle,
Before you saddle up and ride that wild goose into the sunset, here are a couple of things to consider. No one can tell you from only a picture that the problem is the window flashing, only that it MAY be one area to check out.
The least expensive way to find out what is wrong is to remove all the interior drywall from around the window, it has to be replaced anyway, and do a proper water test on the outside. start at the bottom, and work your way up. When you see water inside the window, that is where you should start to be able to identify a cause.

There are several important clues in your original post. You said the leak is most prevalent during driving rainstorms. This may indicate several causes, none of which can be determined without a test, however, if the simple test does not present water inside the window, then it may be a pressure differential problem, where the outside pressure during a heavy thunderstorm may be driven so low as to create a suction effect where water is pulled into the structure through voids that, in an otherwise light rain, may be working fine. So if you don't get water in during the test, this may be a consideration.

The second thing is somewhat constrained by the photo you took of the interior damage. It's not possible to see in the picture if there is also damage at the head of the high windows or not. If there is, it would indicate that the problem is above the lower roof flashing that comes into the window approximately where your photo stops. Because of the design of the stucco overhang, water may be entering at the edge of the stucco under the drip, and getting behind the WRB there.

The third thing is the weep holes at the window sills. If these are blocked, either by stucco or caulk, this may by the majority of the problem, and is a simple fix that does not usually require removal of the entire stucco system. I would look into this first, as it will save expensive stucco repairs later.
Unfortunatley, some on this board do not accept that "picture diagnosis" can be misleading, and send the unsuspecting out on a path that can be quite a bit more expensive than necessary. This is not to say they are wrong, only premature.

[Elle wells]

John!

First of all, thank you for the belly laugh! I really needed that right
now.

And second, and probably more important, thank you for the "Stand back
and take a good look at the whole picture" analysis. Insightful.

I wonder if snow will "intrude" !

Snow is predicted this weekend (In Las Vegas) with high wind warnings.

Thanks again

Elle

[John Carroll]

Last time I checked, snow was still being made with water, so the answer is...... probably.

Edit: Seems like no one took the bait on the pressure differential. The high pressure side would be on the outside, not the interior. Just keeping the "experts" honest.

[Elle wells]

Yes, John...And We had a bit of the White Rain Saturday Night, Sunday
Morning. Cold! The pressure issue is intriguing. Something very odd is
going on here..something that is not "noticable" under mild
winter conditions. I need "Holmes the Inspector and his free labor!!!"

All kidding aside...this borders on catastrophic for me. Despite the fact
the builder was here within the 10 year State statute complaining about this "wall"..I don't have the "name" specifically, but I do have the date, time, phone number, location, etc.

The Incredible Building Defect attorney won't get involved because of the
time. This is a big big big big job that involves at least ALL window installations and it appears also pvc Pipe issues along with other plumbing issues. He specializes in this builder.

Elle

I am looking really hard on a dead computer for that reps name.

[Benjamin Thompson]

"No one can tell you from only a picture that the problem is the window flashing, only that it MAY be one area to check out."

John, I didn't notice anybody here claiming to be an "expert", but I have seen many, many houses with similar problems and I guarantee you I can diagnose it from the photos.
Do you want to put a wager on improper, or lack of window and kick out flashings? I am willing to from the photos.
You name the price, We'll wait to hear from Elle's experts.

[Elle wells]

OR BETTER YET! JOHN AND BENJAMIN.....

Come to Las Vegas [Summerlin on the golfcourse..]

and figure out amongst the two of you!

If not, I WILL provide a copy of the report. I will say, the Incredible
Construction Defect Attorney who Specializes in this builder
that I met with last Thursday, was interested in the posts of yours that I showed him.

He said "Flashing, window installation, the roof issues you pointed out,
stucco", and plumbing problems that do exist, but I hadn't even told him about.

He has referred me to an extremely expert inspector ($$$).

Thanks!!

Elle

[John Carroll]

"
John, I didn't notice anybody here claiming to be an "expert", but I have seen many, many houses with similar problems and I guarantee you I can diagnose it from the photos.

Wow, such arrogance is rarely seen outside of government officials, hope your insurance is up to date.

Regarding the wager, why would I bet against something that I have already stated might be a possible cause? The difference is that I have enough experience and intelligence to know that there may be other possibilities besides that one. Where as you are CERTAIN that there is only one explanation, just like the guy who was certain the world was flat. Time and exploration proved him wrong as well. Try a little humility, it serves everyone reading this BB a lot better.

[John Carroll]

OR BETTER YET! JOHN AND BENJAMIN.....

Come to Las Vegas [Summerlin on the golfcourse..]

Send me an airline ticket and you're on. I also would need a tee time...