Is this a Foundation Problem?

[TraceyMooreRN]

So, After all the rain the other day... My Lantana front bedroom had water on the carpet in the area of the bow front window (all the way around) approx 15 inches inside from area of the baseboard-soaking the carpet.

The Ceiling is NOT wet. The Walls are NOT wet. The Window sill is DRY as a bone. Just the floor possibly where the foundation where the floor meets the foundation?

So, Hubby and I dug around the window outside to see if there was an issue like a crack? NO obvious areas of concern. He checked the roof- No problems there either. House was bought new in 2013-- Anyone ever have this happen? House has overhang and no gutter above, no obvious standing water anywhere, no obvious sink hole.

Here are some Pictures--small crack blown up but it really is about a 1/32 superficial area and for whatever reason block seems wet (see picture) where rest of house is dry. Pictures were taken Saturday. Carpet is dry-but concern for MOLD?

[bagboy]

The first call should be to Home Warranty.

[graciegirl]

The first call should be to Home Warranty.

I agree. We had a "quirky" rain when we first moved in and the carpet in front of the window got wet. They recaulked underneath the sill.

[redwitch]

It could be that the concrete was not sealed properly or the sealant has worn off over time. Happened at one home that I know of. If that’s the case, you need to move the dirt from around the house, reseal, replace dirt, plants, etc. However, the more likely cause is a window/windowsill leak.caulking usually takes care of that problem.

[billethkid]

Are there gutters (or not). If no gutters a significant amount of water can accumulate and seep in through the pad/wall joint.

Is there a down spout nearby? Same problem as above. We have had extensions put on all our down spots to take water across the landscaping and away from the house.

[TraceyMooreRN]

No gutters, but significant overhang. Hubby said water runs off roof and drops past the point of saturation against foundation. One downspout travels water out of flower bed away from wall. However, can water seep inside even if heavy rain if there is no gap in foundation/floor?

I called Warranty Department- they said I needed to call a woman named Nancy who was great at detecting moisture and source ...waiting for a call back. I am so concerned about MOLD.

[Dan9871]

However, can water seep inside even if heavy rain if there is no gap in foundation/floor?



Concrete will soak up water like a sponge, that's one of the reasons to paint it or below ground seal it.

As the paint gets old and weathered is doesn't do as good a job sealing. Check outside walls after a rain storm when things begin to dry out.

You may see some parts look to be a noticeably different shade than others. Hold the palm of your hand against parts of the wall. You may notice some places are cooler than adjacent places. Both of these indicate that the concrete has soaked up water.

These are things a home inspector pointed out to me.

[Retiring]

No gutters, but significant overhang. Hubby said water runs off roof and drops past the point of saturation against foundation. One downspout travels water out of flower bed away from wall. However, can water seep inside even if heavy rain if there is no gap in foundation/floor?

I called Warranty Department- they said I needed to call a woman named Nancy who was great at detecting moisture and source ...waiting for a call back. I am so concerned about MOLD.

Just out of curiosity, why haven’t you installed gutters?

[TraceyMooreRN]

I have no idea. We have gutters on the back of the house and we have a hip roof- not sure, but we have a gutter near entrance- just not across the front window where the water is--that is how we purchased new. We added gutters to the back of the house because the water was hitting the Lanai.

[Mikeod]

Possibly due to caulking problem around that window. We had water running down the inside of the front window during storms where the wind was driving the rain at the window. Since the caulking was redone we don’t have the problem.

[TraceyMooreRN]

Okay,
So The Warranty Department referred me to Mid Florida Restoration Services, who came out and did a free inspection of the house. Stated that the water is coming in from the tiny cracks in the stucco and seeping through the wall and causing the carpets to become wet. She stated simple caulking and painting the small tiny cracks will fix the problem. My house was built in 2013: So, should I just repaint the whole house? Anyone painting stucco after 5 years? She also said probably no mold under carpet, just on tack strip. Her meter read no problem with moisture on baseboards. I guess I will repair the stucco and tear up the carpet and tack strip-peace of mind. I do not want mold on tack strip or anything else in my house.
Someone said there might be a warranty on our exterior paint? I believe settling caused the cracks-she pointed out three small cracks and moisture level is high in those areas around the front of the house.

[manaboutown]

Oh boy, I am just glad you discovered the problem.

My family has owned many stuccoed houses in New Mexico since the 1940s. Of course the climate there is usually rather arid while Florida's is wet and humid. Nevertheless, we always re-stucco with colored stucco rather than paint when significant cracks occur in the stucco. It costs a little more than painting but lasts for 15 to 30 years or more.

If the cracks are minor and localized painting may handle it for a time. The cracks may be due to settling if the stucco was properly applied and allowed to cure.

Improving stucco durability using moist-curing - Construction Specifier (https://www.constructionspecifier.com/improving-stucco-durability-using-moist-curing/)

[Dan9871]

Anyone painting stucco after 5 years? She also said probably no mold under carpet, just on tack strip.

We repainted after 4 1/2 years to keep ahead of the problem you ran into. Paint was getting thin overall and getting little cracks.

Our painter, who is a home inspector, pointed out that this happens around 4 or 5 years to many houses.

Cracks need to be cleaned out and calked before painting. Area around windows needs to be sealed before painting too.

[Chellybean]

So, After all the rain the other day... My Lantana front bedroom had water on the carpet in the area of the bow front window (all the way around) approx 15 inches inside from area of the baseboard-soaking the carpet.

The Ceiling is NOT wet. The Walls are NOT wet. The Window sill is DRY as a bone. Just the floor possibly where the foundation where the floor meets the foundation?

So, Hubby and I dug around the window outside to see if there was an issue like a crack? NO obvious areas of concern. He checked the roof- No problems there either. House was bought new in 2013-- Anyone ever have this happen? House has overhang and no gutter above, no obvious standing water anywhere, no obvious sink hole.

Here are some Pictures--small crack blown up but it really is about a 1/32 superficial area and for whatever reason block seems wet (see picture) where rest of house is dry. Pictures were taken Saturday. Carpet is dry-but concern for MOLD?

The hair line crack in the wall is the problem and it needs to be sealed. If your paint is more than 3 years old get it repaired with sherwin williams, lexon primer and two coats of base will solve your problems.
Call Steve Kling, he does a great job, suncolor paint is garbage.