Leaks in Walls

[HMLRHT1]

Does any one who has a stucco home had any problems with rain leaks getting your carpet wet? I was told by home warranty that you have to patch all of the hairline cracks in your stucco to prevent leaks. With a block house?

[bdabob]

The concrete blocks are hollow and any water getting in will make its way down to the floor slab and then seep through soaking your carpet. The same can happen if there are cracks in the stucco.
The other thing to be aware of is the water may not be getting in near where the carpet is getting wet. I've seen roof cracks several linear yards away from where the water appeared.

[Grill Meister]

I have the same problem and was told the same as you. I inspected the outside wall where the carpet was wet, and, sho 'nuf, I could see where the caulking that sealed between my lanai slab and the wall has peeled up, which would allow water to seep into the wall and on the carpet. I have bought some waterproof caulking. I will wait a bit for the area to dry and then remove the deteriorated caulking with a putty knife and apply the new caulking, making certain that I seal the seam completely.

[Opulence]

The concrete blocks are hollow and any water getting in will make its way down to the floor slab and then seep through soaking your carpet. The same can happen if there are cracks in the stucco.
The other thing to be aware of is the water may not be getting in near where the carpet is getting wet. I've seen roof cracks several linear yards away from where the water appeared.

If I am not mistaken, the older homes were built with concrete blocks The newer homes are built using poured concrete. Perhaps this makes a difference????

Betty

[Walker]

Concrete block vs poured concrete doesn't matter. All concrete is porous. It is strong but not waterproof. The paint or other applied coatings, caulks, and sealers provide the waterproofing. I had a crack in the stucco above one window and it leaked. I chipped away the old stucco which came off quite easily due to the water seeping underneath. Reapplied stucco and 2 coats of paint and no problems since.

[blueash]

Just a thought from someone who knows nothing about home repair... Can you go outside and vigorously hose the area while a spouse or friend is inside to see perhaps where the water is gaining entry?

[BBQMan]

If you live in either cinder block or concrete block house with a stucco covering, the only thing between your home and wind driven rain is the paint on the side of your house. Hurricane Charley cased a great deal of damage in metro Orlando in 2004. Most of the damage to homes was flooding caused by wind driven rain.

If your house is over two years old and still has the original builder's paint, one of the best things you can do to prepare for Hurricane season is to paint it. A painter can and should patch the cracks, but doing that is not enough. Get your house painted or do-it-yourself.Use a top quality paint, you can get them at reasonable prices at Lowes or Home Depot

[cquick]

Has anyone used the new ceramic paints that are supposed to last forever and provide water protection.

[CaptJohn]

I haven't tried the ceramic paints but have used very expensive oil based marine (boat) paints that work for all kinds of things to keep water out.

[asianthree]

just thought if i bought a new house i would not have to worry about leaks, but guess thats not true

[graciegirl]

But just wet the carpet, no basement to worry about here ...put the fan on them and you are o.k.

It was horizontal driving rain that caused these problems and it got in through some tiny holes around the windows. Doesn't happen that way very often.

I gotta say, builder and carpet guy and window man all arrived within hours of us calling warranty.

They removed pad, where it was wet, we didn't think it was necessary, but they are replacing pad...they brought in a big fan. Window guy caulked.

So..things are fixed...........Until some other crazy storm comes and tap dances on our homes. Every part of the country has it's downside.

[HMLRHT1]

I thought it was cement blocks, green moisture proof barrier, stucco, paint in that order.

[CarGuys]

I thought it was cement blocks, green moisture proof barrier, stucco, paint in that order.

Im thinking Stick built for that with 140 mph sealed Vinyl Mastic Wide Plank Siding.

[ilovetv]

just thought if i bought a new house i would not have to worry about leaks, but guess thats not true

Our poured concrete and stucco CYV is dry as a bone (six years old).

We've owned and built new homes before, and this is the only one that hasn't needed any repairs in the first few years.

[rubicon]

I thought it was cement blocks, green moisture proof barrier, stucco, paint in that order.

Builders seem to have a disagreement concerning how to wrap a house . Some believe wrap protects against rain while others claim that any penetration in the wrap and the water has no way to escape.

Based on what I am reading the OP more likley has a leak somewhere on the roof.

Several of my neighbors had their homes repainted at the same time utilizing a contractor who guaranteed the paint would last a lifetime.

If this is true then I'll have him paint me too:crap2:

[Bill-n-Brillo]

If I am not mistaken, the older homes were built with concrete blocks The newer homes are built using poured concrete. Perhaps this makes a difference????

Betty

A few of the current models are poured walls - CYV examples: Mission Hills and Cabanas at Creekside Landing. Designer examples: Allamanda and Cedar. There might be a couple of others..... . The other concrete construction homes will be concrete block.

I thought it was cement blocks, green moisture proof barrier, stucco, paint in that order.

No green house wrap on CBS (or poured wall) homes - the wrap will only be on stick built homes.

Builders seem to have a disagreement concerning how to wrap a house. Some believe wrap protects against rain while others claim that any penetration in the wrap and the water has no way to escape. .....

I can't speak for ALL brands of house wrap as there might be differences/exceptions from brand to brand......but in general, the intent of a house wrap is to help keep moisture from getting in and at the same time let any moisture that's inside be able to get out. That's the way DuPont's Tyvek works.

Bill :)

[getdul981]

I have to call warranty as soon as I can this morning. Found out yesterday about 530 PM that we seem to have a leak at the ceiling in the front bedroom that faces east. That is where the driving rain was coming from. I don't think it's from the window or cracks in the stucco. The ceiling appears to be wet. Still under 1 year old. Hopefully, they will take care of it.

[KathieI]

We used to have driving rains or monsoon type rains in Los Angeles during the rainy months. That's the true test of how waterproof your house is.

My ex-husband, who was a great handyman, used to put Jabsco Water Sealer (I think that's the name) on the outside of the house along the area where the leaks seem to be coming in. One time we actually found that the rain would come through the stucco outside and travel along the beams and the leak would occur in the middle of the living room. After he put the water sealer, we were good to go. No more leaks.

Hope this helps. Lucky if you are still under warranty.

[bkcunningham1]

But just wet the carpet, no basement to worry about here ...put the fan on them and you are o.k.

It was horizontal driving rain that caused these problems and it got in through some tiny holes around the windows. Doesn't happen that way very often.

I gotta say, builder and carpet guy and window man all arrived within hours of us calling warranty.

They removed pad, where it was wet, we didn't think it was necessary, but they are replacing pad...they brought in a big fan. Window guy caulked.

So..things are fixed...........Until some other crazy storm comes and tap dances on our homes. Every part of the country has it's downside.

Gracie, I would have insisted that they replace the pad. Even one drop of moisture under that carpet could result in mold. Especially in Florida where the humidity gets so high. You don't want mold in your house. Mold can result in some very serious health problems.

I'm really surprised so many people are having problems with leaks.

[Billyworld]

I painted my house a couple years ago. I patched the cracks with a elastomerit(not sure if it is spelled properly) caulk. Then I painted the first coat with a hydroseal primer. Then the second coat with a top of the line paint by I C I Paint. I also tinted the hydroseal primer to the finish coat and it looks great and don't leak. Before painting I pressure washed the house first and pulled the grass back exposing the foundation. If you hire these Jack legs out here that paint your house in one day you will not get the performance (protection) the paint has to offer. -----Thats why I did it myself. :icon_wink::icon_wink::icon_wink::icon_wink:

[rubicon]

A few of the current models are poured walls - CYV examples: Mission Hills and Cabanas at Creekside Landing. Designer examples: Allamanda and Cedar. There might be a couple of others..... . The other concrete construction homes will be concrete block.



No green house wrap on CBS (or poured wall) homes - the wrap will only be on stick built homes.



I can't speak for ALL brands of house wrap as there might be differences/exceptions from brand to brand......but in general, the intent of a house wrap is to help keep moisture from getting in and at the same time let any moisture that's inside be able to get out. That's the way DuPont's Tyvek works.

Bill :)

I don't believe it is the brand that makes the difference but whether a breach has been created during the building process. Some builders prefer black tar paper that they is used as a water barrier for roofs becaue they prefer that the barrier act to run off any water penetration and exit out at the eterior.

I had a stucco house in MN. Water penetration was a major concern and the causes included poor workmanship , inability to properly seal windows around he stucco, faulty window seals, resulting from contractors who installed alarm systems after the houe was built but failed to properly seal the holes they created.

I had water penetration because the seal contained between the layers of wood on the inside and the aluminum on the outside. The seals dried out and shrank allowing openings at the lower corners of the window and hence an opportunity for water to enter under the outside seal and detoriate framing, framing and weather proofing. I caught it early and had the builder replace all the windows, and to strip the area of penetration down to the framing and replace the sheathing, etc.

The restoration company did wrap the house and did an excellent job of properly sealing the windows around the stucco. When it was done the house was better built than the original construction

[Bill-n-Brillo]

I'm with ya, Rubicon. Sounds like you did a great job of getting your issues resolved.

Guess I was getting hung up in the terminology - to me, a 'house wrap' refers to the latest-and-greatest product(s) that are being used as moisture barriers on house exteriors nowadays.

I've seen something new-to-me in that industry right across the street from us here - new stick-built home with the exterior sheathing sprayed with a fairly thin coating of what would look like undercoating on an automobile of old. It isn't tacky when dry and seems to have some amount of flexibility. The piece of literature the contractor posted inside on a garage wall stud states that the product makes the home 'water resistant' (ie. they're not guaranteeing it to waterproof the walls) but.......and here's the show stopper to me - it doesn't let the moisture out either.

And you're right as well - the best house wrap system in the world isn't worth a hill of beans if everything associated with it and the outside of the structure aren't installed properly. Intrusions through the walls after the fact, as you mentioned, also cause problems as well.

Bill :)

[Villageshooter]

Another quality of craftsmanship issue from a developer that everyone thinks provides us the perceived perfect place NOT! Brand new homes that leak! just the facts and we now have to paint our new Bridgeport home... that great facade fantasy of perceived happiness got in the way of the blunt facts of reality. the koolade tastes like paint

[graciegirl]

Another quality of craftsmanship issue from a developer that everyone thinks provides us the perceived perfect place NOT! Brand new homes that leak! just the facts and we now have to paint our new Bridgeport home... that great facade fantasy of perceived happiness got in the way of the blunt facts of reality. the koolade tastes like paint

Well now I see you live here. Did you have water from cracks in your stucco?

We don't have to paint our new stucco house. The window, (ONE window) has already been regrouted) We have lived here part time for four years and this was indeed an unusual amount of rain and wind and it was driven at times almost horizontally.

I can see that you really feel bad about your choice. Homes here are much easier to sell than most other places in the U.S. but I wonder where you could go to duplicate this lifestyle.

You really seem unhappy here. Life is too short to stay in a situation that you can change.

[Challenger]

Another quality of craftsmanship issue from a developer that everyone thinks provides us the perceived perfect place NOT! Brand new homes that leak! just the facts and we now have to paint our new Bridgeport home... that great facade fantasy of perceived happiness got in the way of the blunt facts of reality. the koolade tastes like paint

We have owned two CYV's (poured concrete) Have had virtually No issues with the quality. Have ownwed 7 other homes over the last 50 years some custom and some tract. None were built with the attention to quality that we have experienced here . What else is going on here to create such a negative outlook?

[rubicon]

I'm with ya, Rubicon. Sounds like you did a great job of getting your issues resolved.

Guess I was getting hung up in the terminology - to me, a 'house wrap' refers to the latest-and-greatest product(s) that are being used as moisture barriers on house exteriors nowadays.

I've seen something new-to-me in that industry right across the street from us here - new stick-built home with the exterior sheathing sprayed with a fairly thin coating of what would look like undercoating on an automobile of old. It isn't tacky when dry and seems to have some amount of flexibility. The piece of literature the contractor posted inside on a garage wall stud states that the product makes the home 'water resistant' (ie. they're not guaranteeing it to waterproof the walls) but.......and here's the show stopper to me - it doesn't let the moisture out either.

And you're right as well - the best house wrap system in the world isn't worth a hill of beans if everything associated with it and the outside of the structure aren't installed properly. Intrusions through the walls after the fact, as you mentioned, also cause problems as well.

Bill :)

Bill: I did hear about that water proofing system. Tyvek usage really increased when homes began to show signs of damage resulting fom water penetration. It started out with faux stucco homes and moved to real stucco homes. The green wrap used hee is a version of tyvek. It is better becaue contractors have the ability to see through it and hence know that they have not missed any nailing. Stucco homes if built properly are designed to withstand more than other buiulding materials. The problm again was craftmanship. those old timers knew how to build real stucco homes

The big problem with water penetration was the mold/mildew issue. Many restoration companies pushed this issue heavy for obvious reasons. I have seen the results of severe mold/meldew and it will total a house.

I also witness restoration guys so concerned about their health inspecting water damaged homes that they actually wore tyvek suits and oxygen feed masks

We had a lawsuit in MN with a home built for $5 million that incurred $4 million worth of water damage