[martine48]

I bought a 4 year old house in the TV in January. I noticed a few weeks ago that there was a problem with a damp patch inside the house near the side of one of the windows. Following the recent storm and rain there has been more water getting as the damp patch has come back again.
I have contacted the TV warranty dept. but they say there is no warranty on the house for this kind of problem. They have given me the telephone number of a painter and also the folks that install the windows to check if it has been installed correctly. After giving them a call and getting the run around perhaps some of you good folks may have had similar problems with your home.
Any advice on who to contact who can help find where the water is coming in and fix the problem would be much appreciated.

[Investment Painting Contractors]

I sent you a PM, Len from IPC

[villagetinker]

You may want to contact Frank D'angelo, home inspector, he should be able to help you to determine what is wrong. 352-250-7818, he advertises on this site, and he is very good.

[DangeloInspections]

It is most likely a caulking problem typically found from inadequate sealing of either a vertical mullion between two windows, (as in a double window) or across a horizontal mullion between the two single hung windows and the fixed eyebrow window above it. This type of window is typically found in the front guest bedroom on many of the designer homes.

It is a very common problem. A careful examination of the caulking around and in between the windows and re-caulking where the water is getting in should solve the problem. Sometimes the mullion covers are not installed and caulked tightly, resulting in moisture intrusion.

You want to dry out the drywall quickly so mold does not develop. One must make sure they have solved the leaking problem before any drywall repair or you will be repairing the drywall more than one time.

In severe cases a portion of drywall needs to be removed and replaced. If it has not been a long standing problem drying it out quickly and slight stain sealing and repainting may be all that is needed.

I saw one of these situations very recently. The drywall just under the window did show some damage, but both a moisture meter and a thermal imaging camera showed no higher moisture levels, so it seemed to dry out. In this case, a receptacle was near this area, and the cover plate was able to be removed and a Q- tip was inserted OUTSIDE the single gang receptacle box and the Q tip remained dry....so more invasive measures involving new drywall, etc was not needed.

Hope this helps! Frank D.

[martine48]

Thanks to all of you who have replied with advice on what to look for.
Thanks in particularly to Len who is a Villager before retiring from his company which did painting and decorating in Milwaukee.
Len who has had similar problems with his house came round this morning and looked over the situation and did some caulking round the window and roofing. I now have to wait to see if next time it rains whether the damp spot reappears.
Len did the job for free and said he could arrange with a friend who runs Investment Painting Contractors which is a local company to do the painting.
Again many thanks to you all and Len for his help and advice. It is good to know we have people here in TV who we can contact and trust.

Barry