[bopat]

Recently purchased a resale home here in The Villages.
With the recent rain storm, we noticed some water on the lanai floor.

The lanai is fully enclosed, with double pane windows and a door.

Seems this isn't something new, looking closer at the floor we see water stains on the tiles all around, we thought they were part of the pattern, but now it makes sense.

Also, looking at the windows, the big ones have a white haze on the bottom of them, which they've had for as long as we've known (was there when we purchased the home), we asked the real estate agent and she said it was from the hard water they used to water the shrubs.

Looking more closely, the big windows are installed backwards, the weatherproof seal is on the inside, and the foam insulation around the window frame is on the outside.

So my question is, what should I do?
Some thoughts:
- The agent should have disclosed the water problem (it's not new).
- The home inspector (we had the full home inspection done) should have surfaced this problem and noticed what I noticed. I'm not a home inspector and I figured it out.
- Not sure if the previous owners knew, but if it was a defect from when the house was built, it should have been dealt with back then. Not sure if the previous owners did the work on the lanai or it was part of the original build.

In any event, does anybody know anyone who can reverse big windows? These things are like 6' x 5'!

[retiredguy123]

Is the haze on the windows, between the panes of glass? If so, reversing the windows will not fix the problem. You need new window panes. If water is coming in under the window, it may be possible to apply some caulking on the outside. The home inspector is not liable for anything unless you purchased a separate liability policy from the inspector. Some inspectors offer this protection, but it usually doubles the cost for the inspection. In my opinion, your only option is to sue the broker and the seller for not disclosing known defects to you. You can file a complaint against the broker with the state license board, but that will not fix your problems.

[Boomer]

If I were you, I would just fix the problem and move on.

Mr. Boomer always accompanies the inspector when we buy a house, so he can ask questions along the way.

But we have owned 10 houses and Mr. Boomer is a handy guy with a lot of experience with houses and their varying issues, so he is inspecting along with the official inspector we hire.

We tend to take real estate deal inspections with a grain of salt. I have never known an inspector to skew a deal. Real estate agents keep them in business. Those inspection reports can be interesting, but they always have so many outs written in.

I would not go down the litigation road. As aggravating as this is, it sounds like it can be fixed and you can just go forward without bogging down in legal issues and more expense. (I would never recommend your inspector or agent to anybody else though. Sounds lax to me.)

I cannot tell you who can fix it, like you asked, but I hope somebody here can help you with that.

Boomer

[Kenswing]

If you can find out what company did the installation I would call them out and see if they’ll fix it under warranty or for a reasonable price. Once you have the problem fixed then you can maybe approach the seller/agent for reimbursement. I doubt taking them to court would be worth your time.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

If you can find out what company did the installation I would call them out and see if they’ll fix it under warranty or for a reasonable price. Once you have the problem fixed then you can maybe approach the seller/agent for reimbursement. I doubt taking them to court would be worth your time.

I second this motion

[LuvNH]

Get a reputable builder, not a handyman .... it sounds as though a handyman did the original job incorrectly.

You could do a search on this site to see what builders are recommended. You could also call TV and ask if they have a list of recommended builders.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

I second this motion

I would tell seller you want to make an upgrade to the panels and would like the name of company that supplied it

[Stu from NYC]

Upon further thought would call as many florida room providers as you can find and ask if they have a record of doing your house.

[Bill1701]

I doubt the sales agent knew anything about the water leak. They just ask the owner if there are any problems, but don't look for them themselves. If the owner didn't mention it, you could go after them, but that would be more work than it's worth.

[PJ_Smiley]

To enclose the lanai, the seller would have needed a county permit. Go online or in person to the county permit department and check the records for your property. There should be a permit with the installation company named.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by PJ_Smiley

To enclose the lanai, the seller would have needed a county permit. Go online or in person to the county permit department and check the records for your property. There should be a permit with the installation company named.

You nailed it.

[Worldseries27]

Aren't pre owned homes sold as is? The only recourse i see is going to the installer and demanding the error be corrected with no charge or take action vs his license. The original builder may be liable also if he subcontracted the job

[Sandy and Ed]

Originally Posted by PJ_Smiley

To enclose the lanai, the seller would have needed a county permit. Go online or in person to the county permit department and check the records for your property. There should be a permit with the installation company named.

BINGO!!! If a permit was needed was a final inspection done??

[NoMo50]

From the description given by the OP, it sounds like a problem the previous owner must have known about, yet failed to disclose at the time of sale. Proving that, however, will be very difficult. It's time to bring in a window professional, and heed his/her guidance. If the haze on the glass is on the outside, that should be removable. But, if the haze is between the panes of a double pane window, that means the seal between the panes has been compromised. The space between double pane glass is typically filled with an inert gas such as argon. If that gas has escaped, condensation and stains will form between the panes that will only get worse. In addition, the lack of gas will prevent the windows from performing the way they are supposed to perform.

Again, call in a professional for a thorough inspection and assessment. While your problem may be repairable, I suspect a window replacement may be in your future. Good luck.

[msilagy]

I bought a 2 bedroom CV in Rio Grande ( I have since moved but not for any reason, I bought a 3 bedroom). Any way I discovered water coming in after rain in the lanai on the tile floor near the windows. My inspector came back, cauked around the glass windows outside and could not figure out where it was coming from. This continued to happen after it rained and after having others inspect the windows - I decided to put ceramic tile in the lanai - problem solved as far as I was concerned.