New House Problems

[DUD]

We couldn't afford new windows and vinyl on Our old house so We opted for new

windows. The crew was going to scrape and paint the house, replace some bad T105

siding, and just in general make it look good again. Well from the 1st window We had

problems, it turned out that the windows were installed before the siding, so they had to

be cut out. This of course made the new custom windows not fit. No problem they would

just cut the siding back and stagger the joints, that was fine with Me. The 1st 3 windows

worked out okay, but on the next water damage. in checking the next wall, He found

black mold. Going to the next wall He found more water and mold. Going into basement

and crawl space, more water and mold. The crew is coming back tomorrow to reattach

the roof that has pulled away 9 inches out of level at the top. Don't know if anyone has

had anything happen to them like this or not. Any ideas will be appreciated. Bill

[gsmittle]

Keep your chin up, Bill. That's all I got. Sorry.

g.

[cabinetman]

My thoughts are that I hope your crew knows what they are doing, and you might want to get that mold checked out. Some mold strains are pretty bad for ya.
.

[ragswl4]

Well from the 1st window We had

problems, it turned out that the windows were installed before the siding, so they had to

be cut out. This of course made the new custom windows not fit. No problem they would

just cut the siding back and stagger the joints, that was fine with Me.

It is common for the windows to be installed before the siding. In fact, here in California it is required due to the inspection process. As far as the windows not fitting it is routine to have to add or adjust the framing of the rough opening during window installs. That should be the easy fix for the windows.

By the way, is the window installer putting new flashing around the windows?

As far as the water damage and mold, as has been said, get it checked out. Mold can be really bad for you and you sure want to find out where the water is coming from or the new windows will suffer the same.

Good luck, not an easy fix by any means.

[Ed62]

Bill,

Sorry to hear about the problems. Hopefully it won't be as bad as you are imagining.

I agree with everything Rags said. Has the mold been tested? As C-Man said, some strains can be really bad news for your health. Getting rid of it permanently can be a chore. You don't want it coming back.

Also, do you know anything about the crew working on the house? They shouldn't have been surprised if the windows had been installed before the siding. And the small cost of flashing should not keep them from installing it. It should be part of the job. Make sure it's put on properly. Incorrectly installed flashing can be bad news itself.

Ed

[Tom Slick]

Are these window shop guys installing the windows or a general contractor? Are they "retrofit" style?

You need to be sure the area that leaked gets flashed properly to keep the water out this time. just a window and siding replacement may not keep it from happening again.

[chopnhack]

DUD, what did you mean about the "roof pulling 9 inches out of level from the top"? Any pictures??

[DUD]

Thanks to All for the comments

My Contractor is a Young Man that I have known Him and His Family since I was 9 or 10.

He is Green certified and Mold trained. He has worked in several Hurricane disasters, so

He is familar. We have or had both brown and black mold. It has been taken care of

and disposed of properly. We have a new dehumidifier and air cleaners for each room.

It has been taken care of by a crew of 6 on a Sunday. Sheetrock goes back up

tomorrow. Bill

[Ed62]

Glad to hear things are going in the other direction for you, Bill. Good luck in the future.

Ed

[DUD]

The prior fools had not fastened the addition roof to the main house correctly. So the

addition roof was moving west from the house which is north and south aligned. Their

were no 2X stock attached anywhere except the ridge beam. It was badly and sadly

braced. It's fixed now. Bill

[cgallery]

Rank amatuers just work around any problem. Real pros stop and correct underlying issues.

It sounds like you have a real pro. It can make your heart skip beats, but at least when he is done, you know you're sealed up tight.

[cabinetman]

It's fixed now. Bill

That's the best news. Got to be a load off your mind.
.

[DUD]

They are going to dig under My addition footing and pour more reinforcement and more

rebar to stabilize it. They worked hard today to get Me into the dry as a Winter storm

is coming. Bill

[chopnhack]

Nice, you definitely have pros working for you. Im sure you will show your appreciation with a pizza and 6 pack at the end of the day