Question for Homeowners

[Shiper]

I bought my first home recently, actually just closed last week on Monday. We got all of our stuff moved in Tuesday.

The house is a new construction, no one has ever occupied the home. It wasn't built for us, we just happened upon it and my wife loved it. The builder was very helpful as far as taking care of things we wanted done on our punch list.

Fast forward to Friday morning. I wake up around 8am to feed my baby, go to make a bottle, and step onto sopping wet carpet. Like so much water when I stepped down, there was standing water up around my foot. Probably 1/3 of my kitchen had standing water and a portion of my living room was soaked. I immediately called the builder because we do have a 1 year warranty on the home from him. He got a carpet guy and plumber out here by noon to get it cleaned up and find the issue.

The plumber can not locate any leaks and tells me it is most likely under the slab. He does not have the equipment to find the leak in that case, but says it is still a reasonably easy fix. I talk to the builder who asks us to just leave the water off and offers to put us in a hotel as they can't/won't (I honestly don't know why) get the other plumber out here til Monday. My in-laws live 4 miles from us so I tell the builder we don't want the room, as we live in a rural area of a small, small town, and don't want to load up and drive with my 3 month old baby back and forth to unpack.

Initially, it didn't dawn on me what a MASSIVE inconvenience this actually is. We are not even unpacked from moving yet, we can't really do laundry at our new home, can't do dishes, can't bathe, can't use our running water. Yes we have a place to stay, but this is a huge PITA. Even when they find the leak, there is a chance they are going to have to bust up kitchen tile, rip up carpet, and smash through concrete depending on where it is to fix it. We have spent literally 2 nights in our new home. Very frustrating.

Blah blah blah. Here is my question. What is reasonable to expect from my builder in repairing this? All they are offering is to have a cleaning lady professionally clean our home when they are done. We are displaced at the moment, my wife's dream home is likely going to be a mini construction zone for the near future. Watching her face as the carpet guy ripped up our carpet 2 days after we moved in was pretty miserable. I know they will put it back to "normal" according to them, but I ask you SVTP, what would you expect done? :shrug:

 

[canibus]

That sucks, did it rain recently or do they believe it to be a busted pipe somewhere?

As far as what you should expect, not much other than everything getting replaced. carpet, tile, drywall, and any other damages from the water. He's living up to his 1 year warranty so that's always a good sign. You'd be surprised how "forgetful" General Contractors are. I know it's a PITA but look at the bright side, your house is getting fixed before you moved in. (completely at least)

 

[RDJ]

I would get your money back or have him move you into a new home. once that kind of shit happens your slab will never be the same. the real question is did he know about it before you bought the home?

that being said, assuming you decide to stay (wife loving it is hard to get around LOL) they will need to replace the floors and any drywall that got wet. the ENTIRE thing. water damage is no joke and insurance companies will deny some coverages due to having documented water damage. so document where the water was and which walls lined the area. get photos. I would also talk to an attorney just to be sure you have covered all your bases

I bought my first home recently, actually just closed last week on Monday. We got all of our stuff moved in Tuesday.

The house is a new construction, no one has ever occupied the home. It wasn't built for us, we just happened upon it and my wife loved it. The builder was very helpful as far as taking care of things we wanted done on our punch list.

Fast forward to Friday morning. I wake up around 8am to feed my baby, go to make a bottle, and step onto sopping wet carpet. Like so much water when I stepped down, there was standing water up around my foot. Probably 1/3 of my kitchen had standing water and a portion of my living room was soaked. I immediately called the builder because we do have a 1 year warranty on the home from him. He got a carpet guy and plumber out here by noon to get it cleaned up and find the issue.

The plumber can not locate any leaks and tells me it is most likely under the slab. He does not have the equipment to find the leak in that case, but says it is still a reasonably easy fix. I talk to the builder who asks us to just leave the water off and offers to put us in a hotel as they can't/won't (I honestly don't know why) get the other plumber out here til Monday. My in-laws live 4 miles from us so I tell the builder we don't want the room, as we live in a rural area of a small, small town, and don't want to load up and drive with my 3 month old baby back and forth to unpack.

Initially, it didn't dawn on me what a MASSIVE inconvenience this actually is. We are not even unpacked from moving yet, we can't really do laundry at our new home, can't do dishes, can't bathe, can't use our running water. Yes we have a place to stay, but this is a huge PITA. Even when they find the leak, there is a chance they are going to have to bust up kitchen tile, rip up carpet, and smash through concrete depending on where it is to fix it. We have spent literally 2 nights in our new home. Very frustrating.

Blah blah blah. Here is my question. What is reasonable to expect from my builder in repairing this? All they are offering is to have a cleaning lady professionally clean our home when they are done. We are displaced at the moment, my wife's dream home is likely going to be a mini construction zone for the near future. Watching her face as the carpet guy ripped up our carpet 2 days after we moved in was pretty miserable. I know they will put it back to "normal" according to them, but I ask you SVTP, what would you expect done? :shrug:

 

[thepizz]

If the water is coming up from the slab, it might be a problem forever. The issue could be from the house being built on an area where the water table rises under the slab whenever there is rain. Check with other neighbors and ask if this ever occurs. If so, run and don't look back.

 

[Adower]

I would get an attorney and see what they say. It might cost $ up front to talk to them. However, it might be money well worth it if this happens again past your 1 year Warranty.

 

[Sinister04L]

Depending on how much of your house got flooded it might be (or should be) a lot more than replacing carpet. In December of 2010 a contractor botched a plumbing job at my house and ended up flooding it overnight. Luckily it was contained to one half of the house but it was pretty deep in some spots. All the flooring had to be taken up and stripped to the slab, all the baseboards pulled and holes drilled into the sheetrock, and in most areas about a foot of sheetrock was removed near the floor. In one room almost an entire wall was taken out. Then 13 air driers were used and it took 3 days to fully dry everything out. Then the long process of putting it all back together took place, along with replacing some damaged cabinets, etc. We had to stay in a hotel for several weeks while this all took place and it was one gigantic hassle.

 

[CobraBob]

Guaranteed there is water under the slab. And it will find the path of least resistance under pressure. You absolutely must find the source. If the water that is under the slab cannot be redirected than you've got a real problem there. I have a friend with a similar problem and he spent thousands of dollars excavating around the foundation to seal it, but in the end had to have a sump pump installed. And when he loses power......not pretty. I am actually in the process of correcting my own problem with water under my house's foundation (I have a basement). I have to have the driveway dug up, drain pipe installed to get water drained to the wooded area in the back, and the entire back yard re-graded for a proper pitch away from the house. I had a good excavation company visit my property and he pointed out a number of evidences of water under my foundation. Fortunately no water gets into my basement but it is still causing a problem with the soil around the house being muddy pretty much all the time. I'm looking forward to finally getting the water redirected away from the house.

DON'T take the word of the builder or builder's plumber on this one. Find a good, local excavator/engineer and have him look at your property and home. He will be able to best give you the advice you need. You need to know from this professional what your options are (to fix the problem), if it is fixable, and what the estimate is. Then give this info to your builder. If there is an underground stream on your property which is going under your slab, that will need to be fixed, and it may be VERY expensive.

As Pizz said, check with your neighbors to see if they have a similar problem, and what they did to resolve it. When you say "slab" I am assuming you don't have a basement. So finding any existing cracks in the slab (where the water under the slab is leaching from) is going to be difficult without pulling up all the flooring in each ground level room.

This may be a tough and expensive problem to resolve. Demand that the builder properly find the source of the water, and then properly fix it.

 

[soccerman002]

As others have said, I wouldn't hesitate to get an attorney involved - perhaps get one on retainer.

Pipes bursting are one thing, but foundation issues are a whole other ballgame.

 

[Sage2k]

Ask for an additional year or 2 of warranty. Get it in writing.

 

[7998]

Be persistent. Get time lines and dates for the completion of the work. In Construction crap happens. Either someone hacked the water line in under the slab and the slab has a crack in it or it is coming from where the line comes up through the slab. Or if your house is equipped with radiant heating there is a bad connection. The fix shouldn't be to difficult just a little time consuming.
But here is what you need to do
Get pictures of the damage and work being done.
Make sure any materiel that got wet is replaced, especially sheetrock. Framing lumber can be treated.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease, let it be known you will call and expect a daily progress report.
I believe you are well within your right to ask for an additional year of warranty.

Don't come off like an asshole, it'll slow down your progress and if the builder gets the feeling your going to sue he might just stop all work until a judge makes him do it.
It sucks but you said the builder is trying his best to resolve it, stay on top of him and make sure his does. Good Luck

 

[ff500]

How come no basements in Oklahoma, you would think with tornadoes that would be enforced in the building codes.

 

[prostkr]

Sucks for the bad luck on your first purchase. But in the end you will be ok, definitely ask and demand some additional warranty on the plumbing at a minimum. As they tear into it take lots of pictures, I can just about tell you if your in for more trouble later on by looking at some pictures. As they other guys said. Document everything and get it all put into writing. It will help in the long run.

 

[RDJ]

OK and TX are a lot alike. In my area of Texas you cand put in a basement without explosives so there are no basements.

How come no basements in Oklahoma, you would think with tornadoes that would be enforced in the building codes.

 

[Shiper]

I understand things happen when construction is being done, I'm not overly upset about it. Just a bummer. I just want it fixed, and fixed correctly. I literally know nothing about this sort of thing. The plumbers are back this morning with sonar equipment, and are now busting out my kitchen floor tile. We shall see what they find.

I am really just worried about getting a band aid fix on this that holds us over til the warranty is over, and then we get hosed when it takes a shit again.

Btw, most people have seperate storm cellars rather than a basement. Doesn't do you a lot of good if the house collapses on you while in the basement and you can't get out.

 

[Shiper]

Or what RDJ said, idk, he is probably smarter than me. lol

 

[RDJ]

Or what RDJ said, idk, he is probably smarter than me. lol

. We are prolly both right. If you can get deep enough for a storm cellar you can most likely get deep enough for a basement.

Here we don't have basements. Across the highway some do.

 

[ff500]

I understand things happen when construction is being done, I'm not overly upset about it. Just a bummer. I just want it fixed, and fixed correctly. I literally know nothing about this sort of thing. The plumbers are back this morning with sonar equipment, and are now busting out my kitchen floor tile. We shall see what they find.

I am really just worried about getting a band aid fix on this that holds us over til the warranty is over, and then we get hosed when it takes a shit again.

Btw, most people have seperate storm cellars rather than a basement. Doesn't do you a lot of good if the house collapses on you while in the basement and you can't get out.

It seems like you are dealing with it very good, I would have flipped out. Keep an eye on what they are doing and ask them to show you what they find and how they plan on repairing. Definately get everything in writing.

 

[RDJ]

I would highly recommend you get an extended warrenty on the plumbing, floors, and foundation and as has been said get it in writing and make sure your attorney has a look before you sign off. I would also take a look at getting your own fury to come in and evaluate the work as they di it.

 

[Shiper]

Just a small hole in a pipe. Looks like a gopher chewed into it. Feeling very Caddyshack all the sudden....

 

[HISSMAN]