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Recently had termite treatment and repair on my house and the termite repairmen covered two windows worth of weep holes.
It rained last week, and of course with no exit path for the water, the interior wall is saturated with water and the popcorn kind of finish on the wall bubbled out/seperated from the wall.
I contacted the termite repair lead, and he claims it was repaired and assembled exactly as it was prior to the repair.
He is investigating cutting out the quarter round to leave a path for the water to exit the weep holes, but he claims in 30 years of business he has never had a call for a covered weep hole.
He is refusing to accept responsibility for the damage to the wall.
I dont have before photos as I recently took possession of the house, and I wasnt involved in the termite eval and payments.
What are my best options here ? He seems to agree to modify the quarter round to allow the weep hole to function.
Should I contact a lawyer to see if I can legally force him to repair the wall ? Do I have any hope ?
It doesn't seem to me that you have enough experience with the house to say the repair blocked the holes to the extent that it caused the damage. It's entirely possible something else opened the door to the leakage and consequent damage, something that existed since the windows were installed or something changed in the months leading up to your purchase.
Every word you say may be accurate, but proving this one slightly unlikely action caused the problems is going to be tough.
It doesn't seem to me that you have enough experience with the house to say the repair blocked the holes to the extent that it caused the damage. It's entirely possible something else opened the door to the leakage and consequent damage, something that existed since the windows were installed or something changed in the months leading up to your purchase.
Every word you say may be accurate, but proving this one slightly unlikely action caused the problems is going to be tough.
Are you a business owner ?
Do you know what a weep hole is ?
Yes, but not in any relevant field. Just a 40-year DIYer with up to light frame construction and heavy interior remodeling skills.
Quote:
Do you know what a weep hole is ?
Yep. But without any history on the house prior to this incident, I gently suggest that weeping in your beer will be more productive than trying to wrangle a fix out of someone you won't be able to prove caused the damage.
I'm being sympathetic here. If you happen to have an unimpeachable chain of proof that there was no problem except this one act by a contractor, go for it.
Yes, but not in any relevant field. Just a 40-year DIYer with up to light frame construction and heavy interior remodeling skills.
Yep. But without any history on the house prior to this incident, I gently suggest that weeping in your beer will be more productive than trying to wrangle a fix out of someone you won't be able to prove caused the damage.
I'm being sympathetic here. If you happen to have an unimpeachable chain of proof that there was no problem except this one act by a contractor, go for it.
Hmm. Not what I want to hear.
I havent done drywall repair, but at some point Inwas going to start practicing. Im not about to pay someone about a grand to fix this.
I shouldnt have to worry about mold after only one incident, should I ? The drywall is kinda sealed up by this popcorny texture on top of the drywall. It may be acting as a seal. i suppose I could cut a small breather hole in it, but i hate for it to start flaking or chipping and open up into a mess/eyesore. Any idea on best way to manage this without hiring a contractor ? I dont imagine a handyman will be cheap either.
Get a cotter pin extractor. It looks like a screwdriver handle with a pointy shank that's bent 90 degrees.
Dig the sharp point into whatever the guy filled the weep holes with, and pull it out.
Pop a cold beverage of your choice. Done.
Oh, as far as the inside walls, you should let everything dry out real thoroughly before deciding to do anything. The whole thing may just dry out and leave nothing but a stain that you just have to paint over.
Why would the termite person be involved with weep holes, anyway? All I ever see them do is inject the poison into the soil around wherever termites might get into the wood structure of a house; if there's a porch or sidewalk they may have to drill holes in it and then put a sealant into the holes. I have never seen them mess with the brickwork on the exterior walls. Does the termite guy know what he's doing?
I would remove the drywall and hire a handyman. Look at Nextdoor neighbor, people will post their handyman services or ask friends or a neighbor. Its not going to cost that much to replace drywall. But I would not want drywall left thats wet. Also you will need to replace the insulation. You can also look at angie's list. I have gone to groupon used a coupon to hire someone on Angie's list and saved money that way too.
Well, if you want to "up" things, then a letter to the BBB with a copy to the company and a letter to the city/county licensing agency with a copy to the company. Do an honest Yelp! reference. Do you have homeowner's insurance? See if they might cover the wall; you will not know unless you ask (I imagine the cost to repair the wall might be about the same as your deductible, but the insurance company may have some helpful hints). Then there is small claims court.
Get a cotter pin extractor. It looks like a screwdriver handle with a pointy shank that's bent 90 degrees.
Dig the sharp point into whatever the guy filled the weep holes with, and pull it out.
Pop a cold beverage of your choice. Done.
Oh, as far as the inside walls, you should let everything dry out real thoroughly before deciding to do anything. The whole thing may just dry out and leave nothing but a stain that you just have to paint over.
Why would the termite person be involved with weep holes, anyway? All I ever see them do is inject the poison into the soil around wherever termites might get into the wood structure of a house; if there's a porch or sidewalk they may have to drill holes in it and then put a sealant into the holes. I have never seen them mess with the brickwork on the exterior walls. Does the termite guy know what he's doing?
Thanks for the info.
Looks like I have a project ahead of me regarding the window and wall repair.
The house is a raised concrete foundation with spackle something or other exterior with wood window sills. There is no brick anywhere on the house.
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