Can a remodeling/improvement contractor cause MOLD? (Grove: insurance, house)

[steven5]

I wouldn't have thought this possible in a sound & previously mold-free home, but what happened here may change your mind, too:

[www]groveralert.com

[totallyfrazzled]

This caught my eye because I used this same contractor back in 2002 to install an all-seasons enclosed patio room. This was part of a whole-house renovation that was done by a different contractor. I went to Grover because I specifically wanted a PGT Patio Room and they were PGT's local authorized sales/installation company.

My experience was that the Grover people were far more professional and competent than the home improvement contractor who did the other work on the house. In fact, I had countless ongoing problems with the work that the other contractor did throughout the house; whereas I never had one single complaint about the quality of the work that Grover did.

Obviously there will be both praise and complaints for every contractor out there, depending on each customer's experience with them. I for one would never again use the Problem Contractor Who Shall Be Nameless Here, but I would recommend Grover.

Granted, Grover only did the one thing for me; whereas the Contractor From Hell managed to screw things up all across the board: lousy roofing job, lousy window/door installation, lousy plumbing, incompetent electrician, use of lower quality trim wood than specified, you name it... they messed it up.

[steven5]

Glad you had a good experience.

What seems most striking here, though, is NOT the quality of the work. As you point out, subjective evaluation of contractor performance can vary greatly from 1 customer to the next.

What stands out to me is the contractor's refusal to respond to the problem. Wouldn't any good contractor want to see for himself, before taking a stand on responsibility?

Beyond that, the contractor's claim--to his own insurance company--that he's not responsible for his own subcontractors seems awfully hard to defend...

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by steven5

the contractor's claim--to his own insurance company--that he's not responsible for his own subcontractors seems awfully hard to defend...

I admit that's very puzzling. One wonders how anyone at Grover thought they could get away with that. Under NYS law, if a written contractual relationship exists between a general contractor and a sub, the primary implied liability to the homeowner resides with the general contractor (because it was the general contractor who the homeowner paid).

After the general contractor makes good on the problem, there's nothing stopping him from going after his sub, of course; but that should not affect the homeowner's claim for damage or negligence. Unless there was some specific waiver of liability re: subcontractors in the contract that you signed with Grover, I can't see how they have a leg to stand on when it comes to responsibility for incorrectly-done work (whether by their own crew or a sub).

Ironically, it sounds like Grovers' subs were the same as the crew from my Contractor From Hell because many of the flashing and nailing issues on my house were the same as you had on the Grover installation! Luckily I didn't end up with mold damage but only because of what my SO calls my canary-in-a-coal-mine sense of smell. Within six months of the renovation work I began to detect a very faint smell of "wet lumber" after heavy rain. I immediately called in an inspector in to go over the entire roof and all walls with a Tramex; he discovered numerous areas where the flashing had been installed backwards, directing water into the house; incorrect roof nailings; unsealed vent pipes; incorrect or missing flashing; etc. I spent a lot of money redoing what was originally done incorrectly and never did get a cent of it back from the Contractor From Hell; but at least the house avoided the kind of damage yours sustained.

I'm impressed with your engineer, btw, and have noted his name and contact info in case we ever need someone like that in the future. We have an excellent home inspector but he is not an engineer.

[steven5]

It's a shame you couldn't recover. I can tell you that having a licensed & impartial engineer on site from discovery through remediation can make a world of difference with insurance adjusters.

The irony in this case is that the bill for damages was TRIPLE the cost of the original installation. To do it right in the 1st place & head off all the water infiltration would have cost very little.

Sounds like you could hire yourself out as a problem avoidance consultant & help others steer clear of a world of grief!

[PANIC]

Originally Posted by steven5

I wouldn't have thought this possible in a sound & previously mold-free home, but what happened here may change your mind, too:

[www]groveralert.com

sometimes if the lumber has been left outside which in most lumber yards it is there can be mold on the lumber but it is up to the GC and then the inspector has the final say on whether or not the wood should be treated before the finished wall product is installed .

[Kbinspections]

There are hundreds of ways a contractor can cause a mold growth issue.............

[mold expert]

www.environmentalserviceco.com

www.nationlabs.com

They offer free services and legal help for mold as well as self testing