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The seller disclosed that there was water damage in the home caused by water heater malfunction in 2014. I had no idea what a big mess they had to deal with until I asked for documentation of repairs. The records say that pretty much the entire house was affected. It's a 2-story home and the documented repairs included:
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in halls upstairs, the game room, closets,
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in master bedroom and closet, as well as tearing of base boards
* tearing of drywall and baseboards in the utility room
* tearing of base boards in the kitchen and water extraction
* replacement of the wood flooring in the office (downstairs)
* removal of carpet on stairs
The water heater obviously had an overflow. There was A LOT of money involved in these repairs per the documentation. I'm talking between $60K- $80K total. Now this scares me, and my option period ends this Friday. I had inspection done and the inspector said he didn't see enough evidence of moisture in the walls after using his thermal scanner. Should I worry about molds? What other problems could possibly arise from this water damage in the future? Would you walk away now if you were the buyer?
Okay, I was way over when I said $60K-80K. I looked at the records again and it actually only totaled to a little below $37,000 in damages which is still a big expense. My apologies, it's already past 3 am and I should have already gone to bed 4 hours ago.
Where is the hot water heater located in this house?
I have known them in two story houses to be in the basement or even the second floor.
I ask because I'm wondering about the damage to so much of the house.
If the hot water heater is on a lower level, the replacement of all this stuff would be not so much water as mold since the mold was given time in a warm house to work its way upward..
Looks like second floor damage (so maybe the hot water heater is up there) and damage to whatever floor the master and office are on, damage to the utility room and I know kitchen is likely first floor.
How did it not bother the living room and dining room? The dining room is usually right near a kitchen.
So the water could have flown downward. And it can do so pretty quickly. Although homes I'm familiar with that had such damage from second floor down to first floor were unoccupied rentals so the damage went on for longer than it would have had anyone been in the house. Fortunately they were often checked at least.
Even with the damage from the top...why less damage in the kitchen? Was the flooring under the vinyl or tile investigated?
Okay, I was way over when I said $60K-80K. I looked at the records again and it actually only totaled to a little below $37,000 in damages which is still a big expense. My apologies, it's already past 3 am and I should have already gone to bed 4 hours ago.
With a $37k repair, I'd expect there isn't any mold. The ones to be worried about are the ones where they just have the cousins over, pull the carpet & put the same carpet back down in a week without turning it in to insurance. You only pay $37k to people who can guarantee you won't get mold. Your inspector isn't finding damage because there isn't any.
The repairs you've cited wouldn't likely be over $10k exclusive of the "drying out" part. I.E., drywall replacement in one room & new carpet/hardwood/baseboard moldings throughout the house.
My wife's office had a water line break in the ceiling & they had a bill of closer to $50k, but didn't replace any carpet or tile - just dried it out, which took about a month with a huge team of guys sucking up most of the water initially, followed by fans & dehumidifiers going constantly for the rest of the time.
They extracted the water, and then they ripped out carpet, drywall and baseboards. It also sounds like they acted quickly which would mean very little time elapsed for mold to actually grow. I think you're being overly cautious here. Sounds like responsible sellers.
The seller disclosed that there was water damage in the home caused by water heater malfunction in 2014. I had no idea what a big mess they had to deal with until I asked for documentation of repairs. The records say that pretty much the entire house was affected. It's a 2-story home and the documented repairs included:
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in halls upstairs, the game room, closets,
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in master bedroom and closet, as well as tearing of base boards
* tearing of drywall and baseboards in the utility room
* tearing of base boards in the kitchen and water extraction
* replacement of the wood flooring in the office (downstairs)
* removal of carpet on stairs
The water heater obviously had an overflow. There was A LOT of money involved in these repairs per the documentation. I'm talking between $60K- $80K total. Now this scares me, and my option period ends this Friday. I had inspection done and the inspector said he didn't see enough evidence of moisture in the walls after using his thermal scanner. Should I worry about molds? What other problems could possibly arise from this water damage in the future? Would you walk away now if you were the buyer?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeJaquish
What does your insurance agent say?
Will you have any issue getting insurance?
Will you pay a high premium because of a prior water claim?
Where is the hot water heater located in this house?
I have known them in two story houses to be in the basement or even the second floor.
I ask because I'm wondering about the damage to so much of the house.
If the hot water heater is on a lower level, the replacement of all this stuff would be not so much water as mold since the mold was given time in a warm house to work its way upward..
Looks like second floor damage (so maybe the hot water heater is up there) and damage to whatever floor the master and office are on, damage to the utility room and I know kitchen is likely first floor.
How did it not bother the living room and dining room? The dining room is usually right near a kitchen.
So the water could have flown downward. And it can do so pretty quickly. Although homes I'm familiar with that had such damage from second floor down to first floor were unoccupied rentals so the damage went on for longer than it would have had anyone been in the house. Fortunately they were often checked at least.
Even with the damage from the top...why less damage in the kitchen? Was the flooring under the vinyl or tile investigated?
I'd say it's upstairs because of the damage in the game room, upstairs hallway and closet, and stairs. The house doesn't have a basement.
All floors on the lower level are hard floors. The reports say the tiles were cleaned and grout sealed. The walls (I'm assuming just the very bottom part) were repainted and base boards replaced.
The seller disclosed that there was water damage in the home caused by water heater malfunction in 2014. I had no idea what a big mess they had to deal with until I asked for documentation of repairs. The records say that pretty much the entire house was affected. It's a 2-story home and the documented repairs included:
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in halls upstairs, the game room, closets,
*water extraction and carpet removal/replacement in master bedroom and closet, as well as tearing of base boards
* tearing of drywall and baseboards in the utility room
* tearing of base boards in the kitchen and water extraction
* replacement of the wood flooring in the office (downstairs)
* removal of carpet on stairs
The water heater obviously had an overflow. There was A LOT of money involved in these repairs per the documentation. I'm talking between $60K- $80K total. Now this scares me, and my option period ends this Friday. I had inspection done and the inspector said he didn't see enough evidence of moisture in the walls after using his thermal scanner. Should I worry about molds? What other problems could possibly arise from this water damage in the future? Would you walk away now if you were the buyer?
I would not worry at all....sounds to me like the repairs were done right, and now you get the benefit of new carpet, drywall, hotwater heater, baseboards, etc.
Looks like these people did it correctly. ALL houses have problems at some point in time...you have honest folks disclosing well done repairs. That is the type of person I want to buy from. I am VERY skeptical when I see a house with no disclosures...it usually means no maintenance was performed as well because those people who do maintenance discover and correct issues, which lead to disclosures.
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