Water pooling in master bedroom--suggestions?? (Sarasota, Venice: condo, how much, houses)

[loves2read]

We found water pooling under the bed in our master today...bed sits on outside CB wall between two fixed-glass/original windows...no sign of water stains on any sheetrock on that wall...looks like seeping under baseboards...no other rooms on outside wall has any sign of water intrusion...no wet carpets...

we had this happen once before in that room (to our knowledge) when sprinkler head had broken and water was shooting up into the soffit and (we assumed) running down the wall...although if I remember correctly there was rain at that time as well...
we fixed sprinkler head and haven't noticed any other water before now...

Very wet past few days--
we went outside--there are no downspouts directing water at that area
there is a heat pump installed about 18 mo ago that sits about where we think this is happening...
the previous owners have laid 12" deep gravel line around the house and none of the foundation is visible...

that is not how our TX house is done -- we can see visible 6"-8" of foundation line where there is any flower bed. grass or poured concrete driveway...

how likely is it this is just a seal leak between foundation and CB walls? That caulking with silicone or using a paint on water barrier or even new mortar with a waterproofing finish will prevent future intrusion?

who would you think is best type of contractor to find/fix problem?
foundation company? landscaper?

[sware2cod]

What if it's the roof - leaking right above the concrete block near the edge, and possibly water running all the way through the holes that are inside the rows of concrete blocks. How old is the roof?

[Cardiff by the Sea]

That is a weird problem.

What kind of flooring do you have in that room? Aren't there types of flooring that have to have vapor barriers? Maybe yours is supposed to and doesn't. I am guessing that if it is under the bed, it may be centered there because of lack of air circulation.

I would start by moving the gravel away from the foundation so you can determine if there is a really wet spot anywhere. I would be suspicious that the 12" of gravel was to hide a problem. I would want to make sure the drainage away from the house was correct.

Second I would get someone with a moisture meter to check all the drywall in that room. These have little pins that stick into the drywall and measure moisture content. When we had a moisture in the wall problem an inspector came in with a infrared camera. The image came out in various colors depending on the moisture content in the wall. Something like that would help you identify the source. If it is not the walls or ceiling, the only thing left is the floor. If there is a window leak into the wall, this would identify it. An unsealed window would probably be the only problem that caulk would solve.

As far as who to use, that is tough. I am always shocked at the high level of fraud in Florida. People claiming to be or do something that they aren't or don't. No insult intended to the honest contractors on this forum.

I am not saying these people would be the ultimate choice to deal with the problem, but I would have Servpro come out an look at it. We just had them come out to a property that I was concerned might have mold behind the kitchen sink. I was very impressed with the overall diagnostic the guy did on the house. He helped me figure out that there had not been water intrusion in places that I thought there had been. The estimate costs nothing so it is a good way to get ideas. And since Servpro is a national franchise, I would not be afraid of being taken in terms of them suggesting a solution that would not solve the problem. However they do make money by selling services and can suggest more than you need, so evaluate accordingly.

We had a contractor want to do a $60,000 rebuild of a exterior condo wall for a moisture problem that ultimately had a $2,000 solution. That contractor was brought in by the buyer's realtor. He thought he had us over a barrel in that we would have to use him to sell. (Florida does not have a lock on all the unscrupulous contractors. Our ultimate savior was a very very bright and experienced inspector brought in by a different buyer. He helped us determine the actual cause and wrote us a report clearing the problem once it was corrected. We got him only out of luck that one of the potential buyers brought him in. I would have no idea how to find someone like him.

Good luck.

[loves2read]

Originally Posted by sware2cod

What if it's the roof - leaking right above the concrete block near the edge, and possibly water running all the way through the holes that are inside the rows of concrete blocks. How old is the roof?

barrel tile roof replaced within past 7-10 yrs--would have to look at paper work left by people we bought from--they had it replaced


What kind of flooring do you have in that room? Aren't there types of flooring that have to have vapor barriers? Maybe yours is supposed to and doesn't. I am guessing that if it is under the bed, it may be centered there because of lack of air circulation.

this is not water from evaporation--it was like 3 ft pool of water under the bed...
that room has vinyl plank flooring laid by sellers we bought from--
don't know about what type of barrier on concrete foundation--
it is glue down vinyl stips vs click-together like some is

I am wondering if the pool heater foundation--which looks like it is made of formed plastic--might be tilted back toward house vs forward toward the yard---
it is not large--maybe 3x4 square with pool heater sitting on most of that--but it does have the roof line over it (no gutters) so the water that it catches would I think run back toward foundation line of house...but have not checked to see surface is level...

we are going to have to move the pool heater to get to where the inside water is--

good idea as to moisture meter to check dry wall--
we had problem in a TX house where AC water pan was blocked and filled with water--
straps broke and it dropped into bathroom hall ceiling and did lot of water damage--
we were not living in house at time--
had to have remediation people come out and leave evaporators for several days--
in July -- hotter than I care to remember...
that prompted big remodel in that house prior to selling....

[Shabotnik]

This one's got my curiosity up. I'll take a free no-obligation look if you PM me.

[Charles22]

The foundation should be visible.

[loves2read]

I agree the foundation line should be visible--but I don't know in my area if it is process of attrition or just way they were built but can't remember seeing any foundation lines on houses...walked out and looked at those in eye shot and no foundation lines...

@Shabotnik--will talk to my husband and see what he says...

[loves2read]

Husband thinks downspout by lanai screen door is throwing lot of water into the gravel bed on upside of that exterior wall--so it runs diwn wall toward street

New rain--more leaking
He went to get extender for drain

See if that helps
Anyone know how much rain in Osprey/ Venice area past 24-48 hrs?

[motordavid]

If Shabotnik or another pro contractor offered to come and look at a situ like that at my house, I would go pick him up and drive him back, and buy him lunch, for his opin and rec'd.

When the deluge subsides and it dries out a bit later in the week, I would have someone look at your situ very closely.
GL, mD

[Sunshine Rules]

Do you have water pipes that run under the bedroom floor in the concrete? Was your home built pre 2000? If so, pipes sometimes develop holes, especially in certain areas of south Sarasota.