[Studentmom]

Any advice? It's been raining all afternoon and into the night and we've got leaks. One leak is coming in beneath the stairs that lead down to the basement on the west side of the house and the other is coming from beneath a basement window at the back of the house (south side). How much should I expect this to cost me? Oh, the carpet in the basement is also stained and wet...what do we do?
Then we have dripping leak in the master bedroom on the second floor, and we can't figure out where it is coming in from as the finished attic (3rd floor) is completely dry. Any ideas?

Ugggh, we just closed on the house on Thursday last week and it's only Tuesday! What will happen next?

 

[missyali]

Look at your disclosures agreement. If the owner didn't state anything about water then you need to consult with your agent/attorney. You'll need to check with your home warranty as well. Good luck! I hope everything works out for the best.

 

[Laurie in Bradenton]

Mark the spots now. Once its dry you may have a hard time locating the exact spot. For the window I'd check the caulking around it once things are dry. You may need to dig out old caulking and recaulk it with a good silcone. This is something you could do yourself and would only cost you about $5.00 for a good silcone. As for the ceiling leak you may want to check your vent stacks on the roof. Rain can trail down them and come out lower in the house. Again its a case of digging out old caulking which dries and cracks and eventually needs replaced and recaulking. You may or may not want to do this yourself you may want to hire a roofer to climb up that high. For us its no big deal as we work up high all the time. The wall under the stairs may need someone who specializes in basement work. As we don't have basements down here I don't have any suggestions in the area.

Laurie in Bradenton

 

[sdrjeolsen]

The sellers were required to disclose that if it has happened before. If they knew about it and din't tell you they legally are responsible for repairs or paying you for the repairs. Take lots of pictures and document things. Also, see if you can find evidence of it happening before...I'm pretty sure the house didn't just start springing leaks because you moved in. If you trust your realtor, I'd get them back in the house to see the problem as well, they know better what avenues to take to resolve it.

Once the evidence has been gathered, I would check the downspouts, maybe they need extensions to dump the water further out. Also the ground around the foundation may have settled and you will need to build up the dirt so the water runs away from the house. The best way to stop it from coming in is to keep it away in the first place. As far as the roof, it will probably need to be patched. Stick to your guns, if it was a pre-existing thing, they are responsible, not you. Good luck and sorry you are having to deal with that.

 

[lwlynch]

Do you have gutters. When we got our gutters on alot of our foundation leaks stopped. We also sealed our basement with that DRI lock stuff. It was worth the time and money. As for the roof, maybe there is a lose flashing somewhere. around a vent. A little sealant. Can't do much while it is wet..

 

[Studentmom]

UPdate

I want to thank everyone for responding and give you an update:

1) The seller had outright refused to do a homewarranty - because he's cheap.
2) I don't know that we will be able to go after him as he has only owned the home since July/August - he bought it at auction
3) Good news - the carpet isn't glued down. I was able to peel it right up and see how far the water has traveled in the past just by looking at the tackboards used to tack the carpet down.

We'll start taking pictures tomorrow and we'll try and find an attorney. I really don't want to pay an attorney though - especially knowing how difficult the seller is going to be to deal with on this.