Pictures for Amanda

Amanda, sorry it took me so long.  I hope these pictures are what you're looking for and help with your decision.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Delayed Update

Sorry for the delay in updating this.  The last couple of months have been super busy.  I may be missing some details of the repair here.  The contractor doing the repairs this time was different than the original contractor (due to scheduling issues and delays).

The leak is fixed.  December 3rd they came and tore down all the old stone on the whole front section and exposed the OSB.  It was a little wet in spots, so they let it dry out before putting up the new protective under layers.  They noticed the caulking around the window wasn't done well and the original subcontractor was supposed to have used 60 minute paper, but used a lesser strength.

To fix it, they put up ice/water guard, like what goes on the roof.  It's tar paper with an extra waterproof membrane.  Then on top of that, they put 60 minute paper.  It's supposed to hold water back for 60 minutes.  I think the Tyvek may be the first layer on the OSB. 

Then on December 5, the stone went up.  They ordered all new stone and did not reuse the original.  I'm guessing it would've been too difficult to remove it without breaking it and dealing with the old mortar.

I don't have pictures of it done, but it pretty much looks the same as it did before.

 

They also re-did the interior drywall, trim, and paint the following week.

 

Our customer care tech, J, has been outstanding throughout this process.  He has kept us up to date on everything and was always responsive to our questions and concerns.  I think Wayne Homes is lucky to have him as an employee.  As unfortunate as it may be, it's rare these days that a company has awesome customer service 100% of the time, but Wayne Homes excels in customer service in our experiences.

 

As always, I'll continue to update the blog if anything else happens.

Noooooooo!

Yesterday they came and replaced the baseboard and trim, and re-stretched the carpet. Only hours later, the effects of Hurricane Sandy came to pound our west-facing home for hours and hours and hours.  And...you guessed it, it leaked. A lot.   

It had passed the garden hose test a couple weeks ago. I guess a garden hose is no match for the wind and blowing rain.  So now we're back at square one and I'm incredibly frustrated and on the verge of tears.

I don't know what the next step will be exactly.  Maybe they'll pull down all the stone, replace the window, both, or neither. I'm nervous about the state of the OSB underneath it all. Is it the window?  The stone?  Both?  One thing is for sure, it probably won't be done in time for me to unpack and decorate for my Thanksgiving guests.  

I don't know much about construction, but a friend sent me a link to this article (click here) explaining how porous stone is and how it should be installed to create a drainage space behind it like brick has.  I don't know if this is an option, but I'm going to ask J, at the risk of coming off like a jerk.  I hope I don't offend him or come off like a know-it-all. Desperate times call for desperate measures I guess. 

The Leak Is Fixed

October 1, the stone guys came back out and re-did the stone on the left and right sides of the window.  After letting it dry for a couple days, we did another water test with the garden hose and it's fixed. 

 

The drywall on the inside has been fixed (I think it was done 10/10/12).  The trim guy is supposed to come later this week, then they'll schedule the painter, and carpet to be re-stretched last.  All the contractors are really busy right now with a boom in sales, so it's difficult to find one to come all the way out here for a smaller job.

We've been happy with the customer service from Wayne Homes and J's willingness and motivation to get it fixed correctly.  Hopefully it'll all be done soon since we'll have a house full of people here for Thanksgiving and I still need to unpack and decorate the office.

Stubborn Window - Crown Molding Up

It's still leaking.

Wednesday 9/19, J met the stone contractor at the house bright and early.  He took off the row of stone at the top of the window, added the drip edge thingy and some waterproofing stuff and put the stone back up.

 

Friday 9/21, we did another water test and it was still leaking.  Today, 9/25, J came out again.  He took down the trim from around the window (interior) and the drywall under it.  Then  he did another water test.  It seems the water is coming on each side of the window from about halfway up.  When we did previous water tests, we did spray each side individually and didn't see any water.  Maybe we didn't spray it long enough.

When he took the drywall down, he noticed it wasn't just the right side of the window leaking, it was the left side too.  J is going to schedule the stone guys to come back again and deal with the sides.  Behind the stone is the Tyvek wrap and tar paper, so he's not sure if maybe there's a tear in them or maybe they're not taped up right.

 

I have confidence that Wayne Homes will get it fixed correctly.  Water leaks can be tricky, I suppose.  I'll get the office unpacked one of these days.  Until then, I'll just close the door.   :)   I'll post another update when I have one.

Today I had the cabinet guy come back and install crown molding along the top edge of the cabinets.  What a difference!  I only wish it wasn't an afterthought.

BEFORE

 

 

The Plan To Fix The Leak

Monday 9/10, I received 2 phone calls about the leak.  One from the contractor who did the stone/siding/roof to schedule a time to come out to the house (9/19). The second was from our Customer Care Technician, we'll call him J.  Wayne Homes assigns each new home owner a CCT to assist with any issues or questions that may arise.

J came out to the house Wednesday 9/12. He realized right away what was causing the leak. Windows that are surrounded by stone are supposed to have a drip edge thingy along the top of the window between the window and the stone. Ours does not have that. Just to confirm his suspicions, J took the garden hose and sprayed that front stone section around the window (avoiding the roof for now). Sure enough, water started coming in the office.

J came inside and pulled back the carpet under the window. It was damp, but not moldy. He used a moisture reading device and poked it into the drywall. The reading was 20 and normal is 7.  J asked us how we preferred to fix the issues. We asked that they replace the drywall, insulation, and baseboard. The carpet was ok but would need restretched.  We were very impressed with his knowledge and attitude and customer service.  He's making sure it's fixed properly and not halfway.

Friday J called me and said he would be meeting a contractor at the house Wednesday 9/19 at 7 am to make sure it's fixed right. They have to remove the row of stone on the top side of the window, then install that drip edge thing, then put the stone back up.  Once all that is dried in a few days, J will come back to the house and do another water test. If that passes, he'll schedule all the other contractors to come fix the interior.

Overall, we're very pleased with Wayne Homes' response to our concerns and eagerness to fix the problem the right way. There doesn't seem to be any cheap band-aid fixes on their agenda.

Window/wall leaking

I think I posted before that at our open house, we noticed the window or wall in the office would leak after a hard soaking rain. They recaulked the exterior and drilled 3 weeping holes in the mortar under the window. (the exterior of that wall is stone).  Well, Friday, we had a lot of rain all night. Saturday morning, we checked it and the floor and baseboard are soaking wet. I cleaned up as much as I could.

I called the Akron office because the customer care center is closed on the weekend.  Someone called back and said they'd get it in the system Monday and would contact our rep.

So I'm fairly certain it's not the window. I suspect it may be a roof issue and the water is dripping down behind the wall and finding its way down a stud.  Otherwise the caulking and drain holes would've fixed it, right?

I'm really hoping they fix it this time. I'm concerned about mold and the carpet and padding being wet. The baseboard is all bubbled up from the moisture.

Sorry no pictures. My desktop won't hook up to the wireless for some reason, so all I have is the iPad.  I'll update after Wayne Homes comes out to fix it this week.