ᐅ Damp or moisture in the wall caused by inadequate ventilation after screed installation

The problem now is that the house-building company (Streif Haus Haus) says the painter is to blame, while the painter claims the house is moving too much because the beams are too damp due to ventilation.

From my perspective, there are too many cracks. If a few cracks appear, that’s understandable, but if every wall is cracking, that seems like too much.

Should this possibly be discussed with a lawyer?

stenh1978 schrieb:

So, the screed was installed, and my father only received the key from the site manager at the final handover of the house.

Despite calling to ask about the key and sending reminders, the building was not ventilated for 3-4 weeks after the screed was laid.

stenh1978 schrieb:

When my father was inside briefly, the drywall (plasterboard) walls were damp.

stenh1978 schrieb:

He has been living there for a year now.

I find this very difficult to assess without knowing why your father did not take action at the time.
A lot happens between the screed being installed and the final handover... and as the client, you also have responsibilities.
However, I can imagine this might be a developer-built house, meaning your father is not actually the client?

As a client myself, I never experienced the situations you described and quoted. There was no need for phone inquiries, nor did I ever wait 3-4 weeks without supervising the construction or tradespeople, or without taking photos.

One could consider this negligence or passive acceptance on the part of the client here.
Yes, I would recommend consulting a construction lawyer... ultimately, there is also the option of pursuing issues under warranty. However, I see many shrinkage cracks that are completely normal. @Nordlys explained that well at the time and what to do about them, since shrinkage cracks are to be expected.

ypg schrieb:

I find it very difficult to judge if you don’t know why your father didn’t get involved earlier.
A lot happens between the screed and the handover of the house… and as the client, you also have responsibilities.
However, I can imagine this might be a developer-built house, and your father may not even be the client?

As a client myself, I never experienced any of the situations you mentioned and that I quoted. There were no phone inquiries, nor were there 3-4 weeks where we just waited without supervising the construction or the tradespeople, or without taking photos.

In this case, one could already assume negligence or tolerance on the part of the client.
Yes, I would suggest consulting a construction lawyer… ultimately, you can also pursue claims within the warranty period. However, I see many settlement cracks here that are completely normal. @Nordlys explained this well back then and what the best approach is, as you have to expect settlement cracks.

He wrote that the house is from a certain prefabricated house manufacturer… How is it normally with those? Can you enter the house anytime, or is it more like with a developer where you’re only allowed in at the end?

Snowy36 schrieb:

He wrote that the house is from a certain prefabricated house manufacturer…. How does it usually work with these? Can you enter the house anytime, or is it more like with a developer where you are only allowed in at the end?

Whether it’s a prefabricated house or a solid construction does not matter. What’s important is whether you are building on your own land or buying the house and land from a developer. On your own land, you are in control; with a developer, you are only tolerated. I would apply pressure regarding the keys in both cases.

Snowy36 schrieb:

Prefab house manufacturers...

Prefab house manufacturers can also act as general contractors.

My neighbors built their house with Schwörerhaus... the installation day was a celebration, and everything that happened afterward was accessible for inspection and viewing—even by third parties. However, I don’t know if the site was locked up at night. My neighbor was present almost every day, as were all of us on our own construction sites.
The interior finishing crew (construction team) was on site for several weeks and always available for questions.
However, dry screed was used there.

There are indeed prefabricated house suppliers who only hand over the keys at the very end. Actually, that's quite unacceptable. And then not ventilating for weeks would be outrageous. We had very specific instructions on ventilation back then, especially since this also concerns the screed.

But: Can your father be certain that ventilation was not done according to regulations? When were the walls wet? At the beginning, with that amount of water, it’s unavoidable. If it had really been that bad, there should have been mold on the wood as well, right?