Hello everyone,
I am quite new to the forum and unfortunately, a really unpleasant incident has brought me here.
We bought a house located in a newly developed area where a total of 160 houses were built by one company.
The interior finishing work was carried out by subcontractors, with whom we were still able to plan some final details.
In the main bathroom, we decided not to install a shower fitting and planned to install it ourselves instead of buying the expensive one from the bathroom company.
So, at the handover on Wednesday, the fitting was naturally not installed yet, and the pipes coming out of the wall were exposed but sealed off.
So far, so good! When I returned to the house for the first time since the handover yesterday, there was a large puddle in the living room on the ground floor, and on the ceiling, there was a big water stain around the cable intended for the dining table lamp.
I immediately called the construction company, who told me to contact the plumbing company. I did that, and a technician came to find and fix the cause.
The problem was with the pipes in the shower in the bathroom above. The plug that was supposed to seal them was not watertight, and water leaked behind the wall, traveling through the cable slot down into the living room.
For now, it is fixed and no longer dripping, which is good. But the bad feeling remains, and we don’t know how to handle this situation.
Neither of us knows anything about such issues, and the plumber just says, “No problem, it will dry out in a few days. The wall is made of calcium silicate brick, which absorbs and then dries the water, and the ceiling between the ground floor and the first floor is concrete, so nothing will happen!”
However, we are worried that water is now inside the ceiling cavity, which cannot dry properly. We are afraid of mold or other problems that might develop in our brand new house. We already expect that the construction and plumbing companies will downplay this. We would feel better if an independent building inspector could take a look. Who would have to pay for this if necessary? Can the plumbing company be held responsible since they caused the issue?
Thank you in advance, and I look forward to your helpful advice!
Best regards and have a foot-dry weekend
jessica
I am quite new to the forum and unfortunately, a really unpleasant incident has brought me here.
We bought a house located in a newly developed area where a total of 160 houses were built by one company.
The interior finishing work was carried out by subcontractors, with whom we were still able to plan some final details.
In the main bathroom, we decided not to install a shower fitting and planned to install it ourselves instead of buying the expensive one from the bathroom company.
So, at the handover on Wednesday, the fitting was naturally not installed yet, and the pipes coming out of the wall were exposed but sealed off.
So far, so good! When I returned to the house for the first time since the handover yesterday, there was a large puddle in the living room on the ground floor, and on the ceiling, there was a big water stain around the cable intended for the dining table lamp.
I immediately called the construction company, who told me to contact the plumbing company. I did that, and a technician came to find and fix the cause.
The problem was with the pipes in the shower in the bathroom above. The plug that was supposed to seal them was not watertight, and water leaked behind the wall, traveling through the cable slot down into the living room.
For now, it is fixed and no longer dripping, which is good. But the bad feeling remains, and we don’t know how to handle this situation.
Neither of us knows anything about such issues, and the plumber just says, “No problem, it will dry out in a few days. The wall is made of calcium silicate brick, which absorbs and then dries the water, and the ceiling between the ground floor and the first floor is concrete, so nothing will happen!”
However, we are worried that water is now inside the ceiling cavity, which cannot dry properly. We are afraid of mold or other problems that might develop in our brand new house. We already expect that the construction and plumbing companies will downplay this. We would feel better if an independent building inspector could take a look. Who would have to pay for this if necessary? Can the plumbing company be held responsible since they caused the issue?
Thank you in advance, and I look forward to your helpful advice!
Best regards and have a foot-dry weekend
jessica
Ötzi Ötztaler17 Oct 2020 14:19
If you gently tap on the outside, does it feel like solid stone or more like styrofoam?
J
Jessica85ber17 Oct 2020 14:52Ötzi Ötztaler schrieb:
If you gently tap the exterior, does it feel like hard stone or more like Styrofoam?I was able to find some more detailed information about the walls in the scope of services description:
The exterior walls of the ground floor and upper floors/attic consist of at least 15 cm (6 inches) thick load-bearing masonry made of sand-lime brick or equivalent. The facade includes approximately 18 cm (7 inches) thick external thermal insulation boards (WLG035) and a reinforced plaster layer about 1 cm (0.4 inches) thick, or approximately 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) thick brick slips (total construction thickness about 34 cm (13 inches)), with color specifications determined by the seller. For a facing brick facade, the insulation boards are at least 12 cm (5 inches) thick (WLG035) and there is a facing shell (approx. 11 cm (4 inches) thick), with the type of facing brick and mortar color set by the seller (total construction thickness at least 35 cm (14 inches)). For a plaster/facing facade design, the wall structure is a combination of the aforementioned versions. Depending on the project, partial wall areas of the facade (possibly differing from the recorded elevation drawings) are executed by the seller according to the development plan specifications (regarding color, window size, and/or material), with color accents. The proportion of facing brick and plaster facade may also differ from visualizations, brochures, and elevations.
Ötzi Ötztaler18 Oct 2020 10:07
So, are the dehumidifiers already set up in the living room?
The post was actually helpful—I just realized I hadn’t notified my building insurance about moving in yet... In case of damage, they might not have been obligated to pay. I took care of that right away.
The post was actually helpful—I just realized I hadn’t notified my building insurance about moving in yet... In case of damage, they might not have been obligated to pay. I took care of that right away.
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