Hello everyone,
I am writing here on behalf of an acquaintance who has encountered the following situation:
The house construction was nearly complete. The floor coverings (tiles, floorboards, etc.) have been installed. The move-out date from the apartment is set for November 1st, as at that time the occupied condominium will be sold.
The exterior plastering work was done two weeks ago. The company used the water tap connection in the newly built garage (which currently only stands on the concrete slab). The hose came loose there, and water flowed freely from the tap onto the slab for a certain period. Since the concrete slab for the house and garage was poured as one piece, the water on the slab flowed from the garage beneath the house. The insulation layer between the slab and the heating pipes/screed soaked up the water.
This is the current situation. The plastering company offered to offset the damage costs against the outstanding invoice amount. They do not want to further burden their existing liability insurance (!). Personally, I believe that the outstanding invoice amount is far from sufficient to cover the costs for drying and possibly even a hotel room or similar.
Currently, several dryers are running in the house around the clock.
There are two scenarios for a solution:
1. To achieve drying of the insulation layer, X drill holes will be made from above. This means that the tiles, etc., will be damaged, and there is a risk that the heating pipes could be damaged during the drilling (by the heating company). The heating system can then dry the area by allowing water to escape through the holes. This attempt failed last week. The heating company used a thermal imaging camera to locate the heating loops. However, due to the cold weather, the heating was running, so the company only saw one large warm area (likely because the water in the insulation layer warmed to the same temperature as the pipes).
2. I was advised that the drillings could be done from the outside. This means drilling holes all around the house directly above the slab, penetrating to the insulation layer. This way, no tiles are damaged and the heating loops are not affected. The drying can then occur through the side holes by heating. Once everything is dry again, a sealing material (not expanding foam) should be injected into the holes. Additionally, drying could be supported by a few holes from above—but this would not require destroying large areas of tiles.
What can be done in a situation like this?
How practical are the two solutions described above?
Does anyone have any other ideas for a solution?
How would an expert evaluate the situation (based solely on this description)? I believe a moderator here is active in this field.
Thank you very much for your support.
I am writing here on behalf of an acquaintance who has encountered the following situation:
The house construction was nearly complete. The floor coverings (tiles, floorboards, etc.) have been installed. The move-out date from the apartment is set for November 1st, as at that time the occupied condominium will be sold.
The exterior plastering work was done two weeks ago. The company used the water tap connection in the newly built garage (which currently only stands on the concrete slab). The hose came loose there, and water flowed freely from the tap onto the slab for a certain period. Since the concrete slab for the house and garage was poured as one piece, the water on the slab flowed from the garage beneath the house. The insulation layer between the slab and the heating pipes/screed soaked up the water.
This is the current situation. The plastering company offered to offset the damage costs against the outstanding invoice amount. They do not want to further burden their existing liability insurance (!). Personally, I believe that the outstanding invoice amount is far from sufficient to cover the costs for drying and possibly even a hotel room or similar.
Currently, several dryers are running in the house around the clock.
There are two scenarios for a solution:
1. To achieve drying of the insulation layer, X drill holes will be made from above. This means that the tiles, etc., will be damaged, and there is a risk that the heating pipes could be damaged during the drilling (by the heating company). The heating system can then dry the area by allowing water to escape through the holes. This attempt failed last week. The heating company used a thermal imaging camera to locate the heating loops. However, due to the cold weather, the heating was running, so the company only saw one large warm area (likely because the water in the insulation layer warmed to the same temperature as the pipes).
2. I was advised that the drillings could be done from the outside. This means drilling holes all around the house directly above the slab, penetrating to the insulation layer. This way, no tiles are damaged and the heating loops are not affected. The drying can then occur through the side holes by heating. Once everything is dry again, a sealing material (not expanding foam) should be injected into the holes. Additionally, drying could be supported by a few holes from above—but this would not require destroying large areas of tiles.
What can be done in a situation like this?
How practical are the two solutions described above?
Does anyone have any other ideas for a solution?
How would an expert evaluate the situation (based solely on this description)? I believe a moderator here is active in this field.
Thank you very much for your support.
Thank you very much.
I share similar concerns regarding potential mold development later on. How can a layperson be sure that the drying process was truly complete?
For this reason, I also believe that the process should be professionally documented. Furthermore, over the past few days, I have come to the conclusion that it would be better if it were covered by the company’s insurance. Even if the company eventually goes bankrupt, the claim settlement and any possible subsequent damages would then be handled by the insurance.
It’s similar to a car accident. Personal injury and all related costs are covered by the auto liability insurance (as long as the insured amount is sufficient), even if the injured person suffers from the consequences for their entire life.
I share similar concerns regarding potential mold development later on. How can a layperson be sure that the drying process was truly complete?
For this reason, I also believe that the process should be professionally documented. Furthermore, over the past few days, I have come to the conclusion that it would be better if it were covered by the company’s insurance. Even if the company eventually goes bankrupt, the claim settlement and any possible subsequent damages would then be handled by the insurance.
It’s similar to a car accident. Personal injury and all related costs are covered by the auto liability insurance (as long as the insured amount is sufficient), even if the injured person suffers from the consequences for their entire life.