Hello,
In our new build, a fresh water pipe burst today, probably the supply line to the bathtub. As a result, water suddenly leaked through the ventilation openings on the floor below, from the sockets in the kitchen, and from the ceiling in the basement next to a downpipe.
Without going into the detailed plans: it is certain that the bathroom screed and insulation are completely wet. The bathtub is located at one end of the room, while the ventilation openings in the ceiling, through which the water then flowed downwards, are at two other ends of the room.
The question now is how do we _reliably_ determine how far the damage has spread?
The kitchen below also must have been affected. The sockets are next to a downpipe, and the water has run along it into the basement.
The corridor upstairs and an adjacent study might have been impacted as well. Is there any way other than removing the parquet flooring and breaking up the screed?
This will probably be quite unpleasant. Our site manager will likely try to downplay everything and suggested that we should contact our insurance… (he previously tried to pressure me into insurance fraud in a clear warranty case to avoid handling it himself) (I can share the company and the site manager’s name via private message).
Really great, another one of those incompetent plumbers has done a terrible job. This is now the third leaking pipe in the house. I can share the company’s name privately—be warned!
I could really be sick...
Best regards,
Andreas
In our new build, a fresh water pipe burst today, probably the supply line to the bathtub. As a result, water suddenly leaked through the ventilation openings on the floor below, from the sockets in the kitchen, and from the ceiling in the basement next to a downpipe.
Without going into the detailed plans: it is certain that the bathroom screed and insulation are completely wet. The bathtub is located at one end of the room, while the ventilation openings in the ceiling, through which the water then flowed downwards, are at two other ends of the room.
The question now is how do we _reliably_ determine how far the damage has spread?
The kitchen below also must have been affected. The sockets are next to a downpipe, and the water has run along it into the basement.
The corridor upstairs and an adjacent study might have been impacted as well. Is there any way other than removing the parquet flooring and breaking up the screed?
This will probably be quite unpleasant. Our site manager will likely try to downplay everything and suggested that we should contact our insurance… (he previously tried to pressure me into insurance fraud in a clear warranty case to avoid handling it himself) (I can share the company and the site manager’s name via private message).
Really great, another one of those incompetent plumbers has done a terrible job. This is now the third leaking pipe in the house. I can share the company’s name privately—be warned!
I could really be sick...
Best regards,
Andreas
Hello,
just a quick update:
The drying company already came Tuesday to take a look. Tomorrow morning they will arrive to do drill tests and set up vacuum dryers. This could be interesting. They will need to partially dismantle the kitchen for this, and they will probably have to drill through the parquet flooring upstairs. So, this will definitely affect it. Upstairs, it’s not just the bathroom but also the adjacent study and the hallway that are affected.
We deliberately installed the parquet as a continuous floor and only fitted the door frames later. This means that to replace individual planks later, essentially everything will have to be removed again, since the original condition must be restored.
However, since my wife is heavily pregnant and could go into labor any moment, we won’t remove the parquet beforehand. That would mean spending the next few weeks walking on the bare screed upstairs and without doors. We’re postponing that part of the process for now...
Best regards,
Andreas
just a quick update:
The drying company already came Tuesday to take a look. Tomorrow morning they will arrive to do drill tests and set up vacuum dryers. This could be interesting. They will need to partially dismantle the kitchen for this, and they will probably have to drill through the parquet flooring upstairs. So, this will definitely affect it. Upstairs, it’s not just the bathroom but also the adjacent study and the hallway that are affected.
We deliberately installed the parquet as a continuous floor and only fitted the door frames later. This means that to replace individual planks later, essentially everything will have to be removed again, since the original condition must be restored.
However, since my wife is heavily pregnant and could go into labor any moment, we won’t remove the parquet beforehand. That would mean spending the next few weeks walking on the bare screed upstairs and without doors. We’re postponing that part of the process for now...
Best regards,
Andreas
F
fach1werk17 Mar 2017 10:17That is really unpleasant, absolutely not nice. You have my sympathy.
But for your family and the new family member, I send all my best wishes—take it easy and keep things calm.
The construction issues will work out, even if they are stressful. A new life needs joy and a warm home, which you can definitely provide with or without hardwood flooring, and that is the most important thing.
Best regards,
Gabriele
But for your family and the new family member, I send all my best wishes—take it easy and keep things calm.
The construction issues will work out, even if they are stressful. A new life needs joy and a warm home, which you can definitely provide with or without hardwood flooring, and that is the most important thing.
Best regards,
Gabriele
Water damage from fresh water is usually covered by home insurance. So, you should contact your building insurance and report the damage. There will be paperwork to fill out, where you can list the "responsible party or other warranty claims." The insurance company will cover the costs and then reclaim the money themselves.
For you, this has the advantage that you don’t have to sue on your own, you don’t have to wait a long time for drying, and you don’t have to worry about ending up paying the costs yourself. That’s exactly what this kind of insurance is for.
If the insurance comes back with "you should sue for the money yourself," you can point out that legal claims against the manufacturer are usually weak, and further costs will arise from delays in drying.
What about hotel stays and such? Is your house still livable with several building dryers? I find them quite loud. We had a small incident with a 50-liter (13-gallon) aquarium.
For you, this has the advantage that you don’t have to sue on your own, you don’t have to wait a long time for drying, and you don’t have to worry about ending up paying the costs yourself. That’s exactly what this kind of insurance is for.
If the insurance comes back with "you should sue for the money yourself," you can point out that legal claims against the manufacturer are usually weak, and further costs will arise from delays in drying.
What about hotel stays and such? Is your house still livable with several building dryers? I find them quite loud. We had a small incident with a 50-liter (13-gallon) aquarium.
Thanks for the encouragement; we can definitely use it right now. The plan was actually for me to work a little and for us to relax on the couch while waiting for our son to arrive...
But that didn’t happen. Work is currently overwhelming like never before, and then this mess happened on top of it.
The first vacuum pumps are installed, but they will have to come back on Monday because they ran out of time today. The manager apparently didn’t realize we have large and thick porcelain stoneware tiles, which put up a lot of resistance against the drill bits.
They will also take measurements again in the bedroom, kitchen, and two basement rooms to check if there is water in the flooring.
@ Payday.
I won’t bother our insurance with this mess (though we have reported it), nor will I pay any invoices to anyone. The whole issue is entirely the responsibility of the general contractor. He has also realized that any discussion about whether he is liable for the damage is completely pointless.
How he sorts this out with his subcontractors, insurance, or whoever doesn’t concern me beyond the periphery.
If they have to dismantle the kitchen, not my fucking problem (nmfp), as is tearing out and reinstalling the tiles, parquet flooring, and doors… On top of that comes an electricity bill, compensation for the "house essentially being uninhabitable," and a bill for my working hours. I actually have other tasks at the office, and my employer doesn’t pay me to act as a babysitter for the tradespeople at home.
Hotel and such is a tricky matter:
Legally enforcing that is probably not feasible due to the size of the damage, and my wife firmly refuses to stay in a hotel with a newborn. I admit I don’t really want to either. At night we do turn off the equipment, but sleeping through the noise is really not possible.
Best regards,
Andreas
But that didn’t happen. Work is currently overwhelming like never before, and then this mess happened on top of it.
The first vacuum pumps are installed, but they will have to come back on Monday because they ran out of time today. The manager apparently didn’t realize we have large and thick porcelain stoneware tiles, which put up a lot of resistance against the drill bits.
They will also take measurements again in the bedroom, kitchen, and two basement rooms to check if there is water in the flooring.
@ Payday.
I won’t bother our insurance with this mess (though we have reported it), nor will I pay any invoices to anyone. The whole issue is entirely the responsibility of the general contractor. He has also realized that any discussion about whether he is liable for the damage is completely pointless.
How he sorts this out with his subcontractors, insurance, or whoever doesn’t concern me beyond the periphery.
If they have to dismantle the kitchen, not my fucking problem (nmfp), as is tearing out and reinstalling the tiles, parquet flooring, and doors… On top of that comes an electricity bill, compensation for the "house essentially being uninhabitable," and a bill for my working hours. I actually have other tasks at the office, and my employer doesn’t pay me to act as a babysitter for the tradespeople at home.
Hotel and such is a tricky matter:
Legally enforcing that is probably not feasible due to the size of the damage, and my wife firmly refuses to stay in a hotel with a newborn. I admit I don’t really want to either. At night we do turn off the equipment, but sleeping through the noise is really not possible.
Best regards,
Andreas
If the general contractor pays for everything directly, that’s fine. However, they could also refuse to cooperate, and you might have to take legal action to claim all costs.
If the equipment only runs at night, it will take longer and this could also be used as an argument by the general contractor. However, I know the noise level, and even during the day it’s awful (pregnant woman / newborn child).
The disadvantage of not having insurance is that some services, like an expert assessor, might end up being your responsibility. The general contractor definitely won’t provide or pay for one voluntarily. Legally, they are also not obligated to do so, since they must deliver legally flawless work anyway.
With a car, this would essentially be a total loss and, if under 1000km (620 miles), it would result in a new car. Unfortunately, this does not apply to a house.
What about your own personal belongings like furniture and so on?
If the equipment only runs at night, it will take longer and this could also be used as an argument by the general contractor. However, I know the noise level, and even during the day it’s awful (pregnant woman / newborn child).
The disadvantage of not having insurance is that some services, like an expert assessor, might end up being your responsibility. The general contractor definitely won’t provide or pay for one voluntarily. Legally, they are also not obligated to do so, since they must deliver legally flawless work anyway.
With a car, this would essentially be a total loss and, if under 1000km (620 miles), it would result in a new car. Unfortunately, this does not apply to a house.
What about your own personal belongings like furniture and so on?
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