ᐅ Water damage in the basement during the construction phase – what to do?
Created on: 21 Sep 2024 14:55
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NilsHolgerssonN
NilsHolgersson21 Sep 2024 14:55Hello everyone,
We are building a semi-detached house with a solid waterproof concrete basement (WU-basement). The shell was completely finished by March. We are currently in the interior finishing phase: the screed was poured in mid-July, before that the underfloor heating was installed, and the interior plaster is already done.
In August, we used two dehumidifiers for two weeks each.
One week ago, my neighbor discovered water damage in his basement (see photo). Visually, it affects the stairwell area (so no exterior walls). On my side, nothing is visually noticeable. The water is rising from the floor; in the photo, the plaster has already softened. Last week, my neighbor’s basement floor was fully tiled. According to the tiler, the CM-value (moisture content) was okay for tiling.
We have hired a water damage expert. Initial findings are: detailed exceeded moisture values (aw over 0.9) on both of our sides. The expert also took samples to determine the water source. However, the costs for this are considerable.
The builder is currently denying responsibility. A meeting on-site with a TÜV inspector, arranged by the builder, is scheduled for Monday.
Questions so far:
1. Can the costs (expert report, samples, etc.) be covered by insurance? If so, which one (homeowner’s insurance, construction all-risk insurance – we have both)?
2. It is strange that the water appeared late and almost in the middle – could it be a floor slab crack? If yes, what consequences would this have? Complete removal of the screed? Could this be caused by tiling?
3. How does the root cause investigation typically proceed?
Any tips or advice would be appreciated.
Thank you very much!
Best regards
Nils
We are building a semi-detached house with a solid waterproof concrete basement (WU-basement). The shell was completely finished by March. We are currently in the interior finishing phase: the screed was poured in mid-July, before that the underfloor heating was installed, and the interior plaster is already done.
In August, we used two dehumidifiers for two weeks each.
One week ago, my neighbor discovered water damage in his basement (see photo). Visually, it affects the stairwell area (so no exterior walls). On my side, nothing is visually noticeable. The water is rising from the floor; in the photo, the plaster has already softened. Last week, my neighbor’s basement floor was fully tiled. According to the tiler, the CM-value (moisture content) was okay for tiling.
We have hired a water damage expert. Initial findings are: detailed exceeded moisture values (aw over 0.9) on both of our sides. The expert also took samples to determine the water source. However, the costs for this are considerable.
The builder is currently denying responsibility. A meeting on-site with a TÜV inspector, arranged by the builder, is scheduled for Monday.
Questions so far:
1. Can the costs (expert report, samples, etc.) be covered by insurance? If so, which one (homeowner’s insurance, construction all-risk insurance – we have both)?
2. It is strange that the water appeared late and almost in the middle – could it be a floor slab crack? If yes, what consequences would this have? Complete removal of the screed? Could this be caused by tiling?
3. How does the root cause investigation typically proceed?
Any tips or advice would be appreciated.
Thank you very much!
Best regards
Nils
What a mess!
I assume there is a soil investigation report available to rule out groundwater?
Possibly construction all-risk insurance, do you have that?
However, I would first hold the construction company responsible.
No, water slowly finds its way through the masonry when the cause is a leak.
Tear open the surfaces?
You might be able to tell from the plans if there are pipes running nearby. It could also be a leak in the underfloor heating.
As a comparison/note: We had a similar damage pattern on the walls from below in our ground floor office. The cause was a leaking outdoor faucet, the water accumulated between the slab and the screed and then traveled up the walls. Luckily, we hadn’t installed any floor covering yet in the affected room (guest room). We repaired the outdoor faucet, placed a drying unit inside, and eventually, everything dried out.
I assume there is a soil investigation report available to rule out groundwater?
NilsHolgersson schrieb:
Is it possible to cover the costs (report, samples, etc.) through insurance? Which one though (builder’s insurance, construction all-risk insurance – we have both).
Possibly construction all-risk insurance, do you have that?
However, I would first hold the construction company responsible.
NilsHolgersson schrieb:
It’s strange that the water appeared so late.
No, water slowly finds its way through the masonry when the cause is a leak.
NilsHolgersson schrieb:
How does the root cause investigation work?
Tear open the surfaces?
You might be able to tell from the plans if there are pipes running nearby. It could also be a leak in the underfloor heating.
As a comparison/note: We had a similar damage pattern on the walls from below in our ground floor office. The cause was a leaking outdoor faucet, the water accumulated between the slab and the screed and then traveled up the walls. Luckily, we hadn’t installed any floor covering yet in the affected room (guest room). We repaired the outdoor faucet, placed a drying unit inside, and eventually, everything dried out.
In our house, the waterproofing in the basement was not done correctly, and it showed.
If the construction company made a mistake here, it depends on how they respond when you confront them about it. If they are uncooperative, the only real help is usually legal expenses insurance.
Construction performance insurance comes into play only if, for example, it was really just the faucet.
If the construction company made a mistake here, it depends on how they respond when you confront them about it. If they are uncooperative, the only real help is usually legal expenses insurance.
Construction performance insurance comes into play only if, for example, it was really just the faucet.
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NilsHolgersson21 Sep 2024 23:31Snowy36 schrieb:
In our house, the basement waterproofing was not done correctly, and it showed.Thanks for the response! How was it resolved technically in your case?
NilsHolgersson schrieb:
Thanks for the response! How was it handled technically in your case?We returned the house to the seller (-; It was a case of fraudulent misrepresentation… I’ve been through a lot with real estate over the past years and haven’t had much luck…But then the owner had the exterior excavated, which shouldn’t be a big problem for you during the shell construction phase, and a company professionally sealed and injected the area… of course, with an existing building that was a project costing around 100,000 euros, but that shouldn’t be an issue for you.
The important thing is that the construction company is cooperative… because you probably won’t want to move in or accept the house otherwise. Keep us updated on what the builder says.
If legal action becomes necessary—which one naturally tries to avoid at first—we can continue the conversation in that direction…
Good evening,
Oops, water damage is always unfortunate; we experienced the same issue, but in our upper floor after moving in.
What I don’t quite understand: The house is still under construction and hasn’t been accepted yet? Then this isn’t your problem but the general contractor’s... Or have you subcontracted some trades separately and now the general contractor wants to claim that someone else caused the issue?
Best regards,
Andreas
Oops, water damage is always unfortunate; we experienced the same issue, but in our upper floor after moving in.
What I don’t quite understand: The house is still under construction and hasn’t been accepted yet? Then this isn’t your problem but the general contractor’s... Or have you subcontracted some trades separately and now the general contractor wants to claim that someone else caused the issue?
Best regards,
Andreas
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