# Water Damage on Ceiling turned into a hole



## SeanLee55 (Jan 26, 2011)

My wife and i live in Connecticut. If you didnt know already we have had a record amount of snow fall this year.. Our ceiling had water damage from a previous year and we just never got around to fixing it.. THis year it started with a very small leak and turned in to a HUGE hole in our ceiling. My wifes father is very much a handy man. but i think there are even problems too big for the 2 of us to tackle.. and i think this may be one of them... but looking at what has been going on in the past and what has led up to the most recent events.. we have decided to get a new roof with an ice shield (i think thats what my wifes father called it) and the water is a result of the ice dam (build up of ice in our gutters). So beyond getting the new roof, we dont really know what to do and what our best bet would be to tackle the hole in our ceiling...any suggestions would be of great help! thank you..

ill get pictures up ASAP...


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## SeanLee55 (Jan 26, 2011)

i added a pic of the crack (not the hole) on my profile... ill get the hole in a sec


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## oldognewtrick (Jan 26, 2011)

Sean sorry to hear of your leak problem and welcome to House Repair Talk.

I'd suggest calling you insurance company and filing a claim. They might pay for a emergency repair, might pay for the ceiling repair and if there's storm damage might get you a new roof. It's worth a call.


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## SeanLee55 (Jan 26, 2011)

that would be great. being a new home owner, i guess i just wasnt prepared for something like this...! 

thank you so much for the suggestion. and we will make sure to call them asap!


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## joecaption (Jan 27, 2011)

Not likly any insurance companys going to pay for a lack of maintance issue. They would have if it was wind damage or if a tree limb fell through it.
When buying, inspecting or getting ready to remodel any home the first thing I look at is the roof and all the flashing, plus the morter around a chimmney.
If the roofs not tight then anything you work on below it is trash. The last thing someone should be doing is trying to replace a whole roof in the middle of winter. The shingles will not get hot enough to seal down. I think I would for now just work on the one area where it's leaking and save the rest for spring or summer.
Since you let it leak so long there's most likly going to also some roof sheathing thats going to need replacing. If the inulation in the attic is wet remove it and trash it asap before mold sets in.
Ice dams are caused from lack of insulation in the attic and not having a heat strip inside the gutter that runs down the down spout.


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## MoldTester (Jan 31, 2011)

Believe it or not...the cold will end.  You will be facing an entirely new problem when the thaw begins.  There is a high potential of mold infestation as result of this damage.  If there is ever a doubt I would have a mold inspection completed.

Mold West Palm Beach | Mold Inspection Boca Raton | Mold Inspection Miami


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