# Garage foundation Leak



## Jwinston (Oct 19, 2017)

Hello,

I have a 2 year old home. There is a water penetration during heavy rain in the garage. Some water drips from the ceiling causing puffy area on the OSB sheathing and some water seems to come out from the sill plate( I think its normally permeable to water). The water from the ceiling might be coming from the roof that is over the porch which is connected to the base of the ceiling (it below the main roof of the house). I am having hard time with the builder, as no one sees anything serious about it, and no one is willing to find the root of the problem. Since I mentioned the roof, they will only send some roofers to inspect the issue.

My concern is having mold and deterioration of the sheathing.

Is it common for water to trough the sill plate?

Is it worth calling Tarion as they might keep the deposit if the item is not warrantable?

What kind of professional can I contact to assess the damage and the cause?

I added a few images:

1. Showing a month difference between the water penetration from the sill plate (not sure if the black cloudy are is mold now)

2. The corner of the foundation (inside and outside)

3.Ceiling from where the water comes down.

If you have any suggestions about the matter, it would be greatly appreciated. I am not getting much action from the builder.

Thanks for reading


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## nealtw (Oct 19, 2017)

The bottom row of bricks should have spaces between some of the brick to let water out from behind. I would call the warranty people as the water can not get out so it is coming in and will cause problems like swelling rot and mold.
https://www.todayshomeowner.com/video/sealing-weep-holes-in-brick-walls/3/


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## gottodo1 (Oct 19, 2017)

Depending where you live some states require all houses to be warrantied for 10 years. If you're not there or they won't and you don't want to get a lawyer, I've seen people put weep holes in... it worked for them though I never was sure it was a good idea.


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## Jwinston (Oct 19, 2017)

Thanks for the advice guys. The builder put some caulking on the siding above the porch, seems to be the place where water was coming from the ceiling. Also my OSB sheathing is a bit swollen from the water. Do you think its worth making a big deal and asking them to replace sheathing? it seems like a big job (if they agree to do it). All that stuff only happen once during a very strong  and windy rain.  My concern in dealing with Tarion (home coverage), they keep 200$ if my complaint is not covered by them.


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## nealtw (Oct 19, 2017)

Over time time you are talking about the structure of the building as the osb and the framing is all structural and I would bet that there is brick all around the front of the house with out weep holes. How much is effected by water that you can not see. At the least I would find a very good home inspector The home owner and the inspector should write to the builder and warranty company with double registered letters to be able to prove when they were advised of the problem. A leak from above somewhere and water trapped behind brick is more than I would want to find in a new house. You can ask the city o come out and have a look. They should be interested in what the builder is doing and what they missed on their final inspection. Take pictures with you when talking to building inspectors or interviewing a home inspection company. 

This is a big deal.


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## Jwinston (Oct 19, 2017)

Thank you very much for the quick reply. I really appreciate it.


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## Snoonyb (Oct 19, 2017)

Photo's that are more panoramic of the decorative brick and the roof area above or in relation to the ceiling leak will be helpful.


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## Jwinston (Oct 19, 2017)

When I climbed over the porch, the inside leak appears about right where the measuring rape ends


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## Snoonyb (Oct 20, 2017)

Thanks.

It's going to be an interesting project to determine the source of that leak.


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## Jwinston (Oct 20, 2017)

Yes, I think the leak from the top is fixed as they caulked the sidings. My only concern now is the OSB sheathing in the garage, it is a bit raised, due to water (fluffy areas where water was running), yet it is still hard to touch. Now do I need to replace those wooded sheaths to avoid further problem or leave it alone? As far as I know wall sheaths cannot be replaced from inside, meaning you have to take the veneer bricks out and fix it from the ouside. That seems like a big headache. And I highly doubt that Tarion nor the builder are going to replace it. In fact the builder denies any damage, and even refuses to come and inspect the wall.


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## nealtw (Oct 20, 2017)

Jwinston said:


> Yes, I think the leak from the top is fixed as they caulked the sidings. My only concern now is the OSB sheathing in the garage, it is a bit raised, due to water (fluffy areas where water was running), yet it is still hard to touch. Now do I need to replace those wooded sheaths to avoid further problem or leave it alone? As far as I know wall sheaths cannot be replaced from inside, meaning you have to take the veneer bricks out and fix it from the ouside. That seems like a big headache. And I highly doubt that Tarion nor the builder are going to replace it. In fact the builder denies any damage, and even refuses to come and inspect the wall.



Yes that would likely be how it will be fixed unless they can open up drain holes and have it all dry out.
If you think that it is to big a job to push some one to fix. Wait the five years till there is no chance of warranty and the wall is moldy and the framing is rotting and the fear is the wall falling down. And you still are not considering the rest of the front of the house that has brick on it.  I could be wrong, I am not there. 

You said your client, are you the real estate sales person?


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## Snoonyb (Oct 20, 2017)

The OSB is inherently water resistant and likely remains structurally sound.

There are times when ignoring the existence of a blatantly obvious problem, makes it disappear. Sometimes a registered letter referencing, in detail, a response which corrected a problem, creates credibility.

You would do well to thoroughly understand you home warranty policy, or contact an independent agent, not selling a competing policy, for clarification.


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## Jwinston (Oct 20, 2017)

Good Morning,

I don't want to go to the extreme with this yet. The builder seems to have fixed the leak. I suppose my concern at the moment is whether its worth changing the particle board. Its still seems intact, there are a few sports with some flaking.And the edge of the of the boards is slightly raised, probably due to water. Therefore if its not a significant damage, i rather contain it the way it instead of ripping the outside veneer wall. My question to you guys is  whether it is Ok to leave the OSB sheathing the way it is, as there seems no more leaks when its raining, or because it was already exposed to water for probably  two years when its raining, the particle board would eventually deteriorate. Also how can I check if there is any damage behind it?


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## Snoonyb (Oct 20, 2017)

You are conflicting OSB and particle board.

They are two distinctly different products, google is your friend.

As Nealtw pointed out, you cannot find any damage without removing the brick.


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## nealtw (Oct 20, 2017)

Snoonyb, that is OSB sheeting.
Jwinston if they have it fixed fine, the osb can handle a lot of moisture and will swell up and is fine until it can no longer dry out. 

So as is, you would not have it changed out. My concern is that with out drain holes in the bottom of the brick it will not dry out. So this would be a start of a problem that might not show it's ugly head for a few years.
I would still register the information so that the complaint is started well with in the time it is covered by warranty. Because if it ever has to be fixed it will be a ton of cash.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgWo18yKEpk[/ame]


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## Snoonyb (Oct 20, 2017)

Neal, I pointed that out and the OP referenced OSB, but then conflated OSB with particle board.


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## nealtw (Oct 20, 2017)

Snoonyb said:


> Neal, I pointed that out and the OP referenced OSB, but then conflated OSB with particle board.



I missed that.:trophy:


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## Jwinston (Oct 20, 2017)

Wow, thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it. Couldn't find much info on-line. There is only one weep hole at the bottom in that area, not sure how many it supposed to have, or how much spacing supposed to be between each hole. Also, if the OSB is exposed on the interior, wouldn't it dry out from the inside? 
The last question I have is who can I contact (contractor, inspector, engineer?) to have a proper independent assessment to see what is going on in that area, maybe even cut a small piece of the board to see how it looks on the other side. I had an inspector before moving in and at one year checking the entire place, but they cannot find much if the issue is hidden.

Thank you very much for all the responses, I am a first time home owner, and it stresses me out. So much to learn.


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## Jwinston (Oct 20, 2017)

And by the way, thanks for the video, I have been looking all over to see how they lay out the brickwork.


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## nealtw (Oct 20, 2017)

A little water will likely dry and you will be fine. But if there is ever a problem here it will not show up for some time, even years. As you came here looking for information because you were worried. I would just send them a registered letter stating the worry  so in years to come if a problem comes up, they can not deny that they were  aware of the problem at the time.

You do want to watch that water that took pictures of, it should go away and never come back.


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## Snoonyb (Oct 20, 2017)

The OSB may be serving a double purpose, and while the obvious is backing for the brick, it may as well be a shear element, so unless you have or can obtain the original set of plans to ascertain that, that is the 2nd reason not to cut the OSB from the inside.

Stop by the building dept. and ask to speak with a senior inspector. Address your concerns regarding the water coming into the garage under the sill, and casually ask about weep holes at the bottom of the brick veneer and could an inspector stop by to have a look.

Municipalities, generally, offer at a charge, a code enforcement inspection, and it may come to that.

In your synopsis of concerns you registered mail to the contractor, address your concerns by issue and by paragraph. Be sure to thank him for addressing the above the entry water intrusion.


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## Jwinston (Oct 27, 2017)

Good morning, 

I was checking the weep holes around the house more thoroughly,  and it seems that they are not open all the way through the wall. I added a picture. Is his how it supposed to be ? I assumed they should be open to let the water out and keep things dry. Couldn't find any info on line in regards how deep they are supposed to be.


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## Snoonyb (Oct 27, 2017)

A lot of things in life are directly related to the effort you put into it, and instead of actually face to cace communication, you "elected" to go on-line.


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## nealtw (Oct 27, 2017)

The weep holes are for moisture that wicks thru the brick. 
As you started out with a roof leek, we would expect water to get on both sides of the wrap, behind the brick and inside the house.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3w3RZq5DXw[/ame]


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## HandymanHawaii (Oct 27, 2017)

Jwinston said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have a 2 year old home. There is a water penetration during heavy rain in the garage. Some water drips from the ceiling causing puffy area on the OSB sheathing and some water seems to come out from the sill plate( I think its normally permeable to water). The water from the ceiling might be coming from the roof that is over the porch which is connected to the base of the ceiling (it below the main roof of the house). I am having hard time with the builder, as no one sees anything serious about it, and no one is willing to find the root of the problem. Since I mentioned the roof, they will only send some roofers to inspect the issue.
> 
> ...


with concrete is different" water puddles in that area" you need to use an epoxy coating for strength............... lmk how that helps  :trophy:


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## Jwinston (Oct 29, 2017)

Thank you very much for all the responses. Extremely helpful.


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