Water Issues and construction defects

Water issues can affect all areas of a house, a condominium, or a townhome. You can find evidence of this construction defect in your roof, your walls, your floors, your ceilings, and/or structures around your home. This could include structures like a deck, a patio, or other outside additions to your home. The water issues can be far-reaching to impact areas such as concrete around a pool or a retaining wall adjacent to your home.

Water issues can cause leaks in your residence. Leaks can be found anywhere in your house and must be fixed as soon as they are discovered. This actually goes for most any water issues. Water intrusion into garages is also a damaging issue that needs to be resolved quickly. Even if you suspect this to be a construction defect, it is your responsibility to minimize the damage. After contacting an attorney, you can then determine what liability you have and what the responsibility of the builder or developer is.

Leaking from water issues can also cause moisture buildup which can result in serious moisture intrusion. This is also a serious concern that could very well be caused by a construction defect.

Are you experiencing any water issues in your house, condominium, or townhome? If you answer "yes," there is a good chance that there may be a construction defect in your home. How do you determine that? As was previously stated, there are many causes of a construction defect and yet, there are defects that can appear to be more severe than they really are. If you suspect you have a construction defect, you need to make the next right step. You need to contact an attorney to help you determine how you should proceed. Do not wait - contact an attorney today.

Leaks

Water issues can include a number of defects that result in leaking. Water leaks can be a nightmare to deal with especially if the leakage is not caught in time and the root cause of the leak goes undetected. The leaking can start or end at the stairs, bathtubs, showers, balconies, or decks. Leakage can also be a silent assassin that does its work behind a wall. This means the leakage could be quite severe by the time it is visible to a person standing in a room with leaks. Water issues can also be visible on exterior walls such as the stucco, dry walls or siding.

Damage control can be the first dilemma to deal with after you've discovered your water issues. Issues such as leaks and/or moisture buildup can cause all kinds of temporary or permanent damage. You can be looking at an entire room that needs its walls and floor ripped out and redone. You could have leaks that create such moisture buildup that mold begins to grow and you now have some serious and quite costly repairs that need to be done. The whole situation can be quite overwhelming, especially when you have already attempted to contact the developer and/or builder for resolution. Those responsible for such construction defects that cause water issues like these are not always anxious to acknowledge the problem even exists. Unfortunately, builders and/or developers are aware of the potential liability they have with a construction defect and how costly it will be to resolve this problem. It is sometimes a challenge to have them take the necessary steps to fix the issue and to make sure the issue does not reappear. So, what do you do next?

Water issues that affect stairs, bathtubs, showers, balconies, decks, or other areas are not something you need to take care of alone. In fact, to the contrary, you need to have an advocate that has some experience in construction defect issues. You need an advocate with knowledge of the law and how it will apply to your situation. Construction defect cases vary depending on a number of factors, so having knowledge of the law is a requirement but experience with litigating these types of cases are also a must. Do not hesitate - you need to contact an attorney now that will help you decide on a proper course of action.

Water Intrusion into Garages

Are you seeing issues with moisture buildup or leaking water? Leaking water can affect several areas of your home. The root cause can be on the exterior and then lead into the house or visa versa. Either way, a leakage can cause water intrusion into garages. This is detectable by looking for common symptoms like water stains on the garage walls and/or floor, moisture buildup in the walls, and/or water damage in the ceiling.

Serious Moisture Intrusion

Leakage that seeps into the walls or ceilings can cause serious moisture intrusion. Whenever you have water build up in somewhat damp areas, it will be inevitable for mold to form. Serious moisture intrusion can be one issue but what this intrusion can lead to is much more severe. Serious moisture intrusion can create a perfect environment for mold. When mold grows, you are left with an extremely difficult repair, even more so than the original moisture intrusion.

Water issues that cause water intrusion into garages or serious moisture intrusion are very difficult defects to control and fix. If you do not take the right steps to control the damage, you may be making your situation worse. You need to contact an attorney today if you suspect you have any of these water-related problems.

Toxic Mold

Mold is a fungus that lives in damp areas of your home that are often not even noticed. Toxic mold can refer to the indoor air quality issue that exists with the presence of this mold. Mold needs a water source for it to sustain growth. Hence, with the existence of toxic mold, your home must have some water issues. Building material, e.g. drywall, carpet padding, etc. can cause the onset of mold or prolong its existence. When you begin to see the mold, you may think it's a new formation, but it has actually always been there. It is just that now the mold has found an environment perfect for growing and spreading. Mold that is living off wall material or floor material can become so strong that it can completely destroy the wall or floor. Mold can be a serious issue causing damage to property as well as serious health problems to people around it. Quick detection and resolution is a necessity when dealing with this problem.

How Did the Mold Get There?

Mold can grow on everyday building material and mold spores can be everywhere. But for mold to occur inside there must be a water issue or moisture problem. The root of these water issues could be from a number of causes. You could have a leaking roof or bad plumbing that is turning your house into a sick home (mold claim).

Will Toxic Mold Make Me Sick?

Humans can be exposed to small quantities of mold and not have any reactions. But in a sick home, there are large doses in the environment that will cause allergic-like symptoms or worse. A person can have an allergic reaction but it can get as severe as experiencing flu-like symptoms, breathing problems, skin reactions, or concentration and thinking problems.

What Do I Do if I have Mold?

There are different types of mold, some of which could be green or black. Building material that is old may have some discoloration that many will mistake as mold. Mold will appear as something growing on top of the material. It can be concentrated in one area and spread in a dot-like formation. Since mold needs a water source to live, you must discover where your water issues are in the house. Once you have taken care of the water issues, the next step is to clean the mold, which could be as simple as using household cleaners or ventilation. But if the mold quantity is high, you may need to contact a professional to properly remove all molds and any building material that has been affected.

Dealing with mold issues is very difficult and cannot be neglected. A sick home that has high quantities of toxic mold needs more than just a quick fix; your next step is to file a mold claim. If you suspect that you have a pretty serious issue with mold, if you are not sure, or if you have a sick home (mold claim) already causing problems, you need to contact an attorney. There are a lot of sick home (mold claim) cases that you are not aware of and will be very helpful as you proceed towards a resolution. Do not wait and try to take care of this on your own. Contact an attorney that has been there and knows what you need to do get you and your home back in shape.

Mildew

Mildew is a furry fungus that can grow on plants or around windows. Mildew thrives in humid conditions and in areas with poor air circulation. Mildew can be white or gray in color. The presence of mildew can cause various health issues such as allergic reactions and/or breathing problems.

What do I do about the Mildew?

You must first understand that mildew is only a symptom of a bigger problem. If you have mildew in your home, even if it is in small quantities, there is a water issue or moisture issue in your house. The only way to take care of the mildew is to take care of the source of the water issues. Water issues can be caused by different construction defects in your home.

Builders and developers have to make a lot of decisions when they begin their housing development projects. Included in their decision making process is what products they buy, what building materials they use, and which contractors and/or subcontractors they hire. Frankly, these decisions can sometimes prevent or at least decrease the risk of any potential construction defect. However, these decisions could also be the root cause.

A water issues can stem from a roof that is leaking or a serious plumbing problem. Both of these examples can be caused by the developer or builder making a bad decision. They could have tried to cut costs by using a plumbing system that is substandard. They could have cut costs by using roofing material such as shingles that are also substandard and low in quality. The contractor that installed the plumbing system or built the roof could have been less than properly skilled, not licensed, or simply inexperienced. The fact remains that the liability for the damage the mildew has caused may lie in the lap of the builder or developer.

Since your water issues are most likely the cause of the mildew, you need to find out from where the water is coming. Once you have determined that, fix it and move on to cleaning the mildew. The mildew may be able to be cleaned by a cleaner bought in the store, but if the mildew has spread, it may require a professional cleaner. You do not want to leave any mildew behind.

If you see mildew or what you think may be mildew in your home, you need to contact an attorney today. An attorney will help you understand what needs to be done and in what order. Mildew problems can be quite overwhelming to deal with and quite costly. Your first priority is to make your home livable again, and second, you need to make sure who is actually responsible for this mess is held accountable. Contact an attorney today to help you protect your rights.

Water Proofing Failure

When you have water issues, it can be challenging to determine what the root cause is. Most likely your expertise is not in home construction, but you at least can recognize potential problems without further investigation. How do you determine if the water issues you are experiencing are because of a construction defect or just some needed small repairs? The answer will depend upon whom you ask. Nowadays, professionals in the construction business are fully aware of the litigious society we live in. If they can avoid liability, they will. There is a good chance that your water issues are because of water proofing failure which is most likely not the responsibility of the homeowner.

So what do you do? The first step is to get your house back to suitable living conditions. You need to find out what is causing your water issues. During this process it is very important that you document everything. Take lots of detailed notes, take pictures, and consult with an attorney. Since your goal is to fix your problem, you may lose some valuable evidence along the way. You are responsible for preventing any further damage to your home. You cannot just let your water issues worsen with hopes that someone else will take care of the repairs. You do not want mold or mildew to grow.

If you have discovered that water proofing failure is the cause of your water issues, you must contact an attorney. Water proofing failure occurs when a builder does not make appropriate choices. For example, the builder needs to choose quality material. Let's use a roof as an example. If the materials used to waterproof the roof are substandard, water issues are inevitable. If the builder chooses a contractor whose skills are less than average resulting in poor workmanship, this can also cause leaks in your roof and then water issues.

Water proofing failure is the responsibility of the builder (or developer). You need to first discover what the root cause of your water issues is, and if you find a leakage somewhere contact an attorney. Do not wait. It is difficult and distressing to know exactly what you should do next. Contact an attorney, and he or she will help you determine your next step.