badgolferman wrote:
It appears the remodeled shower stall in the master bathroom is
leaking water below the floor of my one-story house. The shower has
marble tile on the wall and granite-like tile on the floor. The
grout on the floor has separated from the wall and water is getting
past that. Investigation by contractors reveals there is no shower
pan under the shower and the subfloor is damaged. There is some mold
under the house also. I am told the shower was constructed
incorrectly and that this problem has been going on for a long time.
Evidence of clear caulk at the junction of the floor and threshold
supports that idea.

The home inspector that I had look the house over before purchasing it
13 months ago missed all this despite there being no insulation under
the house at the time of inspection. The owner of the company which
is reputable in this area claims if there was a problem at the time
his inspector would have seen it. He hints since the house was vacant
there is no way he could have determined any trouble with leaks or
copper pipes since the pressure wasn't fluctuating due to use. He
also reiterated several times the 12 month liability has passed and
refused to come inspect it himself.

I have contacted a lawyer to inquire of my options and am awaiting
word. One contractor has provided a quote for repair of $1700 plus
cost of new tile so it appears the damage isn't large. Considering
the estimate is lower than I expected it will probably not be worth
litigation.

Let my experience be a lesson for potential home buyers. Go into the
crawl space with your inspector and look for yourself. You may save
yourself some trouble later.

You might see evidence of a leak, but would see nothing to tell you that the
shower had no proper pan. That would be hidden within the concrete shower pan.