On 8/2/2017 3:27 PM, Oren wrote:
On Wed, 2 Aug 2017 14:50:05 -0400, Ed Pawlowski
wrote:

On 8/2/2017 2:25 PM, Oren wrote:
Discovered today from my plumber. I was stunned. My mind, and my
bride's mind is spinning where to start for recovery of bad
plumbing. It has to be fixed. regardless.

Single story, concrete foundation. Parts are missing from drain
plumbing so water drains directly to soil under the foundation
(cooties).

House it 20 years old, I bought as second owner.

The rubber gasket and tub shoe is not present so water drains
directly to ground soil. The tub has a "tub basket", even has
plumbers putty on it. Just pull the drain out, look and water
under the tub. I was stunned.

Sample pic:

https://tinyurl.com/y7n9dche

Were would you start to rectify the problem.


Was this something never installed? Not connected to the sewer
pipe? Could it have fallen off at some point and the water made a
sinkhole?

Yes, no. maybe. I don't know. Two owners never messed with the tub.
Eleven years and it is hard to figure why the problems was never
noticed.

Sounds like a potential major problem to fix. Is there any opening
from the wall to the drain? If not you may have to cut the slab.
When I remodeled the bathrooms, i made a larger shower on the first
floor that is on a slab. That meant the drain had to move to the
side 8" to accommodate the shower that was 16" wider. It meant
cutting the slab wide enough to access the pipe. In your case, you
may have to remove the tub to so so.


Two choices. Demo the bath room or go in from behind a closet (my
choice) if it works, would be easy. The closet may not align up for
repair. Out comes my tape measure.

This may be the time to do any upgrades to the bathroom. If you
have to fix this, why not just spend another $15,000 to do it
right.

Walk in tub would be my choice :-)


Lots of unknowns in your story. Did you buy the property "as is"? Was
it inspected prior to purchase by a licensed inspector? How long ago
did you purchase it and what is your state's statute of limitations for
liability for undisclosed or recently discovered defects? Do you have a
mortgage and are you required in your mortgage contract to notify the
lender if and when substantial threats to the value of the property are
discovered or occur? I'm not a real estate lawyer but a preliminary
consultation with one may help determine if you have any legal recourse
to soften what is likely to be a substantial expense to bring the
problem up to code.