We have been in our 2 story brick home for 2 years now. I have found
that when it rains, a spot of sheet rock on the bottom left of a
window gets wet. It appears as if the water is on the inside of the
wall wetting the sheet rock. It appears to be a preexisting condition
that the seller painted over and I failed to catch un till a few
months ago.

Also, the carpet by our back door gets wet when it rains hard.
It doesn't appear that rain is flowing under the door or splashing in.

How to I fix these problems? Do I get a ladder and calk any chinks in
the brick or mortar. I wouldn't even know who to call if I needed a
pro to fix it. Do I call a carpenter, a plumber.......damned if I
know.

Any advice on where to start would be great.
I'm not a great DIY'er but I have a big ladder ( the little giant -
not a bad ladder ) and I can caulk like hell. I have to caulk because
the wife will not allow me to use the expanding foam anymore.


Thanks

E
R
I
C

On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 08:34:59 -0400, Eric Kent wrote
(with possible editing):

We have been in our 2 story brick home for 2 years now. I have found
that when it rains, a spot of sheet rock on the bottom left of a
window gets wet. It appears as if the water is on the inside of the
wall wetting the sheet rock. It appears to be a preexisting condition
that the seller painted over and I failed to catch un till a few
months ago.

Also, the carpet by our back door gets wet when it rains hard.
It doesn't appear that rain is flowing under the door or splashing in.

How to I fix these problems? Do I get a ladder and calk any chinks in
the brick or mortar. I wouldn't even know who to call if I needed a
pro to fix it. Do I call a carpenter, a plumber.......damned if I
know.

Any advice on where to start would be great.
I'm not a great DIY'er but I have a big ladder ( the little giant -
not a bad ladder ) and I can caulk like hell. I have to caulk because
the wife will not allow me to use the expanding foam anymore.


Thanks

E
R
I
C

The water is undoubtedly coming from the outside as it isn't raining in your
home! It is probably coming from above the window. Either the window isn't
flashed or caulked properly. Another possibility is that it's coming through
the masonry. Sometimes you can fix that by coating the brick with a sealer if
it hasn't already been painted. You can look for cracks in either the brick or
the mortar.

Same thing probably applies to the back door. If it were mine, I'd build a
pergola (small extending roof over the door) besides checking the above.
Provides a bit of shelter while it's raining, etc.

If you want to call a pro, call a mason.

FWIW, you can buy non-expanding foam.
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com

Eric,

I agree with Rapaport about the window. For the door I'd replace the sill
or it's weather stripping. It's not sealing properly. You have drafts as
well as water there.

Dave M.

Visit www.bia.org and review their technical reports about how brick is
supposed to be installed above and around windows with flashing and weep
holes. Yours obviously was not done correctly. Probably a code violation
and you may have to sue the builder. Even if you bought it used the builder
may still be liable for code violations. Depends on statute of limitations
in your state. In fact the original buyer may have been prevented from
suing due to a binding arbitration clause but you are probably in a legal
position to sue the builder if you do it right away. You have a problem
that will cost thousands of dollars to fix most likely because every window
and door is probably defectively flashed. Will result in rotted studs.


"Eric Kent" wrote in message
...
We have been in our 2 story brick home for 2 years now. I have found
that when it rains, a spot of sheet rock on the bottom left of a
window gets wet. It appears as if the water is on the inside of the
wall wetting the sheet rock. It appears to be a preexisting condition
that the seller painted over and I failed to catch un till a few
months ago.

Also, the carpet by our back door gets wet when it rains hard.
It doesn't appear that rain is flowing under the door or splashing in.

How to I fix these problems? Do I get a ladder and calk any chinks in
the brick or mortar. I wouldn't even know who to call if I needed a
pro to fix it. Do I call a carpenter, a plumber.......damned if I
know.

Any advice on where to start would be great.
I'm not a great DIY'er but I have a big ladder ( the little giant -
not a bad ladder ) and I can caulk like hell. I have to caulk because
the wife will not allow me to use the expanding foam anymore.


Thanks

E
R
I
C

Eric Kent wrote:
We have been in our 2 story brick home for 2 years now. I have found
that when it rains, a spot of sheet rock on the bottom left of a
window gets wet. It appears as if the water is on the inside of the
wall wetting the sheet rock. It appears to be a preexisting condition
that the seller painted over and I failed to catch un till a few
months ago.

Also, the carpet by our back door gets wet when it rains hard.
It doesn't appear that rain is flowing under the door or splashing in.

How to I fix these problems? Do I get a ladder and calk any chinks in
the brick or mortar. I wouldn't even know who to call if I needed a
pro to fix it. Do I call a carpenter, a plumber.......damned if I
know.

Any advice on where to start would be great.
I'm not a great DIY'er but I have a big ladder ( the little giant -
not a bad ladder ) and I can caulk like hell. I have to caulk because
the wife will not allow me to use the expanding foam anymore.


Thanks

E
R
I
C

I assume you mean normal rains, not hurricane force. A surprise, for
me, after one of our Fl. hurricanes was to learn than wind can drive
rain through a concrete block wall .. worse with newer walls with fewer
coats of paint. So, I suppose that might apply to brick.

Is wet wall first or second floor? If first floor, is there a bath
above? Been up in the attic to check inside of roof/attic? For sure, if
there are openings in masonry, do fix them. Might need to point those.
For starters, I would for sure caulk the outside of the window
carefully .. being meticulous to clean it up best you can according to
instructions on product. Need to open the window to see if there are
gaps in the frame that let water in. Glazing is good?

Back door .. what kind? window? How close to ground?

Art may be correct in that all windows are not flashed properly, but I'd find
the problem before considering a lawsuit. It will cost you a lot less to fix
the problem than to sue. If it's limited to one window, it certainly won't cost
you thousands of dollars. Furthermore, if the problem is no or improper
sealing, you probably have no grounds.
--

Larry
Email to rapp at lmr dot com


On Mon, 12 Mar 2007 14:52:44 GMT, "Art"
wrote (with possible editing):


Visit www.bia.org and review their technical reports about how brick is
supposed to be installed above and around windows with flashing and weep
holes. Yours obviously was not done correctly. Probably a code violation
and you may have to sue the builder. Even if you bought it used the builder
may still be liable for code violations. Depends on statute of limitations
in your state. In fact the original buyer may have been prevented from
suing due to a binding arbitration clause but you are probably in a legal
position to sue the builder if you do it right away. You have a problem
that will cost thousands of dollars to fix most likely because every window
and door is probably defectively flashed. Will result in rotted studs.


"Eric Kent" wrote in message
.. .
We have been in our 2 story brick home for 2 years now. I have found
that when it rains, a spot of sheet rock on the bottom left of a
window gets wet. It appears as if the water is on the inside of the
wall wetting the sheet rock. It appears to be a preexisting condition
that the seller painted over and I failed to catch un till a few
months ago.

Also, the carpet by our back door gets wet when it rains hard.
It doesn't appear that rain is flowing under the door or splashing in.

How to I fix these problems? Do I get a ladder and calk any chinks in
the brick or mortar. I wouldn't even know who to call if I needed a
pro to fix it. Do I call a carpenter, a plumber.......damned if I
know.

Any advice on where to start would be great.
I'm not a great DIY'er but I have a big ladder ( the little giant -
not a bad ladder ) and I can caulk like hell. I have to caulk because
the wife will not allow me to use the expanding foam anymore.


Thanks

E
R
I
C