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how would this happen ???

6K views 49 replies 9 participants last post by  jagans 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello to all,

We have a 2-story stucco house that was built in 2005. We moved in Oct 2008.

The house was yellow and we painted it a more conservative color called Muddy River, or a light brown and the trim is an heavier shaded white.

We have seen over the yrs where when it has rained, that water filled up in the trim paint and bubbled...we had painters come, wire brush the old paint off and repaint. Well, we noticed that the sheetrock and paint in our bedroom looked strange We then saw it was wet and the wall paint just fell off when you touched it. A window right in this area was slightly open, so I thought either irrigation system water or the 8" rain we have last week caused it. I shut the window. Well, 2+ inches of rain this morning and it happened again. I went outside in the rain and noticed a huge pocket of paint w water was about the same height as the water issues inside [right below window and above a 110 outlet].

Oddly, after it stops raining and sun comes out, the paint returns to normal from a visual. I tool a steak knife and popped the all the bubbles, water came out and you could easily see the old yellow paint below. When we moved in [2008] and had it repainted, did they not prep properly, crappy paint, something else or all of the above and something else. Also, could the pockets of water on the outside penetrate the old paint, the stucco, then come thru to the sheetrock and paint inside? I am completely baffled????

I sure would appreciate your feedback and pls let me know if you have any questions?

Thanks you,
tstex
 
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#2 ·
You have a roof leak , and then running under the roof sheathing.

Running down between the paint and stucco, while also getting inside too.

Is there a vent pipe in this area, that would be my first suspected leak spot, or maybe a loose tile ( if tile roof you have), look for signs of water in the attic access on the underside or the sheathing.


ED
 
#5 ·
Gents, we have lived I the house for 7 yrs and never had a leak in this area, or one that we have noticed. Could or would a flashing/roof issue manifest after working properly for 10 yrs w out provocation? No one has been up there or disturbed this area...Thank you very much guys - your feedback is appreciated.
 
#8 ·
you might also check to make sure that if your windows have "weep" holes (designed to drain) that they are unobstructed and not caulked over. Your paint blistering is (as others have said) likely a symptom of an underlying problem that is not necessarily paint related...unless the painters caulked over your weep holes.
 
#12 ·
The national weather reports said that you have had extraordinary rain storms lately.

There is a possibility that your gutters could not handle that much rain, and were just spilling over.

Maybe partially clogged with leaves, bird nests, other unwanted things. Or just too small for this much volume.

There are many things that can be causing this.

So keep looking , because it can cause damage that you do not want.


ED
 
#13 · (Edited)
Thanks Ed & BJack.

It's drizzling so not able to move about, but these gutters are on the second story. We have no trees in the front. I am not sure about nests in the gutters, but most of the birds make their nests in the thick bottlebrush tree. I'll get up on the roof when the c-shingles dry, but need to be careful bc it is pitched well.

We have had water pocketing in the paint areas before, mainly the trim. It has been corrected about 3-4 diff times, but never experienced water coming into the sheet rock. This is the master bedroom wall that faces the front yd, so I am pretty sure there are no pipes in the wall. The bedroom above is the guest rm and it's wall too faces the front yard as well. I'm really baffled. I have always been able to figure out things or seek someone that would lead me in the correct direction. This one has me stumped.

After it dries a bit, I am going to check from the outside wall. Also pls note, although we had an 8" rain last weekend and a good 2-3" rain yesterday, we had over 10" Memorial Day. We did not see or notice anything then. Not saying it was not there, but more than likely we would have noticed it.

I am also going to go up into the attic and take a good look w a strong flashlight. Once I find the source, I will post back, but for now, I am all ears and quite humbled for the moment.

Best regards and I appreciate all your help and insight,
tstex
 
#14 ·
It is amazing what water can do and how it can move. There is something called the "capillary effect", which, in essence, means water can actually move against gravity and travel backwards moving up under drip edges and gutters and finding its way into your home.

I've seen waterfalls of water come into a home caused by poor roofing technique. Rainwater basically found its way BEHIND the fascia outside, ran downward into the soffit and eventually made its way inside in a cascade of water.

I've also seen water enter a home through what amounted to a nail hole in an aluminum valley. No one could find it for several months till someone actually went up on the roof and got on their hands and knees to finally spot the hole.
 
#15 ·
Yes, the bonds in water w surface tension are amazing...just like filling-up a pill capsule w water and you can actually put more water into the capsule that the true vol will hold...if it has an upward path w the correct adhesion, it will move...

Considering all of the above, including nail holes and other, I have installed 5-6 26ga R-Panel Galvalum metal roofs, and if a leak is going to occur, it is usually right after the install. A 10-yr latent effect is what I am wrestling w at this time. I would think is would be hard to conclude that it took 10-yrs for the water to finally find this path. However, I did not mention that on the outside corner of the master bedroom, there is a faucet there. I am inclined to believe the piping was from under the foundation up, vs through the wall, yes? I will admit that in a house prior to this, which we bought new in 1998, some 6-7 yrs later we noticed the sheetrock was moist in the toilet area wall that separated the shower from the toilet stall. We opened up the wall and the soldering of some copper piping was leaking...so, it does happen and it happens w new houses as well as old ones.

I am inclined to get my drill, make a hole large enough to get my sm sheet rock saw and start some cutting to see if I can determine a path of the water. It's going to have to be re-sheet-rocked anyway.

thanks again,
tstex
 
#16 · (Edited)
for the sake of clarity, when you check your weep holes (i've never encountered a window that didn't have weeps), also check the very bottom and sides of each bottom corner if you do not see them on the face. I have experienced them being located in those positions. you may have to look carefully if they have been caulked over....they're there somewhere. locate them on one window and you'll likely figure out where they are on all the windows. If its raining out side, you may be able to access from the bedroom by simply pulling the screen out and taking a look. make sure the tracks are clean and clear. no mossy build up. no debris. no standing water.
Also check to make sure it is properly flashed at the top and that any caulk around it is not failing, cracked or pulled away from the stucco. You'll likely need a ladder for that part but if your window opens then i'd take a peek from the inside of the house if possible...

also, is there more than one area that this is occurring in aside from under the master bedroom window? or is it isolated to one area? pics?
the fact that it is under that window leads me to believe that it is related to the installation or maintenance of that window in some capacity. If there are other areas then ??? but it is likely that the old yellow color was part of the stucco system installation. Not necessarily a coating such as paint. Water is getting between the two and the paint has more elasticity thus causing it to blister and retain water like a water balloon. What style of stucco are we talking about? Actual stucco or is it Drivit or EIFS?
 
#17 ·
Jack,

The weep holes or what is at the ends that are flat instead of the continued metal lip that holds in the screen, they are there and there is nothing blocking them. So, no water retention or back-up from this source.

As far as the top of the windows, the flashing on all 3 of them look great. No breaks in the stucco and integrity of caulk is very good.

The siding is a true stucco and the builder uses an "eight-step-process" in making it. I have had to drill holes in it in the back to hang metal ornaments for the wife and it's hard and about 1.25" - 1.5" thick. You can only use the same masonry bit for about 6-8 holes and it's toast.

Addressing the paint/stucco issue, there have been many places where the paint, mainly in the trim, has bubbled. However, no issue from the inside has ever manifested. This is the first time. Usually after the rain is over and the sun does its duties, the paint [from a visual] looks normal again. This time the bubbles were unusually large. I went out in the rain and popped them to release the rain. The yellow paint underneath from the orig paint job seemed in good order. This is paint, and w 879 in the community, there are a few other houses w this type of paint that the resident selected and it's still painted that way.

I do not have a means of posting pictures yet, but if someone would be kind enough to PM me w an email address, I take some pic's and send them via my iPhone. I will take some pics of the paint and stucco outside, the window area, then the damage inside. Perhaps this could better shed some light on the matter.

Again, thank you very much,
tstex
 
#20 ·
Thanks - I'll work on getting this set-up tonight - I am off to HD to get a sm sheetrock saw to determine if there is a pipe in the wall leaking...Hopefully from emailing some pic's to another DIY member, they too can shed some light on the matter.

Again, this is a great forum and I immensely appreciate everyone's help and feedback...I look forward to returning the favors - tstex
 
#28 ·
We've got similar on our home built in '97 with masonry front. Our most likely cause is lack of window flashing. Google for window installation instructions and you will find procedures that use four and six inch wide foil backed bituminous tape over the window framing studs and sheeting before placing the window and more overlapping the window after placement. I'm sure our house has none.

I heard when first introduced, vinyl windows were presented as self flashing. Either this was a conveniently accepted myth or failed installations dismissed that notion. One issue that cannot be overcome is the difference in thermal expansion between masonry and vinyl. The materials move against each other from one season to the next. A hairline crack passes more water than you can imagine.

Our builder is belly up and we're avoiding the issue with our heads in the sand.
 
#30 ·
About ten years ago when the shower pipe let go and trashed the dining room below, we asked, but no go. Not associated with an event or something like that.

They took care of our dining room, which was the last time any insurance policy met expectations.

Starting with a Hurricane Irene flood claim and continuing with a miserable Allstate experience when a deer clobbered my brand new car, continental reneging on my trucks extended warranty and AIG losing record of my life insurance payment and cancelling despite repeatedly sending proof of payment, I've been dumping policies left and right. Last look at AIG online, the policy is active, but no separate acknowledgement to date. Thanks to Geico and their agent, I'm now paying half for auto, home and boat.

Knowing I'm not covered is more reassuring the discovering same after paying the premium.
 
#31 ·
What a bummer. They sure don't make houses like they used to, that's for sure...slap em up, use sub par materials and -uh--let's say low budget labor, stick a for sale sign on it and run like 4377. It's terrible. Leaves an unsuspecting new home buyer up a creek. Hope ya get it worked out. One window at a time...and I really hope you don't live in a wet climate. It hasn't stopped raining here in Seattle in about a week, maybe 2? Dont remember...Only 8 more months to go, yipee! :)
 
#34 ·
Huh. That's interesting. I remember a similar problem while working for a restoration company in Portland. Statefarm covered it if I remember correctly... they did some upgrades while we had it open but sf picked up the tab for the window and siding issues....I remember having to use HD products exclusively as sf paid for all materials and gets a deal on mats from hd...

I could be wrong as its been many years, but we did A LOT of restoration for sf. Fire,wind,water damage.. I'd check into it anyway unless you're 100% sure.
I live in an apt so I don't have experience dealing with homeowners insurance outside of a work atmosphere. Yet. Still waiting on our "short sale" 6 months into it...laughable at this point.
 
#35 ·
Insurance companies have changed drastically over the years.

They are now geared to deny everything, and not pay a cent.


ED
 
#36 ·
Not universally true. Mine has overall has been great on ice dam damage, trees on house (just after installing a new roof). That's not the case for all. My insurance company will let me hirer my own contractors etc. Steering toward certain contractors or suppliers is illegal in Connecticut. They can suggest people but you take your car or choose a contractor of your choice.
 
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