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Hurricane Sandy and Roof Leaks

3K views 15 replies 6 participants last post by  SeniorSitizen 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi,

I was wondering if it's possible that the high winds (and rain) could cause the roof to leak. The builder's "support" person said that it's most likely the wind caused the rain water to blow up the roof which would go underneath the shingles and cause the roof to leak. Is that possible? Would I still need to contact a roofing contractor or do I just contact a drywall contractor? (I'm pretty dumb when it comes to this stuff...)

Another possibility he mentioned was to look at the flash to determine if it's a roof problem? What does that mean exactly?

Should I cut a large hole in the ceiling drywall to let it dry out?

Unfortunately, it's not covered under warranty (expired after one year)...

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
In that strong a storm anythings possible.
Might want to concider giving your insurance company a call.
Right not that insulation in the attic that got wet needs to be removed ASAP.
The faster it gets dry the better before mold sets in.
Roofer for the room, sheetrocker for the ceiling.
 
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#6 ·
Tarp the area under the wet drywall-----then use a hand held drywall saw and open up the drywall----get that dried out

Find the joists---cut along them----post a picture for the best instructions.
 
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#8 · (Edited)
I have witnessed storms (these weren't even hurricanes) that literally made the rain blow UPWARDS. The wind, combined with buildings/homes and how they were oriented literally pushed the falling rain back up. This causes all kinds of problems with roofing, windows, really any place that isn't properly waterproofed. I shudder to think what happens to rain in the midst of 100 mph winds.

From the looks of your pics, there has been a leak there before because it looks like someone made a drywall repair in the middle of that one sheet of drywall. Sandy only made the water intrusion worse. P.S. Pics of the outside area where this is occurring would be even more helpful if you can safely access the area.
 
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#11 · (Edited)
From the looks of your pics, there has been a leak there before because it looks like someone made a drywall repair in the middle of that one sheet of drywall. Sandy only made the water intrusion worse. P.S. Pics of the outside area where this is occurring would be even more helpful if you can safely access the area.
Great, that (the drywall repair) was there when we first moved in (new townhome). I didn't notice it until much, much later. I can try to take some outside pictures when I get home later today.

Is this a good process?

  1. Turn off electricity to garage
  2. Place tarp on ground
  3. Wear goggles, gloves, respirator, long sleeve clothing
  4. Cut out drywall ceiling between joists
  5. Pull out wet insulation
  6. Throw drywall/wet insulation out in garbage can
Is there anything I should be careful of (ie, handling wet insulation, etc)? How do I determine if the insulation is wet (any discoloring or anything)? Is there a way I would know if mold is present? If so, what should I do then?

What exactly is "blown fiber glass"? Is that loose insulation and going to get all over the garage?


Thank you!
 
#14 · (Edited)
So I made a hole in the drywall and found out there isn't any insulation in the ceiling. At least not in that part of the garage ceiling... I also found out that there is a cinder block behind the drywall ceiling where the drywall patch was made... That really angered me as that could've dropped on my car, wife, and/or baby. And when they were building it, they must've noticed the drywall cracking since they patched it up with tape and spackle as you can see from the pictures below. You would think they would've investigated a bit to see what was making the drywall crack open... So furious about that.

Here are some pictures:




Inside the ceiling:






As you can see, there's no insulation... Why is there so much debris? Is that normal?
 
#15 ·
Nothing unusual about the debris---looks like some insulation blew in when the adjoining attic or walls received insulation.

Garages are seldom insulated by the builder----not need unless the garage is to be heated---
 
#16 ·
QUOTE: Garages are seldom insulated by the builder----not need unless the garage is to be heated---

*******************************************************
This is nothing more than a cost cutting measure to assist in competing with the competition and a cheap shot at that dollar wise.

Non insulated attached garages assist in the formation of ice dams and for the cost and ease at construction time I wouldn't even consider building a detached garage without attic insulation.
 
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