I had plumber do a scope on the plumbing they went in from the downstairs toilet all pipes seem to be connected to the septic.
They removed the toilet and discovered there is no septic smell in the toilet drain but just that heavy stale musty oder (musty dirt smell).
The same smell is eminating from around the cleanout drain pipe in between the bathroom and family room.
The other issue is along this same side of the house the bottom siding has rippled and the board underneath has seperated from the house. In some areas you can actually put your fingers up underneath.
In the bathroom behind the shower; we previously had problems with because the proper insulation was not put in and the vapour barrier had not been sealed properly which had caused the wall to get very wet. In this area you can actually see the grass.
New Home Warranty assures me this is normal. However I do not see where this has happened on the other three sides of the house.
I keep writing asking for advise from all of you because I believe this Home Warranty and builder are trying to avoid their responsibility.
The other issue I found rather amusing was the New Home Warranty in Nova Scotia Canada claims that we have the strickest rules in the world for building homes. If this is true I can’t imagine the conditions the rest of the world is living in.
I await your responses and any ideas that could help me out.
Thanks Debbie
Edited 4/1/2005 6:38 pm ET by debbie
Edited 4/1/2005 6:41 pm ET by debbie
Replies
debbie. You are welcome here and if anyone can help, I'm sure they will.
You are narrowing down the symptoms, and this helps along with your pics and print. However, you must be losing your previous posts. You should really keep your msgs in the one thread. Folks following along on your problem need to know where to look, what better place than the last post. If you can, copy this msg and find the last folder you posted to and move this there. You won't have to answer as many repeat questions.
Best of luck.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Here's the link to the last one you made.
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=56372.1
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Be sure you document everything. Note the date, time, action and any witnesses and, of course, who you wrote and/or spoke to. Keep copies. get names. Don't throw anything, including the envelope they send any replies in, away.
In any phone call make sure you get the answerers name and job title. This alone sometimes improves responses. People tend to take things more seriously when they understand that their name is attached and that you are serious enough to go through the trouble of documenting everything.
Sometimes unscrupulous contractors will ignore people because they know most are not keeping track. They hope you will tire and relent before they have to do anything and until after any warranty has expired. Unless you can document that they have been officially informed, and documented as such, before the warrantee is up they can claim your too late. If the warrantee period ins getting tight send a registered letter, return receipt, detailing the issues. Make sure everyone who has any responsibility gets at least one of these.
Essentially your building a court case. When the contractors understand that your building a case they are more likely to take you and your concerns seriously.
This isn't a plan to leverage action but documenting everything is always a good start. You can often also consult with any local governmental authorities. If the house is located where the builder had to pass inspections you may have some leverage there.
Around these parts the inspections include weather seal, resistance to vermin and insulation are part of what he inspector is looking for when approving plans and inspecting work. If you can see grass from inside I would assume this would be considered a break in the building envelope and a path for vermin to get in. A potential health concern.
There are others here who have much greater knowledge of the ins and outs of such legal issues and how to proceed in such a difficult issue. I think most will agree that documenting everything is a good first step. If it gets to robes, lawyers and long faces, hopefully it can be solved amicably long before going so far, documentation is the ammunition they will be asking for.
Is New Home Warranty a division of AOL (just kidding, I've gotten the royal runaround from AOL a lot, once just today, so it seems like they must be tied together somehow because of the runaround you have been getting)? Maybe it's time for you to talk to a lawyer about your problems with the house!