So the leaks started over a year ago. The builder sent his handyman to look at the roof, and all he does is guess where the leaks are and applies silicon which doesn't solve the problem.
Especially with last night storm, the leaks are pretty bad.
House is still under warranty.
Now he doesn't answer my calls/text/emails. Anyone can get any advice?
Thank you
WTF is up with waterproofing problems in our building industry??? I know water is a tricky bastard to control, but far out, it's an epidemic of shoddy workmanship
Look at "The Block" and youll start to realise….
You get the feeling that the typical build in Australia these days is really living up to the notion that we really just live in glorified tents.
It's all about getting it banged up for cheap, becuase the typically home builder doesn't want to spring for the primo builds.
Take legal action, consult a solicitor.
They aren't cheap, often the main reason why most people dont talk to them is because of them having made this stigma of they are so expensive, (and yes they are)
Sometimes it is best to do what you need to do, and in some cases like this you take legal action. If they are found to be at fault you can claim legal costs as well.
If it has been a reasonable time and he still hasn't responded at all, I would be arranging repairs myself and then taking him to xCAT to recover the costs.
My understanding is if you cannot recover from him, then you can claim on building warranty insurance.
I would not get things fixed before calling the xCAT and/or the insurance company as you may not get your money back if this is not the correct process to follow.
Saying that I would pay for a proper roofing company to come out and look at the roof and give you a quote in wiring to fix the problems. You can then use this quote in nay proceedings as a starting point as to how much it may cost to fix.
Now he doesn't answer my calls/text/emails. Anyone can get any advice?
Call from someone elses phone… so he cant pick the number.
Don't bother with home warranty, they'd regard it as a maintenance issue & wouldn't cover it anyway.
You don't specify if you're an owner or renter but anyway…I was dealing with a stubborn leaking issue when it rained also. I KNEW there was an issue with some roof tiles but I'm just not good with heights so not keen on getting up there to look myself.
Pro tip No 1. NEVER try to seal up leaking roof tiles with silicon. It just moves the issue somewhere else & doesn't solve the problem.
I went to HiPages or Yellow Pages (can't recall now) and got an experienced roofer. He had a thorough visual where it was leaking & couldn't find the issue but suggested repointing & he showed me via photos he took whilst up there of cracked pointing. He also replaced a few cracked tiles. So $2000 odd down, next time it rained, bang here's the leak again!
I got a second roofer in. Again - quite experienced apparently.
He had a decent look too & couldn't see any issues either. I knew there must be a cracked tile somewhere but he couldn't find it. Anyway he suggested drilling weepholes into the pointing. So I got that done. Down more dollars.
Rained again, and here's that damn leak!
3rd roofer. Fortunately didn't charge me as he said there's no issue & the work done by the first 2 roofers was of good standard. He just scratched his head & shrugged his shoulders.
4th (!!!) roofer. I said, "mate, I want you to actually REMOVE tiles from the area, not just do a visual inspection. There MUST be a cracked tile where they overlap that isn't visually apparent." Within 15 minutes, cracked tiles replaced. I just wish I didn't have a height aversion as I could've had it sorted myself 12 months prior when I got the first bloke out. Grrrrr.
Rained again. No leak!
Anyway, it's not a warranty issue as the house is structurally fine & broken tiles are generally regarded as maintenance. Just get a roofer out. Insist they don't just do a visual inspection for cracked tiles, but actually lift and/or remove tiles to look for cracks/chips underneath the tile overlap.
Don't bother with home warranty, they'd regard it as a maintenance issue & wouldn't cover it anyway.
Might vary from state to state, but in the ACT weatherproofing is specifically stated as being included under the structural warranty.
A Current Affair - against much advice about NOT going to the the media it's the only thing that got my building problem solved.
Mine was back in the days of Today/Tonight. Same deal, same result. 1 delicenced builder, 1 delicenced building inspector. New builder and 2 inspectors engaged, old works demolished, completely new construction completed.
Consumer Affairs Victoria is my guess.
You need to be clear which kind of defects it falls under, and whether that warranty applies. Minor defects? Major defects? Is this a new built? Etc.