Problem with leaky windows on newly built airbnb investment, bad construction co.

[Sara Kumar]

Hello,

I did an inspection when this property was purchased a few years ago. There was no water damage reported at that time. The contract has a 1 year limit for taking legal actions against the contractor after the sale of the house. I am out of that time period. My home was right under the 1 mil range, and a little over 3 years into owning the home, I am having sills leaking on multiple windows, and just replaced the roofing material on the second floor balcony due to poor flashing, and a membrane that was not run all the way up, but cut off right under the window according to the roofing company that fixed the balcony area. 

Does anyone have a suggestion for an honest and great company that knows siding? This company does roofs, and looking at the other window sills leaking in the home is not their thing due to it being the sides of the home, but they said most likely there is also a membrane issue on all those other windows. My neighbor is suing the contractor, and retained an attorney for 10k to have someone come in and do an inspection that holds up in court. I do not know who to contact who can do any real inspection like this and am reluctant to pay a retainer, when I have no interest in spending 50k on a lawsuit to collect the same amount. Replacing all the windows is 40-50k (Pella windows) and they said they will warranty their work and the construction, but that would not fix the membrane that seals the window that could be an issue. I do not want to waste money on windows that do not solve a sealing issue.

Looking for a company recommendation or perhaps someone who does this kind of inspection and can tell me exactly what the issue is. I have done two, where water detection devices were used and all they do is confirm there is water damage, and leaking from one area or multiple areas, I have no idea if it is the window still, or the membrane.

Thanks for reading! 

[Michael Baum]

Hey @Sara Kumar so this is a somewhat frequent issue but it is fixable.

There is no one I can recommend but you should be able to find a company that can solve this issue in Nashville.

I don't think you need to do all new windows. Each window can be removed and update flashings and membranes can be installed, caulked and all the trim reinstalled. Pretty easy job but it is time consuming.

I had this issue in my shop window at my primary home. I ended up pulling the window, installed a plastic window sill pan and adhesive flashing plus I added a L flashing on the exterior of the trim along with fully re-caulking the whole thing.

That fixed it and it has been dry for the last 4 years or so and we get a lot of rain here in WA.

I am not a professional but a competent DIY guy and it took me about 4 hours all said and done minus paint touch up. I would guess a pro would take 2 hours per window or so.