Leaking pipes... Dream home or nightmare?????

Question

I sort of stole my fiance's post but anyways....So Im are currently in escrow with closing set for two weeks away...I had the property inspected about a week ago and am now out of option period. The inspector did point out some evidence of water damage on the ceiling and stated it might be from the upstairs bathroom...it tested negative for moisture but probably bc the unit was vacant at the time. We also noticed repair work on the ceiling hinting that it may have been previously repaired and he stated that it probably was remedied.

Ok so fast forward to now...the unit is now leased as of Dec 1st.  We received the new tenants move-in checklist from his agent and it states that water leaks from the ceiling when the tub is ran in the upstairs bathroom. Of course this is now a problem as closing day quickly approaches. My question is, has anyone ever dealt with a similar situation? My options are one of two things, put faith in the current owner and hope he fixes this tenants complaint within 7 days as stated in his lead (which I have a copy of), or potentially walking away from the deal as this problem will become my problem once we close.

P.S. I'm in Houston, TX and if anyone knows of a good plumber...send him my way. I may need one lol.

Zach Davis · Answer

As a plumber I can tell you that it is likely a simple fix. I see dozens of these a month. That said, it could also be something like cracked fiberglass or bad caulking so make sure its not something simple like that before tackling the actual plumbing.

Obviously I can't tell you definitively without seeing it but  If there is only water leaking when the tub is running and at no other time you are likely looking at bad putty or rubber on the drain shoe, possibly a leak in the trap or drain, or it could be a bad pipe going to the tub spout or shower riser.  Unfortunately, the current owner probably won't fix it correctly otherwise it wouldn't still be happening. It would appear that he has gotten into it before, evidenced by the prior drywall repair. Typically 2nd floor tubs don't cause a ton of mold or rot damage because even if there are significant levels of moisture the drywall will allow the water to leak through and eventually cave in rather than holding it in. Insulation can hold a ton of water but even then it gets heavy and will quickly saturate the drywall, which would be fairly obvious. I'm not saying its not possible to have structural damage, just that its not as likely as you might think since you walk underneath the tub every day and can see the signs of a leak before it gets out of control.

Have someone open up the ceiling, diagnose the problem and repair it. Unless its an abnormal problem or has been happening since the building was new and has caused a lot of damage, I doubt it will cost you more than $500. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things...

Jeff McCaskey · Answer

@Denita Ozenne

Hey there. So I am assuming that this is deal number one for you..... Might have missed that but I think that's right huh?

I would say that the answer to your question varies. If this is a really great deal then perhaps there is room enough to just let it go and close and deal with it yourself. However, if the numbers are on the tighter side then forcing the repair might be a good option to use and still close the deal.

I would assume that if you were able to get responses from a number of others on the site they would probably say things like I am going to list here.

1) Problems can seem small and simple at first but grow larger in a hurry - it happens.

2) Depending on the type of shower/tub installed in the above unit it may be more than a simple fix and get into much more money than you think - you won't know until you open the ceiling for sure.

3) After the plumbing repair you could be looking at mold potentially in the joist spacing area between units.

4) Depending on the length of time the issue has existed and been patched to get by you may also have damage to the wood - joists between units and or sub floor issues under the upper unit tub/shower.

5) If there is insulation between the two units, you may have soaked and degraded insulation that needs to be replaced as well - good news is that rock and insul are cheap to replace.

6) OR......... you may have someone open it up to fix it and its just a simple plumbing issue and is a quick and easy fix - totally possible too.

Just as an illustration, I went to replace a bath faucet for an accountant friend of mine yesterday. It's simple right? Pull old faucet off and reattach new one and turn the water back on right? NOPE - I had faucet off and new one on and then the drain piece broke, actually fell out bc of the pressure I had gently applied and was already broken anyway - just waiting to fall apart in my hands. The faucet was very old though didn't look the part. It was a major frustration given my expectation for a quick fix. What should have taken about 30 minutes or little over ended up with 2 runs up the street to the ACE store for additional parts, and 3 hours later - some of that due to the fact this is on main street and it took a while to get the water shut off figured out as it was all redone this summer by the city. Although it wasn't anything major it still shows how the faucet suddenly became the sink and drain assembly as well and combine that with the fact that the sink cabinet was so small I could hardly squeeze into it to work on things as it was. It wasn't just as simple as it had started out to be. Same could be the case with this situation you have here.

I would say that you can ask for the issue to be fixed, prior to closing is better so you can reinspect. Better option would be for you at this point to get a concession in closing from seller for an amount given by a plumber as estimated cost of repair so that you can fix it yourself (have it fixed), so that you are in control of the work that is done and know it's done right to your satisfaction and isn't just another patch job to get the property off sellers hands and into yours for the least amount of effort and cost possible (this does happen often).

Simple question with not so simple answer, sorry about that but hope that helps cover the bases. Some of this will totally depend on the age of your unit, so keep that in mind too. 100 year old houses can propose more issues than more recent construction.

Jeff McCaskey · Answer

@Denita Ozenne

Also, not that you have control over this but....... Don't use that inspector again if you can keep from it. He doesn't know what he is doing.....

Why is that? - he said even though there was evidence of water damage to the sheetrock that it was dry and not wet and given patching evidence it was probably fixed.

Well...... To me, if the ceiling was cut open to fix the drain above then the damaged sheetrock would not be put back in place. The way this should work goes like this.... 1) notice plumbing issue. 2) cut open ceiling and investigate.  3) find problem. 4) fix problem(s). 5) replace damaged sheetrock with a new undamaged piece. 6) after mud and tape, match existing popcorn or texture to what currently exists now on rest of ceiling unless it is a smooth finish. 7) if it's smooth finish or textured then prime and repaint ceiling. 8) done!

For him to say yeah it shows signs of water damage but was probably fixed actually makes no sense to me. I don't think he is very familiar with how things actually get built or repaired if that was the comment he actually made to you. And if for some reason the old piece of sheetrock was put back and finish work was sloppy, well it was a poor standard of work that was done anyway and I wouldn't trust it at all for a minute.

So here we are with water running out of the ceiling........ See my point?

Denita Ozenne · Answer

Steven J.Agreed,  my only "problem" with the inspector was the faith I placed in his advice. Which is ultimately my mistake, not his. I definitely didn't expect him to tear the roof open lol. I should have addressed it despite being told not to worry about it. But hey,  mistakes are how you learn.

Cliff S. · Answer

what other problems leaking pipes created is a place to start i think.

Steven J. · Answer

First of all the inspectors job is to not take things apart and repair them. They are their to inspect - they are not qualified contractors or handyman and certainly are not going to take their time to put a whole in a ceiling and repair it. The most you would get is if the hole was already there and they could see it. My two cents says that his only fault was giving you over confidence that it wasn't an issue to be concerned with.

Secondly, if the repair job looks questionable I would not allow the seller to make the repairs. They are in it to sell the home and be done. That could mean they open it up and ignore the wet insulation and mold (if its there) and just do a sub par job. Definitely ask for a concession on this repair.

Jeff McCaskey · Answer

@Denita Ozenne

Yep you got it! Good luck..... Congrats on number 1.

My contact info is below my posts if you need a lifeline sometime.

Denita Ozenne · Answer

@Jeff McCaskeyABSOLUTELY. The only reason we didn't look further into it was because we trusted his professional opinion and he literally said "don't worry about that, you can tell it's been remedied and it tested negative for moisture". It did state on his report "if concerned contact contractor" but we weren't concerned because he assured us it was "no big deal" now here I am with leaky pipes lol. So yea, we won't be using him again. It's all a learning curve. And this lesson will serve me well for my next investment. Sometimes you have to run into these things to learn what NOT to do.

Denita Ozenne · Answer

@Zach Davisthank you so much. As a first time investor everything seems to be a BIG problem. I'd hope he remedies the problem before closing but as you said I'd like to have someone I trust take a look to be sure it's done right. Pay money now to avoid a ton of problems in the future. Thank you so much for your professional opinion.

Steve Vaughan · Answer

I have townhouse apts where the tub is above the kitchen ceiling.  Leaks when running the bath/shower are usually a grout or caulk issue.  Bet you will find gaps if you look closely!

Leaking pipes... Dream home or nightmare?????

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