Condo roof leak - a resolution is close!
After almost 3 months of uncertainty, blaming, second guessing, frustration and sheer confusion, we have finally established that the water coming into my unit IS NOT the result of a leak in the roof. My suspicion that the patio tiles and door above my patio was the root cause was correct. On Mar 5, the Tile Consultant who we paid $200, came to do an inspection of the tiles on that patio. He also did a water test upon my suggestion and the suggestion of 3 other roofers. After he measured the tiles and took a bunch of photographs, we ended up doing the water test. We simply ran the hose over the tiles next to the door. Within minutes the water went under the door and into my neighbor unit. The water pooled up and then traveled down into the corner, right above where the leak is coming into my unit through the floorboards of my ceiling. So it was done.
Now the next issue was finding a vendor to fix this issue. Basically the door needs to be re-flashed, refitted and the patio needs to be waterproofed. So basically demolished and the concrete redone.
The following Wednesday (Mar 9) we had our yearly HOA meeting where all owners could attend. Well, only the board members showed up (4 of us). There were elections via ballots that were sent to all owners. I received the most votes so I got to become the new board president for the next 2 years. E***, my upstairs neighbor with the patio, didn't receive any votes so his position on the board was eliminated.
E*** continued to talk about how the roof had leaked in the past into his unit and how the water traveled down wall, blah, blah, blah. He wasn't focusing on the present or the future. He simply was denying the fact that he was PROVEN WRONG and that his patio door was the issue at hand. I finally erupted and told him, "What else do you need? We have the proof that IT IS NOT the roof so stop talking about the damn roof!" I was so frustrated and I said that I was sick of him not taking care of repairs and letting this slide for so long. I asked what has been going on the last 5 years. He has complained and had this water issue the last 5 years and NO ONE ever suspected that it was anything other than the roof? The FUCKING water has been collecting at the base of his door FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS! Not one single contractor ever suggested it was anything other than the roof?
I was pissed that E*** simply let things go over time. Then he yelled back at me saying that he had spend "$10,000 on his floors" and "do you think I like that my floors are ripped up in front of my patio?". So things calmed down eventually. I agreed to contact the contractors so they can fix the patio. I know this process is going to take months so that only means months more of not having walls or ceilings in front of my patio.
I ended up getting a tarp and taping it to the bottom of his patio door so no water would get in. It worked for the next storm. Then it didn't rain for a week. I didn't bother checking it again when the next storm rolled in this past weekend. Actually I called my neighbor to check to see if it was still on there and he said it was. I was dog sitting across town. So I wasn't too concerned.
Well, on Sunday night it POURED and that night E*** called me and said that water was coming into his place. I went up to the patio and noticed that they had taken PACKING TAPE and tried to tape it up before it rained. They had apparently walked on the tarp so the duct tape that I had spent 30 min securing a week ago was separated from the tarp, effectively making the tarp non-existent. HE said they taped it since they knew it was going to rain. I didn't even question why my duct tape was separated. It was obvious they were walking out on it and weren't taking care of it.
In the pouring rain, I did my best MacGyver attempt to prevent the water from coming in. I took some black trash bags and duct taped them to the glass, creating a tent almost so the water would not get near the base of the patio door. It sucked. I was soaked within minutes. But, in the end I was able to stop the water from coming back in. It was not a permanent solution. I told Eric that we would need to just completely tarp off his patio from above so it closes it completely off from any water. We can't tarp it from the bottom anymore (directly above the tiles). So today, with the help of another neighbor we were able to tarp it. I will take a photo tomorrow and post it. He loses his view, but that is the price you have to pay for not taking care of a problem immediately.
I think now I can finally breathe easier. It's ironic that when I first had the issue with my paint bubbling over my fireplace last December, the company who came in and cut out the drywall and dried the wood told me that the patio was the issue. They even tarped up the patio just as we did now. Back then, E*** refused to believe that the patio had anything to do with the leak. If we had kept it tarped this entire time I would have avoided a lot of aggravation and worrying.
Now the next issue was finding a vendor to fix this issue. Basically the door needs to be re-flashed, refitted and the patio needs to be waterproofed. So basically demolished and the concrete redone.
The following Wednesday (Mar 9) we had our yearly HOA meeting where all owners could attend. Well, only the board members showed up (4 of us). There were elections via ballots that were sent to all owners. I received the most votes so I got to become the new board president for the next 2 years. E***, my upstairs neighbor with the patio, didn't receive any votes so his position on the board was eliminated.
E*** continued to talk about how the roof had leaked in the past into his unit and how the water traveled down wall, blah, blah, blah. He wasn't focusing on the present or the future. He simply was denying the fact that he was PROVEN WRONG and that his patio door was the issue at hand. I finally erupted and told him, "What else do you need? We have the proof that IT IS NOT the roof so stop talking about the damn roof!" I was so frustrated and I said that I was sick of him not taking care of repairs and letting this slide for so long. I asked what has been going on the last 5 years. He has complained and had this water issue the last 5 years and NO ONE ever suspected that it was anything other than the roof? The FUCKING water has been collecting at the base of his door FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS! Not one single contractor ever suggested it was anything other than the roof?
I was pissed that E*** simply let things go over time. Then he yelled back at me saying that he had spend "$10,000 on his floors" and "do you think I like that my floors are ripped up in front of my patio?". So things calmed down eventually. I agreed to contact the contractors so they can fix the patio. I know this process is going to take months so that only means months more of not having walls or ceilings in front of my patio.
I ended up getting a tarp and taping it to the bottom of his patio door so no water would get in. It worked for the next storm. Then it didn't rain for a week. I didn't bother checking it again when the next storm rolled in this past weekend. Actually I called my neighbor to check to see if it was still on there and he said it was. I was dog sitting across town. So I wasn't too concerned.
Well, on Sunday night it POURED and that night E*** called me and said that water was coming into his place. I went up to the patio and noticed that they had taken PACKING TAPE and tried to tape it up before it rained. They had apparently walked on the tarp so the duct tape that I had spent 30 min securing a week ago was separated from the tarp, effectively making the tarp non-existent. HE said they taped it since they knew it was going to rain. I didn't even question why my duct tape was separated. It was obvious they were walking out on it and weren't taking care of it.
In the pouring rain, I did my best MacGyver attempt to prevent the water from coming in. I took some black trash bags and duct taped them to the glass, creating a tent almost so the water would not get near the base of the patio door. It sucked. I was soaked within minutes. But, in the end I was able to stop the water from coming back in. It was not a permanent solution. I told Eric that we would need to just completely tarp off his patio from above so it closes it completely off from any water. We can't tarp it from the bottom anymore (directly above the tiles). So today, with the help of another neighbor we were able to tarp it. I will take a photo tomorrow and post it. He loses his view, but that is the price you have to pay for not taking care of a problem immediately.
I think now I can finally breathe easier. It's ironic that when I first had the issue with my paint bubbling over my fireplace last December, the company who came in and cut out the drywall and dried the wood told me that the patio was the issue. They even tarped up the patio just as we did now. Back then, E*** refused to believe that the patio had anything to do with the leak. If we had kept it tarped this entire time I would have avoided a lot of aggravation and worrying.
1 Comments:
Well, at least you already know the reason behind the leaks. And you already find an idea to stop the leaks from bugging you in a more practical way. But were you able to find someone who will fix your patio?
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