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  1. #1
    Reggie Russell's Avatar
    Reggie Russell Guest

    Default 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Hey Guys,

    I inspected a 6 year old HUD home today and found moisture damage on the baseboard of both bedrooms on the walls that face the front of the home. What causes this? Possible broken pipe? Or just moisture has just been getting trapped against the exterior, which is brick by the way. The home also has a septic tank, could that be backing up? Any advice would be much appreciated!

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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Spring Hill (Nashville), TN
    Posts
    5,851

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    A few questions:

    Did you try a moisture meter on the wall?
    Was the carpet wet?
    Was the baseboard wet or just stained and soft?
    How high is the slab/brick ledge above the grade?

    It is so hard to tell what causes anything by just looking at a picture. If the septic was backing up, I would think that you would be able to tell it when you opened the door.

    Honestly it looks like urine stains. Cat pee can look just like what you have in the picture.

    Scott Patterson, ACI
    Spring Hill, TN
    www.traceinspections.com

  3. #3
    A.D. Miller's Avatar
    A.D. Miller Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Quote Originally Posted by Reggie Russell View Post
    Hey Guys,

    I inspected a 6 year old HUD home today and found moisture damage on the baseboard of both bedrooms on the walls that face the front of the home. What causes this? Possible broken pipe? Or just moisture has just been getting trapped against the exterior, which is brick by the way. The home also has a septic tank, could that be backing up? Any advice would be much appreciated!
    RR: Too many unknowns to answer your questions. What is the baseboard material? MDF? Are there windows above these photos? Does the brick veneer have weep holes? Is ther plumbing in the walls where the damage is located?


  4. #4
    A.D. Miller's Avatar
    A.D. Miller Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Honestly it looks like urine stains. Cat pee can look just like what you have in the picture.
    SP: He could tell that too by getting down there and giving it a good sniff . . .


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Rockwall Texas
    Posts
    4,521

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    My vote is cat urine. Damn nasty beasts!

    rick


  6. #6
    Reggie Russell's Avatar
    Reggie Russell Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    The carpet was not wet and the baseboard was just stained and soft. The brick extends all the way down to grade, the slab is not visible. Neither I or the client smelled anything from it. If it was cat pee, wouldn't it be strange to be limited to just the 2 baseboards on the walls that face the front of the house? Yes, they were both below windows but did not see any evidence of water stains on the walls. And yes, it has weep holes. There is a hose faucet located just a few feet from the window outside. If it was leaking, though, wouldn't the stains be all the way down the baseboard?


  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Fletcher, NC
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    28,042

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Quote Originally Posted by Reggie Russell View Post
    Or just moisture has just been getting trapped against the exterior, which is brick by the way.

    As others have said - not enough information is known, however ...

    Brick veneer poorly installed, with or without a through wall flashing at the bottom, with improperly cut off mortar on the inside of the brick, or not cut off, and allowed to drop to the bottom of the wall, where it piled up higher than the through wall flashing (or missing flashing) and leaks in ... just as one would expect it to.

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
    www.AskCodeMan.com

  8. #8
    Ted Menelly's Avatar
    Ted Menelly Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Well, who knows. I agree with a cat problem or who knows, the brick in the dirt, termites in the wall keeping it wet with their mud. Maybe Jerry was over there checking those walls and spilled his bear when bending over.


  9. #9
    Stephen Meyer's Avatar
    Stephen Meyer Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    I vote for Jerry on this one. My cat is not that good of a shot.


  10. #10
    Darrel Hood's Avatar
    Darrel Hood Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    The brick going all the way to the dirt may be a problem. In addition to all the other ideas, it may be from too much water during carpet cleaning and/or cheap baseboard material.

    Darrel Hood
    DILIGENT PROPERTY SERVICES


  11. #11
    gary eagleton's Avatar
    gary eagleton Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Hello
    I would check the windows closely.With HUD costruction I have seen windows that fail and the first point of entry is at the floor line.
    Does the weather come to that side of the home?
    One question if the brick went down to the slab was it vented properly?


  12. #12
    Andrew Christel's Avatar
    Andrew Christel Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Take a closer look at the brick wall did you see any cracks that would let in possibly rain water.


  13. #13
    James Skinner's Avatar
    James Skinner Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Jerry is probably on the right track, I saw something like this a few years ago on a new house. No weep holes in the brick. I also heard of an instance where the thru wall flashing was installed too high in the brick, causing similiar but much more extensive damage. Good luck on this one.


  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Georgetown, KY
    Posts
    538

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    I'd bet on the leaky wndows too! Cat's don't just pee under windows.

    Remember that the water won't penetrate through the drywall if there's any easier course, i.e., down to the bottom where it will show up.

    I wonder what damage has occurred inside the walls?

    Erby Crofutt, Georgetown, KY - Read my Blog here: Erby the Central Kentucky Home Inspector B4 U Close Home Inspections www.b4uclose.com www.kentuckyradon.com
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  15. #15
    David DelVecchio's Avatar
    David DelVecchio Guest

    Default Re: 6 year old HUD Home on a slab

    Brick veneer is a rain screen not a water-proof barrier. Improperly designed or constructed, it would allow water into the building. Weep holes below grade? No or inadequate air space? Cavity filled with mortar droppings? Improper flashing allowing water to tranlsate across the brick ties? No flashing above window heads or at sills? Could be lots of things.


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