Rot under vinyl panic

5 years ago

Hi all, many of you responded helpfully in January to a post about replacement windows in our brick facade. We're still working on that. In the meantime we decided to have a slider in the back replaced...when that was installed a week or so ago, the installer found a lot of water damage...the flashing was junk and falling apart, I guess. He suggested we investigate around other doors and windows. We both had the day off today, so grabbed a zip tool and went to have a look. There are several areas with significant damage. One spot the plywood is just about gone. Other areas where it's just soft, or was damp from rain this morning. We couldn't get up to the second story to investigate. We have a roofing and siding company we've worked with before coming to take a look next week, but any advice would be welcome. Will we need to replace doors and windows when these repairs happen, or just the wood and siding/ flashing? Is there any danger that water is getting under the brick facade on the front of the house? What else should we do and know? Insurance will probably not cover this, and GCs aren't even returning phone calls they'reso busy, so I would just love to gather all the information I can. House is 25 years old, we've owned it for 5. Brick front facade, vinyl siding and windows.

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Comments (5)

millworkman
5 years ago
You will need to pull the windows and siding (unzipped "should" work), and if debating replacing the windows now would the time. No sense reinstalling windows that are in need of replacement. That's good money after bad realistically. Photos may help us help you.
ci_lantro
5 years ago
Hopefully the patio doors are on the side of the house that you have started unzipping and all, so far, are on the weather side of the house. If so, you will already have uncovered the worst of the damage (hopefully, again).

Agree with millworkman about replacing windows as the repairs are done.
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G W
Original Author
5 years ago
I will try to get some pictures today. And no, unfortunately, have found damage on west and south side. North side is both brick and vinyl, and the vinyl was replaced there after a wind storm three years ago, with no damage visible. East face is almost all brick with just a little vinyl, on second floor, so hoping everything is okay there.
toxcrusadr
5 years ago
Vinyl Panic sounds like a great name for a band.
G W
Original Author
5 years ago
That is a great name for a band....this situation is still a work in progress, so it's nice to have something to laugh at. I would post pictures as requested, but I haven't had my phone with me when we've unzipped the siding, and I hesitate to unzip more than necessary. Afraid the whole side of the house will just fall off if we put too much stress on it.
You know the frustrating part? We've been here five years. We never really loved the house, so we've saved our pennies for either a down payment for something we like more or to try to make this house what we want it to be. For more then four years, we couldn't decide which. A year ago we finally decided to really commit, so we did one big necessary project, the roof, and one big fun project, the master bath. Both were a bit under budget- shocker, so we started looking at working on the windows. Did the slider, and kaboom! The bathroom and roof now look like lipstick on a pig and a waste of money.
I guess if I'm staring in my own version of a Tom Hanks movie, The Money Pit is better than Saving Private Ryan or Castaway, but that's small comfort.