Coastal Hardwood Flooring

Dear Ellis Gutshall,
I apologize for the inconvenience of the cupping floors in your house. It is out of my hands, however, what happens to the floors when I am not there. In an email I sent to you on March 5, 2015 I mentioned that the thermostat should be set to the "AUTO" position. This is the same time the job was complete and the floors were flat. Upon entry to the house at the beginning of the job Feb. 25th, 2015, moisture readings of the subfloor were from 12-13% and my flooring was at 9% which is within normal parameters for installation. We dilivered the flooring 02/25/2015 and began tearing out carpet. 02/26/2015 cleaned subfloor rolled out underlayment paper and began laying out the oak flooring. 02/27/2105 completed racking out the flooring which is where it sat over the weekend...loose, NOT nailed. On Monday 03/02/2015 we began nailing the flooring in place and finished nailing the next day and started sanding and staining as well on 03/04/2015. Finishing was complete 03/05/2015 and furniture back in place (No rugs) the next morning. When I sent the final invoice by email I wrote, "Please keep your thermostat between 64 and 74 degrees and set to "AUTO" for the first 6 to 8 months. This trains the floors move the same as the rest of the house due to changes in moisture and temperature." (The thermostat was set in the "ON" position when we arrived).
I heard nothing else until I received an email 7 months later saying:
........
Randy,

The hardwood floors you installed at our home at X XXXXXXX XXXXX on Bald
Head Island are buckling and we need to have you review their status to
see what is going on and how to address it."
........

So I did and found a water leak in the wall, standing water in the elevator shaft...not properly weather stripped from the rest of the house and the thermostat set once again in the "ON" position.
I sent this email on OCT. 13, 2015:
..............
Hi Ellis,

You seem to have a leak in a wall which you can see in this picture. This is in the back downstairs bedroom. Your elevator shaft is flooded. The thermostat upstairs is set to "ON" instead of "AUTO." Downstairs Thermostat is set at 78 degrees and on "AUTO."

IMG_20151013_095151631.jpg
With so much rain lately it's a wonder every floor on BHI isn't cupped...and some are ... even floors that have been there for years. First off, there is water coming in a wall somewhere and as it does it slowly seeps under the flooring making the bottom of the flooring swell which in turn pushes up the upper edge of the surface you can see. A slow leak can come in and spread over time throughout a large area. You won't notice until the underneath moisture content equalizes and then there is no place to go but up. When carpet was on the sub-floor there was more air flow over the surface so moisture had a way to escape. This is why the moisture readings were where they should be when we measured them before installation...but when the flooring was installed and finished the air flow was cut out leaving any new moisture no where to go except into the flooring.

A few things to do. Caulk and re-caulk any possible exterior cracks. Set the thermostat to 72 degrees and on "AUTO." year round for a year. If you leave it on "ON" it is constantly pulling in moisture from outside when the AC compressor kicks off and at 78 degrees it is holding moisture in the air. Leave any ceiling fans you have on..on the lowest setting. This keeps the air moving.

I know the cupping began before the last deluge of rain but the elevator shaft needs to be drained, too.

If these things are fixed there is a good chance the cupping will go down if not away at the end of winter after the dry heat is used as it gets cold outside.
I'd like to check it again in a month or two.
Thanks,
Andy
.................
This was my last correspondence. I have received no more calls or emails. It is unfortunate that the floors have cupped but how am I supposed to regulate your house as I do not live there. I am happy to discuss options on fixing the floor but I feel it was a cheap shot to give such a scathing review when this is clearly not my doing.