This project started as a simple siding redesign project. The house was 7 years old at time of project. Owner was interested in creating a new exterior look with a mixed stone and fiber cement design to match the look of other high end homes in a prestigious neighborhood in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The 7 year old house was designed and built by a well marketed ‘premiere’ builder of high-end homes in Southeastern Wisconsin. Home owner called to get an estimate for siding redesign and decided to move ahead promptly with the project. Only known problems were a recent incursion of ants into the lower back room of house that seemed to reappear after pest treatments.
Within a few minutes of the demolition phase it was evident there was Major construction defect problems with the siding and walls. It was discovered that during original construction the windows and doors designed to be flush mounted to the siding were not properly flashed. Additionally, low grade materials were used behind the siding and several short-cuts were taken during the original installation process.
As you can see from the pictures, there was major damage. It was determined that the plastic sheathing ( internal vapor barrier ) prevented any of the moisture infiltration and damages from being evident inside the house. The walls and insulation were filling up with and absorbing all the moisture over the years. This resulted in structural damage to the framing and complete deterioration of the insulation and exterior wall sheathing. There was substantial mold, mildew, and ant infestation in the wall cavities.
To remedy the problems, a total wall rebuild had to take place on the entire outside area of the house. Walls had to be taken apart and rebuilt and insulated from the outside one wall at time. In this process, it was discovered several other corners were cut and products miss-specified resulting in additional damages and premature failure of the roofing materials as well. All in all, the damages resulting from poor workmanship and product miss-specification lead to an additional $ 80,000 in replacement costs to replace damaged areas and replace components of home that failed prematurely.
