Absolutely strip it down; this is a problem with the window installation. Water damage is a failure from the inside out, you need to screw up every layer of protection, not just the outer one. There should be an envelope that's sealed around that window with housewrap, blueskin and caulking, then metal flashings that direct any water down the outside of that envelope, then proper siding installation to keep most of the water from touching the flashings.
this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2024
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Yowza... I always assumed it was just the missing j-channel but not that the entire windows were installed incorrectly. Guess we've got some work ahead of us ๐
Old house? 'Cause if it's not, tell your insurance and you'll have that fixed in a jiffy.
Depending on your insurance, it may not even need to be a newly built house. But your insurance will have a field day with a new build.
Wow, is this to say insurance might pay for it to be installed? It's about 5 years old but we've owned it for 3-4, so it's fairly new but we've been sitting on this issue for a while. Thanks for your help either way!
I used to be an insurance adjuster. Coverage for this is questionable and the damages would likely be under your deductible. This is a workmanship issue, so the J channel itself isn't covered. The (hopefully minimal) ensuing water damage would likely be covered, though. My main concern is water inside the wall saturating insulation and creating a mold issue.
If there was significant water inside the wall, the amount of covered damage could escalate to the point that it would be worth putting in a claim. Just know that coverage isn't as straightforward as the previous comment made it sound.
Thanks so much for the extra info... sounds like I'm on the hook for getting it added but that's what I expected anyways :)
Do not suggest or admit that you've been sitting on the problem! Say you just noticed it after a heavy rain.
Many policies have clauses that if you notice an issue and don't deal with it immediately, insurance won't cover any damages. Don't ask me why; I only know this from experience.
I love my insurance. When we had an issue, and I was talking to our agent, I mentioned we'd noticed it and it had been going on for a while. She said, very carefully, "are you saying that you first noticed this issue X weeks ago?" I didn't pick up on the hint and confirmed I'd first noticed water a while back but thought it was something else. She then told me that any damage resulting from an issue that the policy holder was aware of, but let go, was no longer covered. She had tried to give me an out; my bad for not catching it.
Your insurance policy will be totally different from mine, and I'd never suggest you lie or do anything that might be construed as insurance fraud. But I would recommend that you think very carefully about what information you volunteer and how you word it.
Haha thanks for the suggestion! I'll be sure not to overshare :)
Never sit on water issues, water will do more damage to a house than just about anything short of a fire. I would assume if your house was on fire you would call someone.... take water just as seriously.
The longer water issues go the more work and the more cost. If the house is only 5 years old, it should have been covered under the builders warranty as soon as it was noticed.
Yeah, from the other comments here, I'm starting to see the severity of the issue. This was a custom build and not a big developer, but I might be able to track down the window installers. Thanks for your help!
If you're getting water inside, Jchannel is probably the least of your concerns. Something isn't sealed correctly. Unfortunately, if you have water getting in, you have water in your wall. Even if you seal the window, you could end up with a mold issue.
If it was me, I'd pull the window, ensure all flashing and housewrap is in place, the reseat the window in a thick bead of silicone. Assuming the window is still in good shape. Otherwise, a new window is needed. Once the window is in place, trim, jchannel, and siding would be put back.
Once the window is properly installed, I'd focus on the inside. Pull the trim and drywall around the window, letting it air out for a day then coat the inside sheeting with mold killing primer. New insulation would be added before new drywall is put in. Then mud, sand, paint, and reinstall the trim.
It's a decent amount of work, but not insurmountable. My concern is, if it was installed incorrectly, chances are, your other windows were too. I'm not trying to be doom and gloom here, just trying to forewarn you. It's something to keep an eye on.
All of this is assuming the problem isn't something like a window left open or something like that.
Thank you so much for all the info! Scarier than I thought, I'll admit, but better to find out now than in 10 years.