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Sealingwax
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 21
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 Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 7:12 pm Post subject: Puddles on floor in new construction |
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I am having a house built. The roof is framed but not paneled. It rained last week, and I saw that there are puddles on the floor. I have two concerns:
1. Will the wood warp because of the puddles?
2. Is it a sign of shoddy work that the puddles formed in the first place? Should I ask the builder to put in a sub-floor?
Thanks. |
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SDR
millennium club
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 1662
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Puddles: how big, how distributed, relative to joist spacing and panel size? |
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Sealingwax
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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Puddles are BIG! They are mostly in the middles of the rooms, evenly distributed around the whole house, and I *believe* that they weren't close to the joists.
I'll have to go back tomorrow and check. Then again, by tomorrow they'll probably be dried up.
Sigh. |
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SDR
millennium club
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 1662
Location: San Francisco
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 9:59 pm Post subject: |
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I hope you'll get additional advice, here or elsewhere. My questions were aimed at determining the levelness of thr rough floors. Buildings routinely get wet while under construction. Correct drying procedure and timing should be verified.
SDR |
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fairie
Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 34
Location: Warner Robins, Georgia
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 10:25 pm Post subject: Doesn't sound good... |
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I'm not a carpenter by any means, but I don't think that sounds good. Water does warp wood, yes... I don't know how long the water can sit there before it does, though. I would speak with the builder. If the floor is caving in the middle in each room enough for a huge puddle to form there, then there is obviously a flatness and level-ness issue. I would say we need some 2X4 reinforcements under the plywood or something, but that is my novice opinion.
Either way, I agree with SDR that you need a more professional opinion. It sounds BAD... Hope I am not sounding to horribly negative...
Melissa |
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Sealingwax
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2005 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks everyone. I went back there today, and found that most of hte puddles were dried. There is, however, a stain on the plywood where the water sat. Let's hear what the builder will say. |
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cast
Joined: 15 Dec 2004
Posts: 9
Location: seattle
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| Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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Floors should be flat--i.e. rain water is not going to drain off them. So puddles will naturally occur during framing. It is not a significant issue.
As the house gets dryed in, the wood is going to dry out, and you will be just fine. If you are really freaked out about it, sweep the water off the floor. [/i] |
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svenglezz-ASMEIL
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
Posts: 32
Location: Toronto
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 9:29 pm Post subject: Would not worry |
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got'a agree with the post above me....don't sweat it man 
Remember that the wood is down and in place so should not be a problem.
But the simple solution as noted above....sweep away man if that worried.
Svenglezz
http://members.rogers.com/cad-design/
_________________
ASMEIL Drawings and M&E Designs |
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Sealingwax
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:19 pm Post subject: Thanks again. |
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| Thanks again. You are echoing what the builder told me, but I feel better hearing it here from you guys than from him! |
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JWmHarmon
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 110
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 2:32 pm Post subject: Some water is expected in new construction |
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On one project I helped build we had the walls built for a 1-1/2 storey house. We had the roof framing completed and were ready to sheath it the next day. Unfortunately we had severe thunderstorms (the worst in fifty years) that night and the roof framing was blown over. We salvaged what we could of the rafters and replaced what was damaged beyond re-use. Needless to say the floors got wet. We swept the thin layer of water off of the floors.
There was no appreciable damage to the floor, but the water levels did show where the high spots and low spots were located. The depth of the water was not more that a eigth of an inch in most places. We considered this close enough. We had built with 2X10 floor joists. These are never perfectly straight. It is a common practice to check for the crowning effect where the very slight bow in the boards is placed towards the upper edge when installed. The theory behind this is that the floor will eventually sag a small fraction of an inch. With the bowed edge up, the slight sag will make the floor closer to level. We had some places where the floor bowed up an eighth of an inch and other places where it sagged a sixteenth of an inch. This showed up in the accumulated water.
The water marks were visible after it had dried out, but with the floor covering it doesn't make any difference. There was no lasting damage to the oriented strand board subflooring.
It is best to keep the construction site as dry as possible, but that is not always an option. Unless there is continued neglect over a period of days or weeks, this temporary water is not a problem.
The house mentioned above shows no ill effects of getting wet. It has performed satisfactorily since it was built five years ago. |
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Sealingwax
Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2005 10:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you for your added reassurance. |
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