Most of the blogs I write for the Absolute Painting website are about how to be a proactive homeowner so you can save money on costly home repairs. The story I am going to tell today was a problem I had with my home years ago that I did not address quick enough and cost me $20,000.
Working in the painting and construction business for 20 years I see a lot of homeowners that refuse to address problems until they absolutely are forced to do it. Many times it is when they go to sell the home and the inspection report comes back. Water damage can come from many areas in our homes and can cost so much money to fix. In some cases your homeowners insurance will help you pay for the repairs but in most cases you will find out that it is your responsibility.
My problem started about 14 years ago when I was a relatively new homeowner with very little extra money to spend on my home. I was doing dishes one day in my 15 year old dishwasher and noticed some water underneath my dishwasher. I did not think too much about it and just assumed the door was not closed all the way. A couple days later I noticed it again and just thought I will just wipe it up each time I see it. I just kept using the dishwasher and the same thing kept happening each day.
This went on for about 3 months before I decided it was time to replace my old dishwasher. When we pulled the old dishwasher out we realized the floor underneath was rotting away including under my cabinets. I had my buddy come over who was a contractor at the time and he said you have a huge problem. He said you need to rip all of your cabinets out and replace the sub-flooring which meant I needed new flooring, cabinets, counters or basically a brand new kitchen. I spoke to my insurance company and they said that they only cover damage if it is a sudden water leak but not anything that was a slow leak over time which this obviously was.
About a month after this happened to me my parents had the same issue with a refrigerator hose that was leaking and caused them to do the same thing including replacing flooring in kitchen and living room. This is a very common and serious problem that most homeowners will need to deal with at some point and it can come from many different sources. I will discuss some other common sources of water damage in upcoming blogs but for now keep your eyes open and do not ignore any strange water you may see in your home. It is much like ignoring your check engine light in your car. If it comes on it is your job to figure out why and if you do not it can leave you stranded on the side of the road.
If you have any questions about water issues please call Absolute Painting & Power Washing and we are happy to assist any way we can.
