Leaky Windows/Flashing - Ryland

Howdy,

I'm on Frame Sq. - Ryland-built townhouses circa ~1996 (we bought in 2002).

We're having some serious issues with windows leaking. We have about 7 sets of windows that are leaking from the top.... some leak down onto the baseboards inside the wall and warp the baseboards...

These house are pretty shoddily built. Here are the layers from the outside:

Vinyl Siding
~3/16" Paperboard
Insulation
Drywall
You.

No house wrap/vapor barriers or plywood/osb/etc. were used.

Wondering if anyone else in this section (or others) has had issues with leaking and if they have found good solutions...? I'm pretty sure it's not the windows themselves, but the way they were installed.

Thanks alot!

 

I have the same problem with a '96 Van Metre SFD... Water dripping down from the top of the window on the inside onto the sill in my family room. Fifty cent windows. I'll have to caulk the bejeebers out of the top of the window behind the vinyl "frame" on the outside and see what happens. Given water will find the path of least resistance it might be hard to find the exact penetration point.

 

I'm not a builder and I couldn't play one on TV but this was a problem that I was forwarned about as my home was being built. All the windows I've seen installed on new homes have installation instructions stuck on them. The windows on my home, Patriot, require that the window fin (the plastic trim around the window unit) be nailed "through every other pre-punched hole on the nailing fin. Nails must penetrate the stud at least 1" (adjust nail sizes as neede)."

Many builders staple the fins or as in my case, don't use a nail every other fin hole. I had mine corrected before the siding and window trim went up. Other homes by the same builder, Ryland, in my neighborhood had theirs stapled. Unless those were 1" staples, in every other hole, they were not installed properly.

The other key to the windows installation is to: "Apply felt, 4" Tyvek Tape or equivalent to the jambs of the window starting 6" above the head. Run a continous strip of felt/tape along the jamb. The felt/tape must cover the nailing fin, extend 6" below the sill and overlap the paper at the sill. Run a piece of felt/tape across the head, covering the nailing fin, and overlap the felt on the jambs at least 6" on each side." After they renailed the fins on my windows, I had them reapplied the tape.

Maybe if you can prove that the builder didn't install your windows properly and you get the window manufacturer to concur, you can make enough "noise" to get the builder to correct the problem. It's worth a try anyway.

 

Thanks for the info GCyr

Does anyone else that lives on Frame Sq./Center Post know what kind of warranty Ryland offered on the townhomes? I didn't get any info when we bought in 2002. I'm seriously POed and want to go after someone for their shoddy workmanship.

 

Our Washington built home had a window that leaked. After doing a bit of caulking immediatley around the window to no avail, I ended up taking off the vinyl siding around the window and up to the joint between the first and second floors. The entire joint between the two floors was not properly sheethed. The sheething (plastic covered cardboard) should overlap one on top of the other like a shingle. In my case there was a gap the length of the house between the sheething for the first and secon floors. A few tubes of caulk and a lot of high quality (metal type) duct tape is what it took. No leaks now in two years.

Unfortunately, I doubt there is much to be done with regards to warranty work of this type on a 1996 built house. Ours came with a 10(?) year warranty that covered major structural issues. The most frustrating thing for me was why the original owner did not follow up with the builder during the first year that the warranty was in force.

-Jim

 

We had the same issue as Jim with our Washington Homes-built home. We're also not the original owner. The problem was the pieces covering the house underneath the siding (sorry -- I don't know the technical terms) having a gap or in one case having a hole. I contacted the builder and they did not consider it under warranty. Since there's a $500 deductible (I think) and it didn't cost that to fix it, I didn't push it. But, I was mad.

--Joy