The Manufactured Housing Forums

Dear House Expert,
My house is being built in Riverview, Florida. Its a 2 storey, with wood 2nd floor.
For the entire month of July, 5/8 OSB covering the roof and side walls have been drenched with heavy rains almost every day(10+ inches of rain). Without time for drying out.
Mold and mildew have formed on the walls and roof. The builder did some detergent cleaning, but the OSB is warped and swollen in several areas. He said that once the moisture is removed, it will be OK.
I believe that with the swelling the OSB has lost its integrity and will not support vinyl siding or shingles on the roof
Shingles have been put on the roof without completely drying. The walls are still exposed and being rained upon.
When the builder leaves after 1 yr warranty, I'll be stuck with mold and OSB deterioration. The OSB is getting dark and appears to be rotting.

What do you recommend as a solution?
Thanks a Million
Sylvan

Your builder should have had felt on the roof the same day he put the OSB up.Housewrap would have helped on the sheathing also.If its bubbling up and warped the damaged sheets should be replaced.,washing the rest before its covered will remove the mold.Its your responablity to pressure your builder to fix the damage,holding back a draw has amazing results.

Hi Bill,
Thanks, I do appreciate your suggestion.I do it
Thanks again,
Sylvan

If the volume of water you described has been permitted past where the waterproofing should have been and into what is supposed to be the dry components of the structure, the odds are great that you will have continuing problems.


Stand up now.... or there is a very good chance you will pay later. Water running inside a home creates all types of problems that could come back to haunt you over and over. I would have to tell the builder that I was not interested in purchasing a home that they had neglected to protect from the rain while they were building it. Regardless of the warranty options offered. If this builder is neglecting to take proper care of your home at this stage, do you really think they will protect your interest or care anymore about that home once they have been paid in full?


It is no fault of yours if they have not followed standard building practices. Give them the choice of building you a home that has been handled correctly or demand back any money you put down and take your business to another builder.

Stick built homes are open to the weather in construction process for months on end...Good reason not to buy one..

Usually, 'drying in', as it is called in the industry, is on the top of the list of things to do, that means getting the structure covered and enclosed as quickly as possible.

If it rained after the OSB was put up, your builder made the right choice in NOT covering it with felt, but rather giving it a chance to dry out.

Clearly, any pieces that have warped or bowed would need to be replaced, but again, until it can dry out, it shouldn't be covered. Mold however does not grow in sunlight, so I will assume that the mold you are thinking of is growing on the inside of the roof. Treatment with a mold inhibitor is on call for that.

Darkening of the exposed wood is perfectly normal and has no effect on it's load bearing ability. Sunlight makes just about everything change colors eventually.