As long as we're on the
subject, let's take note of the missing wall insulation behind the
freezing pipe bathroom. It was discovered when Syncon
Homes was searching for the end of a hot water recirculation
line. The line existed at the water heater, but the pump burned out
because there was no water in the line.
During their search for the other end of the
recirculation line, they opened up the exterior walls behind a bathroom (see
their newly caused defect at the end of this section). Once it was opened, the contractors were unable to find the end of
the recirculation line, but they noticed that no insulation was in the
part of the wall they opened.
The insulation contractor was called and he
stuffed some in the opening. The problem is that the opening was
only about 2' - 3' tall, and the wall is at least 10' tall. He used
a 3' stick to shove insulation into the opening. It sounds to
me like insulation is still missing in the wall.
BTW, all of this happened before the previously
discussed pipe
freezing season began. We used to think the freezing shower pipe was
just an insulation problem, perhaps compounded by an issue of the pipes
being too close to the outside edge of the foundation (found when looking
for the recirculation line). However, the foundation v. framing v.
EIFS siding construction defect has brought a new perspective.
At the time the pipes began to freeze, we were
unaware of the siding foundation/framing/siding construction defect.
We were unaware of the air infiltration issue around the house. We
were unaware of a big gap under the siding, with the sill plate being
exposed to the elements, until it was discovered at a later date. We
have now learned otherwise and have noted that one of the more severe
areas for this defect lies right where the shower pipe
freezes.
Hummmm, I wonder if this is a reason that Syncon
Homes hasn't fixed the freezing pipe problem. Perhaps it's a bigger
issue than just shoving some insulation into a void with a stick. I
wonder if they came to that realization after they took a digital photo of
the area, showing where where a big gap exists under the freezing pipe
area, long before I became aware of the newly discovered construction
defect. Hummmmmm, I wonder . . .
Syncon's work causes
a New Defect
Then, we discovered that Syncon's work caused a
new defect. Again, Syncon failed to follow the instructions of their
siding manufacturer when they repaired the siding in the locations where
they had cut access holes. These locations vary from a foot or so
wide to around five feet in width. All are about three feet tall.
When Syncon replaced the foam board on the walls,
they butted it up against the adjoining pieces. Then, they applied
the remainder of the siding system over it, including the stucco.
The problem is that Omega Products requires that, "a square-edge foam
plastic board . . . is permitted except
when installed . . . over wood based sheathing . . . , which requires .
. . boards with tongue-and-groove edges."
We have "wood based sheathing" as the
shear panel on the walls. It requires tongue-and-groove foam
boards. It is not optional yet Syncon
Homes ignored the requirement. Here's a diagram from the report
that shows the required foam board:
The
manufacturer's statement can be found on page
2 of the evaluation report, with this diagram included on page
8. The applicable code violation can be found at the bottom of the
Omega Siding page
on our site.
What really amazes us is that Syncon
knew they were supposed to use the tongue and groove foam board
insulation. They have a stack of it sitting in a vacant lot in our
neighborhood. It's in a pile of material left over from the
construction of the homes. Here's a couple pictures showing the
label and the groove:
All they had to do was walk down the street and
pick up a couple of the boards to make the right repair. Did they do
that? No, they didn't. Can they say they didn't know they were
supposed to use tongue and groove foam boards? No, they can't.
They can't admit to ignorance because they had stocked and installed them
during the construction of the homes.
We find such an unworkmanship-like
approach to their duties, and the creation of another code violation, as completely
unacceptable. How can they be so incompetent with such a simple
thing? It's no wonder that there's all kinds of other defects and
code violations.
All we can say is that Syncon attempted to fix one
thing, unsuccessfully we will add, and then we end up with another defect
because of their work. It's resulting in long cracks opening up in
the stucco siding exactly where they had cut into it and failed to use the
required tongue-and-groove material. These siding cracks will
allow water intrusion and cause premature deterioration of the wall.
Here's what they look like:
Where does the saga end? We certainly don't
know. It just brings into question the ability of Syncon
Homes to repair any defects with the house.
