Hello!
It looks like the builders never installed J-channels around the windows, and we’ve noticed some water coming into the house through the window frame during heavy rain and wind. The internet tells me it’s possible to slide some J-channel under the existing siding but I can only find videos on doing it before the siding goes on.
Any help would be appreciated :)
Edit 1: this only happened one during a very intense rain, not all the time.
Edit: Figured I’d update in case it can help anyone. I got in touch with someone to come take a look, and it turns out these windows have built-in J-channels so that wasn’t the issue at all.
The problem was where the house wrap actually went behind the window, making that J-channel useless basically. While it was still taped across, that’s really the only place water could have come in so there must have been a gap in the seal. So he sliced the wrap, inserted another barrier under it and layered it so that water could never get behind it again.
Also confirmed no water damage/stains around the windows so it’s likely all the water that came in was caught inside by our towels.
Wow, is this to say insurance might pay for it to be installed? It’s about 5 years old but we’ve owned it for 3-4, so it’s fairly new but we’ve been sitting on this issue for a while. Thanks for your help either way!
I used to be an insurance adjuster. Coverage for this is questionable and the damages would likely be under your deductible. This is a workmanship issue, so the J channel itself isn’t covered. The (hopefully minimal) ensuing water damage would likely be covered, though. My main concern is water inside the wall saturating insulation and creating a mold issue.
If there was significant water inside the wall, the amount of covered damage could escalate to the point that it would be worth putting in a claim. Just know that coverage isn’t as straightforward as the previous comment made it sound.
Thanks so much for the extra info… sounds like I’m on the hook for getting it added but that’s what I expected anyways :)
Do not suggest or admit that you’ve been sitting on the problem! Say you just noticed it after a heavy rain.
Many policies have clauses that if you notice an issue and don’t deal with it immediately, insurance won’t cover any damages. Don’t ask me why; I only know this from experience.
I love my insurance. When we had an issue, and I was talking to our agent, I mentioned we’d noticed it and it had been going on for a while. She said, very carefully, “are you saying that you first noticed this issue X weeks ago?” I didn’t pick up on the hint and confirmed I’d first noticed water a while back but thought it was something else. She then told me that any damage resulting from an issue that the policy holder was aware of, but let go, was no longer covered. She had tried to give me an out; my bad for not catching it.
Your insurance policy will be totally different from mine, and I’d never suggest you lie or do anything that might be construed as insurance fraud. But I would recommend that you think very carefully about what information you volunteer and how you word it.
Haha thanks for the suggestion! I’ll be sure not to overshare :)
Never sit on water issues, water will do more damage to a house than just about anything short of a fire. I would assume if your house was on fire you would call someone… take water just as seriously.
The longer water issues go the more work and the more cost. If the house is only 5 years old, it should have been covered under the builders warranty as soon as it was noticed.
Yeah, from the other comments here, I’m starting to see the severity of the issue. This was a custom build and not a big developer, but I might be able to track down the window installers. Thanks for your help!