Flooding in front hall and basement

"The rain is so loud, it's like it's inside the house," I remarked. I can even feel the raindr--$&@!!!"

So yes, we've got water pouring through the light fixture in the front hall (which has only roof above it)...and then in the same spot one story down, where it seems to be running along (dripping off) the pipes for the central air. Who do we even call for this? What a mess

Start with your homeowner's insurance company ...

Oh no :-( So sorry to hear!!

Assuming your question refers to who you should call after consulting with your home owner's insurance adjuster, I would start with a roofer and depending on damage follow up with other skilled trades as needed once the leak is found and stopped.

Make sure you turn the Ellectric off in that area, water and Ellectric dont play well together. The breaker box is you safest bet. It should be labeled, hit the breaker for the area. Good luck.

Agree with turning off the electric until you know the extent of any damage to the electric wiring. Electric wiring that got excessively wet was the cause of quite a few fires in Sandy hit areas. As a needed precaution many homes so affected were entirely rewired as a result of the water damage.

I would turn off the breaker to that part of the house, take photos, then call a contractor to come put tarp up over the place where the water is getting in through the roof. Then I would start having conversations with my insurance company. Safety first, IMO.

Thanks all. Spoke with our insurance company//filed a claim -- there is a $1K deductible, but at least it's in place. Turned off relevant switches but did not flip breakers as the hall light is shared with some key kitchen stuff. Electrical engineer husband says it's okay for now.

Took photos. Called three roofers -- got one immediate callback and they are coming today. Will keep everyone posted. Great idea to get a tarp on there and then figure it out, @PeggyC.

No new flooding this morning...we've left the buckets but everything seems to be calm for now in spite of ongoing rain.

Good news about the electric. Glad you were able to get things attended to so quickly.

Hah. I was about to suggest the buckets, since it's still raining.

Glad you seem to have it all under control.

My guess is that unless the roof is very old or multiple layers, you might have a flashing issue or gutters where water is backing up under shingles.

I'm guessing the gutter back up is quite probable. And God knows what the roof looks like after this winter.

Maybe the gutter pitch is wrong, too, so water is running toward the area where it came into the house?

So ugh. Broken shingles, rusted out areas, a couple of actual holes. Can't tell when it happened so probably insurance won't pay for the roof repairs, though they would cover damage to the interior.

We'll get the roof tarped asap (looks like Thursday morning, in time for the sun's return) and then compare roof estimates. So far we have talked with Proven -- we liked them a lot -- and will get a couple more.

What a drag. At least it's bound ot be cheaper than the roof of my last house, which was slate. OTOH, that roof never needed replacing!

FYI, as far as I'm concerned, all roof repairs should be performed by Dave DeCastro (and he's frequently recommended by others on MOL). He's so reasonable & reliable and his repairs are excellent:

Dave DeCastro Exterior Home Repairs

Dave DeCastro Exterior Home Repairs is a Bridgewater-based contracting firm offering roofing, slate, gutter and siding services for residential clients. To schedule an appointment, call Dave DeCastro Exterior Home Repairs during regular business hours.

55 Cornell Blvd, Bridgewater, NJ 08807

(908) 725-2642

When we had water damage in the foyer of our house in West Orange, our insurance adjustor told us that they never cover damage to the outside, which horrified me because the stucco needed quite a lot of work, and so did the joists. They did, however, cover the damage on the inside. Weird distinction, if you ask me. Then, of course, they used that as an excuse not to give us a policy on our next house, which caused me to cancel all my other insurance that we had with the same company.

Probably best not to get me started on homeowner's insurance companies and their policies. ;-)

Holy cannoli! How much is a new roof? Is over $10k the norm for a three bedroom house

Thats sounds high, but other factors weigh in, how many roofs or layers shingles to be removed, how much damage to the wood underneath. Pitch of roof, valleys flashing etc. Get a few estimates. thats the only way to know for sure if there in the ballpark.

As I recall, this house is new to you. What was in the home inspection report? This kind of thing doesn't develop overnight, and the inspector could be culpable.

That is definitely on the high side IMO. But don't panic yet. You might still be looking at a repair rather than replacement.

Be careful about using your insurance. It should only be used for really big stuff. They are real bas&&&&s about raising rates and dropping coverage, and every new insurer will ask if you have had any claims in the last few years. If it is an old roof that needs replacing they will only pay for a pro rated portion, if at all.

Over 10 can be normal, depending on the roof, but get a few estimates.

Re inside/outside, I think it's really more about what caused the damage. Outside deterioration of roofs, siding, etc. happens over time and repairs to that are maintenance and not covered by insurance. However, if a tree falls on your house and damages the roof or siding or whatever, then insurance would cover repairing that damage.

If that outside deterioration happens and then there is a flood or similar (like in this thread) that damages the inside, then it is that inside damage that is covered.

Dave DeCastro is here as we speak. So far consensus is tha tinsurance will not cover outside. They may cover inside damage, but it's not worth it to ask them unless something really profound happens (e.g. ceilings falling in). So far the damage is cosmetic and we would fix it ourselves.

Should have a second quote today and from there we will either get a third, or make some decisions. Thank you for the wise guidance -- it is helping a lot!

@mjh I owe you a drink! Dave DeCastro just told me a) we don't need a new roof -- he thinks this one has about 8 years left in it; 2) the repair will be to a portion of the roof, about six feet square; he will get us an estimate but it's nowhere near the $10K number; and 3) meanwhile, he'll get it tarped tonight or in the morning.

SO relieved! Thanks MOL for saving our bacon!

deborahg said:
@mjh I owe you a drink! Dave DeCastro just told me a) we don't need a new roof -- he thinks this one has about 8 years left in it; 2) the repair will be to a portion of the roof, about six feet square; he will get us an estimate but it's nowhere near the $10K number; and 3) meanwhile, he'll get it tarped tonight or in the morning.
SO relieved! Thanks MOL for saving our bacon!

Great news! Dave will do an excellent job for a reasonable price, on time. He should be cloned.

For what it's worth, $10k is a little less than I paid for a new pyramid hip roof on a small three-br house last year, including removal of three old layers, chimney repair and all new plywood, plus a detached garage. So it's ballpark.

I thought the first roofer was honest and scrupulous, if on the high end. Mostly I am relieved that we don't need a new roof just yet. We bought the house about six months ago, at which point the appraisal noted an "older" roof but not past the end of its time. I am glad this is correct.

Of course, I would wrap the house in saran wrap at this point if I could just get the damn dripping to stop!

DeboragG, we had water with the last rain as well. It was pouring through the ceiling of my back family room. We called Raphael from Everest Construction (973) 477-4324. He came highly recommended from two realtors that I work with quite a good deal.

Raphael found tears/punctures in the outer coating of our flat roof. The punctures are "ladder marks" from the last roofers or painters that propped up their ladders for access to the top roof. I'm furious.:/

j_r said:
For what it's worth, $10k is a little less than I paid for a new pyramid hip roof on a small three-br house last year, including removal of three old layers, chimney repair and all new plywood, plus a detached garage. So it's ballpark.

Roof costs vary by how much actual roof is being replaced. Bed/bath count and square footage/size of a home are immaterial. A 6 bedroom/3 story home with less roof would cost less than 3 bedroom/1 story ranch with a larger roof area.

That makes perfect sense. Most ranches have a much bigger spread of roof to cover.

Deborahg, I'm so glad you don't need to replace the whole shebang! I was secretly hoping it would just be a small repair, and that's what it sounds like. Hope all the repairs are smooth and easy. And inexpensive.