Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 11/2/2008

Question
we had an addition put on our house. the contractor left before the job was finished. all inside was completed and most of exterior except for the soffit. a winter storm came with blowing snow (2 days of this). I noticed beads of water all the way along the ceiling along the wall with the unfinished soffit. obviously snow had blown up under the eve and sat on the insulation until it melted and soaked thru the drywall and paint, wasn't dripping just beads of water. I wiped it all down and put fans to it. this eve has been uncovered for almost a year because we've sued the contractor for money to finish to no avail (he was paid in full and quit the job) and can't afford to get another loan to finish it. so this problem may have happened before and went un-noticed. now i have covered the soffit with plastic but am concerned about the drywall in the ceiling (mold, rot, etc.) any advice or help would be appreciated on the drywall or getting money back out of the s.o.b. contractor that took the money and ran. thank you.

Answer
Hi Biff, if the water was casual and you have gotten the area dried out, most drywall materials will hold up okay.  You may need to put a coat of KILLZ primer over the spot before painting it to keep any water spots from bleeding through the paint.  If the drywall is crumbly or soft it may need to be replaced.  Wait until it is dried completely before poking at it though.  The best way to check for mold is to physically get up there and look through the soffit when you get a chance and see if there are any areas that are black or moldy.  If so then some of the drywall may need to be replaced.  As far as the builder goes.  I always caution people to only give a contractor draws during construction up to 50% of the cost of the project and keep the rest to dangle as a carrot to encourage the builder to finish the job.  Otherwise you may find yourself stuck without the money or the builder.  Sorry.  You may try contacting local or state building licensing entities and see if this guy has a license and if so file a formal complaint to see if you can get some satisfaction.  A lot of states also require that a builder or contractor be bonded and liens can be filed against those bonds.  I hope this information helps feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com