Expert: Bruce E. Johnson - 1/6/2011

Question
I am under agreement on a model home that is 7 years old.  Other homebuyers got 10 year warranties but I will only get the remaining 2.5 years.
Upon inspection, we noticed some vertical bulging of the exterior siding in the rear of the house.  My home inspector did not think it was much.  He said it was a 2 on a 1-10 scale for a problem but about an 8 to fix.
We asked for a correction and were told "the bowing is right under the PWC10-year limited warranty.  That is, it meets the warranty's limits for satisfactory construction."  The builder then said we risked real problems of cracking if repair was done in the winter.
How important do you think it is to correct this - it is cosmetic at minimum and could affect salability down the road.  Am I unreasonable to ask for money held in escrow and a spring repair?

Just curious
Thanks
Susan

Answer
Hi Susan, I guess it really boils down to a couple of things.  What are you calling a bulge?  What is causing the bulge?  and most importantly: Is it something you can live with?  Just off the top of my head a vertical bulge in an outside wall indicates a possible plumbing vent stack that is too big to fit inside the wall so the builder just built around it without compensating for the thickness of the pipe.  I see this often in wood framed houses with 2x4 exterior walls and the architect specifies a 4" vent stack which won't fit in a stud wall.  Or the plumbing contractor did'nt rough in the pipe in the right location and it wasn't offset back into the wall properly.  Another possible cause would be a bowed stud.  Fixing a bowed stud can be done relatively easy.  It involves a little drywall repair inside but the stud is cut, pushed in to align with the rest of the wall and then a cleat is nailed and/or screwed onto the side  of the cut stud to repair it.  

It probably isnt' a major structural abnormality but I can't rule that out completely without seeing the problem first hand.  If there are other signs of structural problems such as doors that won't open or close properly, windows out of whack, drywall cracks on the interior walls, that type of thing, then this bow in the wall may very well be a symptom of a more severe problem.  If there is a question, having a professional engineer look at it may cost a few hundred dollars but it may pay off in the long run.  If your home inspector isn't too worried about it then it might not be anything.  They are licensed and mostly dependable.

A slight wave in the wall, especially if it is Hardiboard lap siding or other forms of flexible lap siding, will stand out more.  You can shim the siding here and there to take out the bulge or help eliminate the impression that a bulge exists so that cosmetically it will be less noticeable.  Ultimately the decision is yours. If you love the place and want to go through with the purchase you may  get the seller to allow a certain amount of money to remain in escrow to make necessary repairs. This repair would be be less than 500 dollars if it is simply a cosmetic non structural problem.  

I hope this information helps. please feel free to write again regarding this or other matters, sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohhnsonconsulting.com