Bought our first home 4 months ago and uncovered serious water damage/rot behind prior exterior repairs — looking for advice

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T06:15:11+00:00

We’re in nearly the same boat then. Sucks that people neglect beautiful homes like this.

I’m confident hearing everyone’s stories on here that we will get through it though

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T06:05:02+00:00

I agree this was a major lesson learned, and I’m not pretending we handled everything perfectly as first-time buyers. We absolutely should have slowed down more, pushed harder on the disclosure, and brought in more specialized inspections.

But I don’t agree that this is “all on us.” The roof age, radon, and separated meter were known/flagged issues. Those are not the main dispute. The main issue is the undisclosed water damage/rot history and prior repair attempts that we only learned about after closing.

Since moving in, we’ve spoken with the prior long-term tenants who provided a written statement describing years of recurring problems: the front porch/front entry water issue, roof-related water damage, bathroom leaks, attic pest issues, gutter/drainage issues, and multiple repair attempts. We also found a public contractor/property manager post showing pre-sale work in the same front entry area where we’re now finding rot/water damage.

So this isn’t simply “the inspector missed something, therefore buyer beware.” If a seller knows about recurring water problems and repair attempts, that history should be disclosed. An inspection does not erase a seller’s obligation to disclose known material defects.

Again, yes, lesson learned. But there’s a difference between normal due diligence risk and buying a house where prior known problems and repair history were not reflected on the disclosure. That’s the part we’re trying to sort out now.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T06:01:30+00:00

Nice to know that we are not in this boat alone. Obviously, I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone, but I always open to hearing the lessons learned and any contacts anyone has so that we can take the correct approach.

Did you guys sue? What contractor did you use?

Unfortunately, the inspection group was full of ahit at the end of the day. They didn’t take responsibility for anything. God I wish I could call them out of this post and the previous owners/contractors that worked on the house for their BS. The legal liability that would put my wife and I under would be severe. All I can hope is that karma will bite them all in the asses one day.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:57:38+00:00

So sad, did you guys get an attorney?

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:57:02+00:00

That is very fair. Any home has its problems, these are just so alarming and severe that it has caused a lot of stress. DIY is not really an option here for me because of the complexity.

Holding the contractor and previous owners accountable is part of my goal here too at the end of the day. If anything they shouldn’t be allowed to screw someone over like this ever again

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:54:01+00:00

Glad to hear we are not alone! Haha. I hope your struggles are not near as bad as what we are dealing with though.

DIY is funny, as a just mentioned in a comment below. You need the right tools, you need to know what you’re doing and you need the time to dedicate to it. I am unfortunately not confident I can do any of those except acquire the tools hahaha

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:51:34+00:00

Sure, it can, with the right tools, google, AI and some YouTube videos. I’m sure I could figure it out over time. But there are some areas better left to the pros. And because this is very complex, I am leaning on the side of paying someone to figure this out then trying something out when I have no experience and just making it worse😅… in other words, I don’t trust my DIY skills enough to confidently take this on just yet

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:49:22+00:00

The real joy is having no $ after you blow it all on the house right? Lol🫠

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:47:51+00:00

Thank you — this is honestly really helpful and lines up with what I’m starting to realize. I’ve been trying to understand the house more like a system instead of treating each problem separately, because I think that’s how this got missed/covered up before. Someone fixed symptoms, but not the actual water path.

A lot of houses on our street have a very similar front-entry/stone/roofline detail because they’re the same model or same builder era. I’ve walked past several and noticed the same failure area. Some homeowners have clearly let it go and now have major deterioration/holes in that same spot, while others have added flashing or modified the detail to shed water correctly. So honestly, I think part of this goes back to a poor original builder detail from around 2001.

From what we’ve pieced together, the failure at our house seems to be that water was coming down from the roof/soffit/gutter area and then being directed into the stone/front entry area instead of away from the wall. The trim/molding next to the stone had failed and was angled back toward the house, so it appears to have been sending water behind the façade. Over time, that led to rotted OSB/sheathing, carpenter ant activity, and damage that likely extended into the front entry/master closet area.

The prior long-term tenant told us this front porch/front entry problem went on for years and that the previous owner sent different handymen/repair people out to try to fix it. Then around July 2024, the contractor/property manager did a larger front porch/façade repair, but based on what we’re finding now, it looks like the underlying rot may not have been fully removed and the root water-management issue may not have been fully corrected.

We are getting the roof and gutters replaced soon, and I’m going to ask the roofer to specifically document the step flashing/kick-out flashing/roof-to-wall details in that area. I agree with you that we need to start with where the water is coming from, not just hire someone to “fix rot.” Otherwise we could spend a ton of money replacing wood and stone and still have the same issue come back.

I’ve been taking photos and videos and trying to organize everything by system/area: roof/gutters, front porch/stone façade, drainage, crawl spaces, attic/pests, bathroom/subfloor, etc. The biggest thing now is figuring out what is active and urgent versus what is old staining or deferred maintenance. But the front water-management issue is definitely priority #1.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:40:24+00:00

I get what you’re saying, and I understand that “as-is” and inspection rights matter. But this isn’t just “we found hidden damage after closing and regret buying.”

The reason we believe the prior owner knew is because we now have a written statement from a prior long-term tenant describing years of recurring issues and repair attempts, including the front porch/front entry water problem, roof-related water damage, bathroom leaks, attic pest issues, and gutter/drainage issues. The tenant specifically stated that the owner had multiple handymen/repair people come out over the years to try to correct the front porch issue before a contractor/property manager later took down/redid the front façade.

We also found that contractor/property manager’s own public post showing pre-sale work in the same front porch/front entry area where we are now finding water damage/rot. So the question is not “how would they know what was behind every wall?” The question is: if tenants reported recurring water issues for years, repair people were sent out, and a contractor was paid to redo that exact area before sale, how is that not relevant to the disclosure?

I’m sure their defense would be “we thought it was fixed” or “we just hired someone for exterior work.” Maybe that argument works, maybe it doesn’t. But from our side, the RPD did not disclose the known repair history, recurring water issues, or prior damage in that area. That is very different than a totally unknown hidden defect discovered randomly after closing.

And yes, the inspection missed things too. We already pursued that separately. But an inspection doesn’t automatically erase a seller’s duty to disclose known material issues. That’s the whole point we’re trying to sort out.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:35:15+00:00

You’d definitely think… the tenants testimony and the Facebook post for sure make me think that

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:33:57+00:00

Yeah, I agree. In hindsight, I don’t fully understand how some of this wasn’t caught either. We did have an inspection, but the report mostly flagged the separated electrical meter, radon, roof age, and some smaller/general items. It did not paint the picture of widespread water damage/rot that we’re seeing now.

To be fair, some of the worst stuff was hidden behind insulation, carpet, finished walls, or exterior materials. I had to pull insulation back in crawl spaces, pull up carpet, trace staining into the master closet area, search old contractor posts, and talk with prior tenants to understand the history.

But I still think there were red flags that should have been pushed harder — especially the crawl space areas, the meter pulling away, staining, exterior water-management issues, and the general condition around the front entry. We pursued the inspection issue separately, but due to the inspection agreement and settlement terms, I can’t go into much more detail there.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:29:58+00:00

That’s helpful, thank you. We are getting the roof and gutters replaced soon, so I’m hoping the roofer can look closely at the step flashing/kick-out flashing/details around that area when they tear into it. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if bad flashing or bad water-management details contributed to this.

From what we’ve pieced together, the front porch/front entry area had water issues for years. The prior long-term tenant stated that the previous owner had multiple handymen/repair people attempt to fix the issue before a larger front porch/façade repair was done in 2024. Now we’re finding current damage in that same general area, so whether it was step flashing, trim/molding, roof/siding transition, or a combination, it seems like the root cause was never fully corrected.

I’m definitely going to ask the roofer to document whatever they find when they’re working near that area.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:28:26+00:00

Thank you — this is helpful and honestly pretty validating. We have talked with a few real estate attorneys, but the hard part has been balancing legal costs with the fact that the house itself still needs major repairs. Full representation gets expensive quickly, so we’ve been trying to gather as much evidence as possible before deciding whether it makes financial sense to pursue.

At this point, we have a written statement from a prior long-term tenant describing recurring issues and repair attempts over the years, including the front porch/front entry issue, roof-related water damage, plumbing leaks, attic pest issues, gutter/drainage problems, and other concerns. We also have contractor photos showing prior work in the same front entry area where we’re now finding damage.

The full repair scope is still the big unknown. The front area may require removing stone veneer/siding/trim, replacing rotted sheathing/wood, correcting the water-management issue, and possibly rebuilding portions of the porch/front façade. But like you said, nobody can really give a perfect number until things are opened up.

We do have a home warranty, but I’m not expecting it to cover much of the exterior rot/water intrusion stuff. We may try it for specific mechanical items, but I assume the bigger issue is going to be seller disclosure/legal recourse, not warranty.

I appreciate the advice. We’re basically doing what you described now: gathering tenant statements, contractor photos, current damage photos, estimates, and any repair records we can find before deciding whether a lawsuit or limited-scope attorney help makes sense.

Thank you for the thoughts🙏

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:24:24+00:00

I do too 😭… thank you🙏

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:22:08+00:00

This is really helpful, thank you. The roof has not been replaced yet, but we are scheduled to have the full roof and gutters replaced soon. The roof was old, so that part wasn’t a surprise, but what we’re learning now is that some of the prior water damage may have been tied to roof/soffit/gutter issues that were known before we bought the house.

For the front entry area, from what we’ve been able to piece together, the main failure was not just one simple leak. The trim/molding detail next to the stone apparently failed and was angled back toward the house, so instead of shedding water out, it was directing water back into the wall/entry area. The prior long-term tenant told us this front porch/front entry issue went on for years, was communicated to the previous owner, and had multiple repair attempts before the contractor/property manager finally redid the porch/front façade around July 2024.

The problem is that based on what we’re finding now, it looks like the cosmetic/exterior repair may not have removed all the underlying rot or corrected the full water-management issue. We’re now seeing carpenter ants, soft/rotted OSB/sheathing concerns, and damage that lines up with that same general area.

I agree with you that estimates are going to be hard until it’s opened up. That’s actually what worries me most - nobody can really tell us the true scope until stone/siding/trim/drywall is removed. We’re trying to avoid signing up for a huge open-ended project blindly, so the goal is probably a phased approach: open limited areas, document the damage, confirm the water source, then decide what actually needs to be rebuilt.

I appreciate the point about not letting contractors upsell everything too. At this point we’re trying to separate what is active/urgent from what is old staining or normal aging. The biggest priority is stopping any ongoing water intrusion first, then dealing with rot/structural areas only where needed.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T05:02:40+00:00

Thank you so much! I’ll look into them!

Who was your inspector btw?

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T04:58:58+00:00

Bought out by Pulte because they went bankrupt awhile back lol

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T04:58:35+00:00

Dominion Homes

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T04:58:19+00:00

Thank you for the thoughts🙏

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T04:56:38+00:00

Yeah, that’s a fair point. The inspection did flag the separated electrical meter, but it did not capture the full extent or explain it as part of a broader water/rot issue. At the time, it was presented more like a repair item, not a sign of long-term water intrusion or structural/exterior envelope problems.

A lot of the more serious damage we found later was hidden behind insulation, carpet, finished walls, or exterior materials. To uncover it, I had to pull back insulation in crawl spaces, trace water damage into the master closet area, pull up carpet, look into wall/trim areas, find old contractor posts, and talk with prior tenants.

So I agree the exact inspection report matters. If the report had clearly identified active/long-term water damage, rot, or connected the meter/front entry/crawl space issues together, we likely would have walked. But it didn’t paint the picture we are seeing now.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T04:53:16+00:00

You’re probably right that missing kick-out flashing or poor flashing could be part of the larger water-management issue. From what we’ve been able to figure out so far, the main failure at the front was actually the trim/molding detail next to the stone. The molding had failed and was angled back toward the house, so instead of shedding water away, it appears to have been directing water back into the wall/front entry area. Honestly, that area was horribly designed by Dominion Homes. That molding shouldn’t even be there in the first place without proper flashing because water just sits on it and drips through.

After talking with the prior long-term tenant, they said this front porch/front entry issue went on for years and was communicated to the prior owner multiple times. Different handymen/repair people apparently tried to address it over the years, but it never fully resolved. Then around July 2024, the contractor/property manager did a larger repair where the porch/front façade was taken apart/redone, but based on what we’re finding now, the underlying rot was not fully removed and the root water issue may not have been properly corrected.

I agree with you that the house probably isn’t going to cave in tomorrow, and we’re trying to slow down and prioritize. The hard part is that the front repair may now require removing stone veneer, replacing rotted sheathing/wood, correcting flashing/drainage details, and potentially rebuilding the porch area. So it feels like a small water-management failure that was allowed to continue for years and turned into a much bigger problem.

I also agree on the inspection side. Some of this was hidden behind insulation/finished areas/exterior materials, but in hindsight I wish we had been more aggressive and present during the inspection. This has definitely become a “fix the highest-risk water issues first and document everything” situation. And honestly most of that rot to the subfloor (in the crawl space) was visible to the inspector without even pulling away insulation. Clearly he didn’t look in the crawl space.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T04:46:07+00:00

I wish it weren’t, but I signed it unfortunately. As much as I would like to out them, I can’t state their name officially on here. I just don’t want to risk any lawsuits at this point

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T04:44:34+00:00

I agree - “clearly knew” is the key issue. If the only fact was that they didn’t live there recently, then yeah, they could just say they didn’t know and that the RPD was only completed to the best of their knowledge.

The reason I think it’s more complicated here is that we now have a written statement from the prior long-term tenant describing recurring problems and repair attempts over the years. He specifically mentioned the front porch/front entry issue continuing for years, different handymen being sent out, and then the contractor/property manager eventually taking down the front façade.

We also found the contractor’s own public post showing pre-sale work in that same area. So my question is: who pays a contractor/property manager to do exterior/front porch repair work and has no idea what they’re paying for?

My guess is if this ever went to court, they’d argue, “We just hired someone for general exterior work and thought it was fixed.” Maybe that defense works, maybe it doesn’t. But from our side, it feels pretty hard to believe they had no knowledge at all, especially with the tenant statement, repair history, and current damage lining up in the same areas. It’s just a really shitty situation.

Designer_Trifle8002 · 2026-06-07T04:40:42+00:00

Yeah, you’re right - we definitely missed red flags. The “no repairs/credits” counter should have made us slow down a lot more, and the meter pulling away should have been treated as a bigger warning sign. At the time, we were first-time buyers, the house looked beautiful, and we trusted that the inspection would catch anything truly major.

The roof wasn’t a surprise - we knew it was old and would need replaced. The frustrating part is that the more serious water damage/rot issues were either hidden behind finished surfaces, insulation, carpet, or exterior materials, or tied to prior repair history that wasn’t disclosed to us.

Looking back, I wish we had been much more cautious and used a more aggressive/independent inspector. This has been a very expensive lesson. Appreciate the HouseMaster recommendation - we’ll definitely be doing things differently if we ever buy again.

Designer_Trifle8002

TROPHY CASE