Our brand new Ryland home
was completed late November, 2003.
It's leaked every rainfall since.

It's sad, Really. My new Ryland home isn't even a year old and already I've accumulated an incredible amount of documentation regarding the multitude of problems with our home since they began. That includes thousands of photos and hours of video. Roll your mouse over each image below for a larger version along with a brief description.

Wet Grout Lines

In our pantry, which is along an exterior wall, you can clearly see that the grout is wet about 2 inches past the baseboard. During heavy ran, the dampness creeps almost to the edge of the 18" tile.
And here is the same grout line after it's been raining for a while. Water has seeped the full 12" of tile.
Another fine example of grout lines become dark. The particular ones are also along an outside wall as you can tel by the door frame.
This grout hasn't dried out since we moved in (it's probably stained now. Scary part is that it's practically in the middle of the concrete slab with no pipes near it.

Expanding Drywall

The drywall on every exterior wall has gotten so wet that it is expanding and pushing the baseboard out. This particular shot is behind the water heater in the garage.
Another example where the baseboard is prying away from the wet, expanding drywall. We've since removed this particular section of wall.

Good Ole' Mold

After removing some baseboard, we discovered mold all around the perimeter. This is a shot of the backside of one piece of moulding.
After pulling up the carpet we found many places where mold had been completely hidden from view on walls that otherwise looked unaffected.
A prime example of a mysterious growth on the outside of some baseboard. When we first noticed this, there was no indication of water damage. Now however, the sheetrock has expanded enough to separate the baseboard from the wall.
This cabinet is on an exterior wall in our kitchen. The veneer is flaking off due to the expansion of the cabinetry particleboard.
An otherwise normal looking cabinet reveals some very nasty water lines and mold growth going on behind the wall. The dark line in the back edge is mold coming through the crack.
Pulling up the carpet padding reveals more mold growth underneath.
More mold beginning to appear on the outside of the baseboard although the wall looks fine. This is in our pantry, which we'll be moving out of soon.
So we removed one of our cabinets to see just what was going on in the walls in our kitchen. This is what we found when we pried it away from the wall.
This shot shows that even after almost a month of fairly dry weather after the last hurricane, the block wall is still extremely damp.
Almost a month after the last hurricane came through and the insulation behind the drywall is STILL completely soaked on the bottom and wet all the way up the wall.
The backside of the cabinetry was completely infested with various different mold growths.
How do you like my mold collection so far? I hate it.
There was even more mold to be found growing on the backside of the drywall once we started removing it.
It had been wet behind the drywall for so long that the aluminum backing on the reflective insulation was deteriorating.
In another room, the deterioration was significantly worse and almost halfway up the wall.
In addition to all the wet stuff, we also found examples of where the water had once been previously but was currently dried up. This piece of drywall clearly was more wet in the past.
We recently removed a second cabinet in our kitchen and found even worse mold than behind the first. Heavy black stuff was hidden just behind the trim molding on the front bottom of the cabinet.
Unscrewing the cabinet from the wall we had a screw that was rusted where it was in the nailer behind the sheetrock.
The mold behind the cabinet, having sat for a couple of weeks longer than the first one we took out had much more mold growth.
Now, that's not Chewbacca - it's some kind of weird, hairy growth on the wall.
In our living room, the strange stain on the wall continues to expand. I'm not looking forward to removing this wall.

Nasty Hidden Stuff

We pulled up our wet carpet during one storm and were surprised to find that the carpet tack was already completely rotted away and falling apart. The tucked edge of the carpet shown here was covered with crap.
Not only was the carpet tack rotting away, the hint of something going on proved to be worse once the carpet was removed and we could see it completely.
We recently removed sheetrock in our front living room. Words cannot describe how nasty this was. It hadn't rained for some time, but it was still soaking wet!
We recently removed sheetrock in our front living room. Words cannot describe how nasty this was. It hadn't rained for some time, but it was still soaking wet!
We recently removed sheetrock in our front living room. Words cannot describe how nasty this was. It hadn't rained for some time, but it was still soaking wet!
We recently removed sheetrock in our front living room. Words cannot describe how nasty this was. It hadn't rained for some time, but it was still soaking wet!

Indoor Pools

During the last major rain, we scooped up about 5 gallons of water in addition to the gallons we also soaked up with towels as the water rushed in.
Along an exterior solid block wall with no windows, this is in a closet during rain. Had we not pulled the carpet back, you'd never notice this at first. Eventually the whole closet floor was covered.
Another example of a solid block, exterior wall. This one in our garage, we almost had a river flowing through it as the rain continued.
You'd think this is the water heater leaking, but it's not. It's rainwater coming in through the solid block wall behind the water heater.
Water even flows out of our light switches.
Ever seen a water balloon made of paint? Now you have.
Another fine example of our lovely indoor pools. This is during the early stages of rain after we had pulled back the carpet.
Enough water flowed in around the windows that the paint just began to bubble up.
At the time we had no idea where the water was coming from, so we decided to start ripping off wet drywall to see if we could discover any clues. Here you can see wet brick after it had stopped raining for a while.
Every exterior wall of our house has water intrusion. Judging from this picture, it looks like it is coming in along the baseboard, but it's actually running down the block walls behind the drywall and escaping at the floor.
The back of the house is quite large and with so much exposed surface, water has an easy time seeping in.
Even the solid block walls of our garage that have no windows or doors aren't excluded from the same problem.
Painting our walls with quality latex paint left us with more than one water balloon.
As you can see, we were forced to pull back all of the carpet and padding. Even though the padding already had signs of mold on it, we didn't want things to get any worse. To this day, our carpet is still not tacked down just in case it rains.
A few of our windows also displayed leakage problems. We have yet to determine if the water is actually leaking in around the window or if it is just running down the block from above.
This is a couple of weeks after the last major rainfall. I've rubbed a dry glove on the reflective side of the insulation about 4 feet from the floor. The insulation at that height looked dry on the interior facing side. Needless to say, it wasn't.
Yes folks, it's now November 25th. We had a light rain early this morning and yes... our house is STILL leaking.
Although reported as a problem more than a month ago, this still hasn't been fixed either and you can see what a nice mess it is becoming. It's hard to make out in this low-res image, but the groove below the metal threshold is filled with water.
It never ends here in Florida. Two days later we got a very light off/on shower for a few hours and the water even came in then!
A light rain before Christmas and our kitchen leaked.
A light rain before Christmas and our kitchen leaked.
On Christmas, 2004 we had the worst intrusion in terms of the visible number of spots in different rooms (3 rooms total on 2 exterior walls) where water was coming in.
On Christmas, 2004 we had the worst intrusion in terms of the visible number of spots in different rooms (3 rooms total on 2 exterior walls) where water was coming in.
Some of our windows leak too, as you can plainly see from this water stain that we recently discovered.
It may not look like much, but imagine how your carpet is affected after just a short time of being damp. This is from February 27th rains.
The picture says it all.

The Water Test

Still confused, we decided to let the block dry out and perform a water test. Here, we've positioned a fine must of water at a section of solid wall with no windows.
Within 30 minutes or so, the block started to show signs of water intrusion along mortar joins.
As time goes on, more places where water is coming through appear in the block.
Even with a light mist, the water makes steady progress into the house thanks to the absorbtion powers of concrete.
By an hour and a half or so, the block is on its way to being completely soaked.
The water travels rapidly behind the block. In addition to the mortar lines at the height of the outside misting, water also begins to seep in where the block meets the foundation.
Funny thing... we just realized that this sprinkler hits the side of our house twice a week for about 15-20 minutes each time. Wonder what that's doing to things...

Other Stuff

Some builders have already stepped up and taken responsibility for the problem. This Levitt & Sons house down the street from us was stripped down to the wood framing upstairs and is getting repaired. You can still see in the photo some of the old, wet, damaged wood that was underneath stucco on the front of the house near the top.
Interestingly enough, this unfinished house actually got a coat of primer/sealer while ours did not.
About 25-30 people showed up for a recent demonstration outside of the Orlando Ryland office to express their concerns and get the word out.
So cute, I had to snap a photo :) I can't imagine having to worry about my children's health on top of the house problems. Ugh.
Is it too much to ask that a new home not leak?
This couple put sealer on and repainted their house hoping it was the right fix. Unfortunately, they probably won't know for sure until next summer.
The group gathering support from passing cars. "I live in a sponge, Bob" is awesome! Bob is the name of a Ryland rep she spoke to about her sponge... er... house.
Our neighbors are going through hell right now. After being moved out of their new home for a while, this is what they are living with now - mold remediation.
Our neighbors are going through hell right now. After being moved out of their new home for a while, this is what they are living with now - mold remediation.
Our story is finally about to go national. The NBC crew was at our house for a couple of days this past week shooting footage and interviewing us and our neighbors. Kerry Sanders is the correspondent who will be hosting the segment on December 3rd's edition of NBC Nightly News
Merry freakin' Christmas, Ryland.
Ryland should include a 5 year's supply of caulk with their new homes, because you're sure going to need it.

Photos From Other People

I've received many photos from other people with similar issues.
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues.
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues.
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues.
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues.
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Mold on wall behind removed cabinet (2002 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Mold on wall and baseboard (2002 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Mold in corner and on wall (2002 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Mold on the back of a removed cabinet (2002 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Separation of baseboard from wall (2007 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Separation of baseboard from wall (2007 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Kitchen cabinet damage (2007 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Kitchen cabinet damage (2007 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Damage behind stove (2007 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : Damage behind stove (2007 home)
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : A home in East Orlando, FL before any hurricanes in 2008
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : A home in East Orlando, FL before any hurricanes in 2008
I've received many photos from other people with similar issues : A home in East Orlando, FL before any hurricanes in 2008

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