Rain coming in around windows in new build

doniepony

I am in process of the slabbing ceiling on new build so obviously the walls will be done soon but went down today and saw rain had got in under or around 4 of my new windows. Now obviously it was horrible weekend and there was driving wind and rain but has this happened to anyone and what would be the best way to seal around the windows? The house is fully plastered out the outside and grey coat inside so obviously this should not be happening.

I am meeting builder tomorrow about it and window company are callling too- I was lucky it happened before the walls were slabbed.

Any suggestions as to how best to seal these windows.

fealeranger

All I can say to that is WOW:eek:. I don't know it does not look good at all.

Poor Uncle Tom

Those are very poorly fitted windows. Is that insulation packed in at the sides to try and seal around the window?

The window frame should meet up with a vertical DPC at the sides to stop the risk of damp/rain coming in.

bbam

I'd go as far as to say the windows don't fit..
How many of them have aeroboard stuffed along side like that..

Are the openings built square and plumb? in the second photo it looks like there is more and more of a gap along the window as you look up the frame..

If the window openings are square and plumb there is no reason why they fit so poorly.. Is there the same gap across the top.. it could just be lazy measuring,

doniepony

I actually put the aero board in myself as they is slab goin on the jambs inside so there is 2" reveal on both sides. The windows will be taped so thought it would make neater job to attach tape to.

I think the windows should have been measured tighter too- specifically asked the guy measuring to ensure they were measured as tight as possible when he came out. The windows are plumb alright -but when these windows went in there was space between the window head and the actually window itself of about 3/4 of an inch so- they used expanding metal to make up the gap (again wasn't happy with the gap) and am wondering now is this the cause of the problem. Window company and builder will have to sort it out tomorrow but wondering If i should insist on something which would definitely seal it. Rest of the windows are fine by the way.

3ndahalfof6

Wrong window size, did someone come out to take the measurements of the openings or did you supply them,

if you supplied them tis not good even if you were right, you were depending on someone to make the right sized window, but if they took the measurements, remake, refit.

gally74

First off feel bad for you it's horrible when some thing like this happens

Damp seems to be more at the bottom than the sides, are the sitting right on the window sill are they tight to the window sill?

3ndahalfof6

Extra sealant on the window sides might of solved the problem, something the installer might of missed (forgot), but my guess is if they were sealed on the sides then the problem might have went to the center of the window base,

might just be a simple Monday fit (it can happen).

observer2u

Just can't understand why the aeroboard would be required bar as a packer for poorly fit measured windows. Aeroboard is hardly going to be water resistant. I looks like the water is running down the sides of the window frames and either drained out at the bottom or tracked along the base of the window and eventually found a dip in the cill and drained out at the middle.

Have actual DPC's have been fitted? Are they just going to rely on silicone?

doniepony

Firstly a guy from the window company measured the windows- he actually measured them twice to make sure..Ya the DPCs were fitted but looking back at photos I took before the house was plastered on the outside, there was a gap between the outside jamb and the window- I really think the windows were not fitted tight enough and the builder should have done a better job with the dpc.

I put the aeroboard, not to seal it- it was just to have something to put the airtightness tape onto. I assumed that the windows would be completly sealed when the house was plastered.

I am going to get my engineer out to look at it this week

Glebee

Even from a security aspect. It would be very easy to drive a crow bar through the insulation and render and try to pry window out of ope.
I'd be saying that windows are not wide enough. It's a pain but better to get right now than have to look at it when house is completely finished.

mickob16

I'm a blocklayer so have built plenty of windows but I've never seen such a gap between the jamb and the actual window. It comes down to a simple question...did the window maker measure up after window ope was built which is the normal practice? If so he made a complete balls of it and it's entirely his fault.The lads who installed the window definitely knew something was wrong and should have informed yourself about such an obvious problem.
If I was given a drawing with a window measuring 2000mm,then I'd make the opening no more than 2010mm. You shouldn't need to make up over 50mm on each side.

Take that aeroboard back out before the window guy calls so that he sees the 2 inch gap.There's no way I'd pay for that window.

Hidalgo

Were the outer and inner leaf of blockwork flush?

Sometimes the outer leaf is built tighter than the inner leaf so the window frame almost sits a few mm behind the block work, outside of the frame goes right against inner part of the outer line of blocks.

Looking at the pics. I'd say whoever measured the openings made a balls. Is that big gap in every window. Should really be only 5mm gap on both sides.

mickob16

Usually you would only build the outside leaf tighter when brickwork forms the outside leaf.This is because you don't plaster the outside so the window needs to sit in to the inside of the brick. Even if the blocklayer for some unknown reason decided not to build them flush,it would be the inside leaf that would be used to measure the size for window. So the window is still badly measured.

Hidalgo

mickob16 wrote: »

Usually you would only build the outside leaf tighter when brickwork forms the outside leaf.This is because you don't plaster the outside so the window needs to sit in to the inside of the brick. Even if the blocklayer for some unknown reason decided not to build them flush,it would be the inside leaf that would be used to measure the size for window. So the window is still badly measured.

If the outer leaf is tighter and the window was measured using the wider inner leaf, then you'd end up with little to no frame showing outside when plastered.

Like you say, this is highly unlikely. More a case of wrong measurement by window company.

mickob16

Hidalgo wrote: »

If the outer leaf is tighter and the window was measured using the wider inner leaf, then you'd end up with little to no frame showing outside when plastered.

Like you say, this is highly unlikely. More a case of wrong measurement by window company.

I just couldn't see any blockie building like that.I've never come across anyone who doesn't build the opes flush when using blocks although I suppose there's plenty of cowboys out there so who knows.