So fucking pissed...
For those not on FB, my deck started rotting in late spring (what should have been early summer). At first it was just a few soft spots, then it stopped raining and went from 30F at night to 70+F during the day for several weeks. At that point, the bacteria sung a hallelujah and acted like it was the last day on the planet. The result was 2 spots that had rotted completely through with a side of ant colony. What was supposed to be a 2 board replacement turned into a complete deck rebuild and a warning that my container garden caused it (but that's a different story that is not supported by any of the pictures or video that I have). Since it's obviously my plants that pee on the deck too much, I'll have to pay for the next rebuild if it has to be done in the next 2-3 years - which is going to happen because the only difference between the rebuild and the repair is that they installed fresh support beams instead of leaving the rotting ones in.
So, being on the potential hook for it, I documented EVERYTHING. From how the rain sheets off the roof onto my deck, to how much water actually falls on the two places that rotted through, to where the rot actually was when they demolished the deck, and so on and so forth. The one time that being German is a good thing (seriously, documentation is genetic when you get screwed once). Or maybe that's the British side, as it was my mum that started me down that road....anyway...
Two days after they rebuilt the deck it rained. Not just a light shower, but the lead-in to tropical storm season. The contractors put the planks right cozy next to each other so there's no serious drainage, so I got some good pictures and video of the puddling. The next storm took a day for the water to evaporate/soak in so the boards were more saturated than when they installed them (no, they weren't sealed, yes they were treated). This morning, while I was having my coffee on my cushion, I soaked my pjs, still wet. This afternoon, got a frantic call from Pastry asking me if I knew they were planning on staining it, because that's what they were doing. I email the contractor and asked him, he gave me the "I'm just going by the HOA timeline they gave me." So I say, "Thanks for letting me know, I'll take it up with them." He's absolved himself of any failure of construction because he went by their specifications and timeline. They want me on the hook for that failure and I'm so fucking pissed about that.
I'm repotting my plants so that they don't drain, and doing my part, and these assholes decide to take short cuts because they think they can blame it on me. Thank the gods I have legal friends and I documented this shit. Now all I have to do is get it in writing that I have requested a gutter installed and that they deny it (if they don't put it in before the next rain storm). But I will be taking pictures of my deck, from every angle, because like hell they are going to have a leg to stand on.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
So, being on the potential hook for it, I documented EVERYTHING. From how the rain sheets off the roof onto my deck, to how much water actually falls on the two places that rotted through, to where the rot actually was when they demolished the deck, and so on and so forth. The one time that being German is a good thing (seriously, documentation is genetic when you get screwed once). Or maybe that's the British side, as it was my mum that started me down that road....anyway...
Two days after they rebuilt the deck it rained. Not just a light shower, but the lead-in to tropical storm season. The contractors put the planks right cozy next to each other so there's no serious drainage, so I got some good pictures and video of the puddling. The next storm took a day for the water to evaporate/soak in so the boards were more saturated than when they installed them (no, they weren't sealed, yes they were treated). This morning, while I was having my coffee on my cushion, I soaked my pjs, still wet. This afternoon, got a frantic call from Pastry asking me if I knew they were planning on staining it, because that's what they were doing. I email the contractor and asked him, he gave me the "I'm just going by the HOA timeline they gave me." So I say, "Thanks for letting me know, I'll take it up with them." He's absolved himself of any failure of construction because he went by their specifications and timeline. They want me on the hook for that failure and I'm so fucking pissed about that.
I'm repotting my plants so that they don't drain, and doing my part, and these assholes decide to take short cuts because they think they can blame it on me. Thank the gods I have legal friends and I documented this shit. Now all I have to do is get it in writing that I have requested a gutter installed and that they deny it (if they don't put it in before the next rain storm). But I will be taking pictures of my deck, from every angle, because like hell they are going to have a leg to stand on.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!