Home inspection report indicates a possible bathroom subfloor issue

The importance of a home inspection

Not only will the inspector point out current problems, they can also identify things that may become an issue in the future. Often you can negotiate the price of the property based on what you learned from the inspection report.

Water leak issue found during a home inspection

The property report showed that there were active leaks at supply lines. Leaks in water pipes can lead to water damage to walls, floors, and interior finishes. When left uncorrected, minor leaks can allow mold to grow and rot to occur. This can cause significant effects to the health of the home’s occupants and the integrity of the structure. Taking care of leak issues quickly is important to reduce the damage. The inspector will often use a device to measure the moisture of the walls and floor.

Small issues can be signals of larger problems

In this case, they did detect moisture in the floor which could mean the subflooring has water damage. When we opened up the floor, we could see the damage that was done due to the supply line leak. There was damage to the toilet flange. Over time, the wax ring may have dissolved which allows water to leak out into the floor. Once we removed the shower wall, we found black mold caused by the moisture.

While the floor was open, the plumbing was replaced.

You don’t want to install new flooring without taking the opportunity to fix plumbing that could be an issue in the future. While the bathroom was gutted, we took advantage of the opportunity to improve the shower area and the layout of the bathroom. We installed a tub with modern tile, put a vanity where the toilet use to be, and found a new spot for the toilet. Because we were installing new plumbing we were able to change the layout of the room.

Bathroom Project

• Put in new subfloor
• Added a small bathtub with a shower surround
• Replaced the vanity
• Installed a toilet that was appropriate for the size of the bathroom
• Installed new tile floor

The property owner can be confident that he will not have issues with the bathroom. When deciding how to tackle an issue, we are investors first with a property management perspective. This experience has taught us that correcting an issue the right way will reduce your maintenance calls in the future. If they had just put new flooring on top of the old subfloor, there would have been ongoing maintenance issues.

The best thing to do for your return on investment is to fix the problem right the first time.

Not only does he have a new bathroom, he is going to have tenants very excited when they see the condition of this new bathroom. When tenants live in a home that is taken care of, they are proud of it and continue to take good care of it. This is where our property management perspective comes in. You want to be able to show potential tenants a nice home. Whether you are self-managing or have a property manger, it is going to make renting out the property easier. No one will be worrying about maintenance issues going forward.

This is an example of the type of work we do at Elevation Construction. If you have an issue and are looking for a general contractor, give us a call.