Front door leaking causing damp to walls 29 December 2015 at 10:24PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving 3 replies 1.7K views

tomnat

I just wondered if anyone had any advice, my house is 6 years old ,was brand new when we bought it and is under an NHBC 10 year guarantee. Unfortunately, we always suffer when the weather is wet and windy (and as Im in Lancashire thats quite a lot!),as it blows directly onto the door due to the position of the house. When it does rain heavy we have to place towels behind the door as it leaks badly and the water has rotted the laminate and also brought plaster off the wall which now is starting to get mouldy. We have contacted the NHBC who have just dismissed us completely saying that front doors do not form part of the 10 year warranty. We have had 2 independant, reputable window/door companies out to see if they can find the fault and both have said that the door has been incorrectly fitted and is missing certain things. We have approached the housebuilder numerous times but he just doesn't want to know (a local housebuilder not a national chain). Our insurance company also do not want to know and said to contact the NHBC! We can't afford to to get all the work done at the moment as I have been made redundant and we are only just managing to pay the bills. It is worth me persuing any of the above or do you think Im just wasting my time?

Jonesya

Sounds like you pursued it as far as you can with no luck.

Me personally, I'd be having a good look at and around the door to identify exactly where and how the water is getting in and then fixing it myself:

Where's the water getting in?

tomnat

Its getting in through the bottom of the door. We've spoken to a few of the neighbours and had a look at their doors as its only a small estate and the houses were built at the same time. All their doors and frames are slightly different to ours and they aren't experiencing any problems. We're just frustrated at having to find the money to fix the wall, floor and get a whole new front door due to the door being incorrectly fitted.

Jonesya

Where's it getting in through the bottom?

Is it going around the outside of the door frame - is sealant missing, or needing repair?

Is it getting round the door seal - Is the seal in position, undamaged etc?

Does the door have a weather bar fitted to throw off the water?