Once the siding was removed, the cause of my home's window leak was obvious.
Last week, I wrote about a leaky window in my home that I was finally able to get fixed, thanks to a contractor friend of a friend. The window had been leaking for at least three years, but I couldn't find a contractor who was willing to come out to my home for just one window. (And actual window companies don't want to come in unless I buy a minimum of four windows.)
Well, the pleasure of not having to worry about the leak was very short-lived. That's because the very next day -- a rainy day -- I was unhappily surprised to find yet another leaky window in my home -- this time, it's the master-bedroom window.
I should have expected as much. The contractor who fixed the first window discovered that the builder did an incompetent job of installing the window -- the builder had put the flashing (which is meant to keep water out of the home) around that window so that it stopped a full half inch above the window. As a result, water was allowed to get into our home and drip through the window's drywall framing. He wouldn't be surprised if we found more leaky windows in our home, the contractor said.
I had another contractor look at our bedroom window, since our first contractor wasn't available. Upon looking at the window, he agreed that the builder did a poor job installing it. Now, I must wait another two weeks or so until that fix is repaired -- I hope it won't turn into another three-year wait.
Which makes me think: What is the use of buying a new home? My husband and I purchased a newly built home with the hopes that in doing so, we'd have less maintenance and repairs to worry about. Not being the do-it-yourself types, we figured the house would need little care for at least the first few years.
I am generally happy about my house -- we have a great location close to the school and wonderful neighbors, and our home, according to Cyberhomes, is still worth more than we paid for it. I wonder, however, if other homebuyers have such buyer remorse.
Readers: Is your home more work than you imagined it'd be? Now that the housing market is in a rut, do you wish that you rented instead of buying? Do you wish you held off on purchasing for a few years? If you'd like to share your experience, please add a comment. I'd love to hear from you.—Lauren Baier Kim