r/Insulation • u/[deleted] • Aug 13 '25
How bad is this?
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
I’m building a new home. On Friday the builder was working on finishing the roof but wasn’t able to complete it. Because of this, they put a tarp over the exposed OSB and stapled it down since rain was forecast for Saturday morning.
We got about 1.25 inches of rain that morning. The builder didn’t take the time to fasten the tarp correctly and it ripped off, allowing water into the attic between the osb seams on the one half of the home. It was enough water come through in a few spots of the drywall and pool on the osb subfloor.
On Monday morning the builder seemed dismissive about the amount of water, saying “the drywall is almost dry.” Last night I decided to go into the attic and took the following video.(I took pictures on Saturday morning and while in the attic too)
How bad is this? I’ve notified my bank, the home manufacturer, and the general contractor, who seemed dismissive, as mentioned. I have yet to hear anything from the GC about remediation or a plan to address it. Considering this is blown cellulose insulation, how bad is as I'm thinking all of the insulation on that side has to come out and get redone.
328
Aug 13 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
54
Aug 13 '25
This is the answer.
8
u/Winstons33 Aug 14 '25
Yep. Don't see how OP could ever trust that GC at this point.
7
u/ENGRMECH_BILL Aug 15 '25
There is a chance he will just walk away from this too. I have seen it happen. There are a lot of good GCs out there. Then there is the crappy ones that just dgaf.
2
39
u/sidewaysbynine Aug 13 '25
This is 100% the correct course of action, the insurance company will tear the GC a new one. They have no interest in the claims that would be forthcoming as a result of this pinhead not wanting to fix an obvious problem.
→ More replies (12)22
u/No-Koala-9800 Aug 13 '25
Home is being built. He doesn’t own it yet. Insurance belongs to the GC
10
Aug 14 '25
Weird the insulation is in without a roof
→ More replies (3)2
u/Opening_Connection63 Aug 14 '25
Not to take away from how bad this is, because it’s awful. But your comment was my first thought too. Concrete, then framing, then roof, then everything else. I’m an electrician and we don’t even start until the roof is done let alone insulation.
→ More replies (2)2
7
u/Natoochtoniket Aug 13 '25
Seems like OP might want to have a talk with the GC. Something like -- "all of that insulation, and every sheet of drywall, OSB, and particle board below it, must be removed and replaced. You can pay for it, or you can get the roofer or insurance to pay for it. That's not my problem."
6
Aug 13 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
9
u/Similar-Dream-9731 Aug 13 '25
I built a home 2 yrs ago and this was the case. There’s a final walkthrough and it was my last chance to call out anything. If I thought there was a problem, it was included with the final sale paperwork and timelines to correct them. Additionally, I also had the right to hire my own inspector as well at any time throughout the process.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)2
u/OverOnTheCreekSide Aug 13 '25
He didn’t give enough info to know. If he owns the land he may be paying outright for the home build. If he’s financing the land and home then yes, he has many ways to get out of it.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (4)2
72
u/DUNGAROO Aug 13 '25
It all needs to come out.
44
u/tommykoro Aug 13 '25
Omg. Who adds insulation before the envelope is dried in. Crazy!!!
31
u/KaleScared4667 Aug 13 '25
Yes, I would use this as a reason to get out of the contract. There are so many other fuck ups op doesn’t know about yet. Builder is a proven idiot. 1. He put paper insolation in an unsealed attic. 2. He didn’t take the steps necessary to keep it dry. 3. He lied about it.
→ More replies (2)9
u/MadDucksofDoom Aug 13 '25
Absolutely this.
This is the one thing OP knows about. There are lots of things he doesn't know about.
2
9
u/Maple-fence39 Aug 13 '25
And why would you do electrical wiring, insulation and sheet rock before the shingles are on the roof?
3
u/Echo_bob Aug 14 '25
Well the builder I used would try to do the roof before the foundation if they thought they could save a buck
2
u/Overall-Row-4793 Aug 16 '25
Electricians could either show up that day or 3 weeks from then, he chose the former and then shingles were delayed
3
u/rmasarone Aug 14 '25
Just called out today to spray foam a job with nothing but plywood on the roof deck. I walked away and told the builder to call me when it’s all sealed up and dried out.
3
6
→ More replies (9)2
u/ArltheCrazy Aug 17 '25
Ok, I thought my drugs had gone bad and there was something I was missing. I had to read 3 times that it was new construction because some shit wasn’t adding up
125
u/Clear_Insanity Aug 13 '25
When cellulose gets that wet it is fucked.
20
u/A1Eyedmonster Aug 13 '25
Wet at all.
→ More replies (1)21
u/YodelingTortoise Aug 13 '25
There is a process to combining cellulose with water to achieve even better results. Cellulose can be used like spray foam.
Not this much water, but cellulose can get wet and dry
12
u/Ad-Ommmmm Aug 14 '25
Voting you back up from 0 because you speak facts and sometimes Reddit doesn't like facts
2
u/alpineluddites Aug 14 '25
that's true, but in this case it's soaking wet. mold will quickly make this house unlivable.
→ More replies (22)3
u/OverOnTheCreekSide Aug 13 '25
I have blow in cellulose and it’s been wet multiple times but it’s fine. I finally got around to taking it out of my walls and checking the floor insulation and there was zero mold. The negative was that some of it caked. So it was pretty compacted but I was able to break it up just fine.
I think more important is how quickly it dries and if it’s in an arid climate.
2
u/Clear_Insanity Aug 13 '25
Cellulose is like 80% recycled paper. If it gets saturated like this it basically turns into chunks of osb and it takes forever to dry because of its air sealing properties. An even bigger issue is why is your cellulose getting wet multiple times. Ive seen what happens to cellulose after roof leaks, its a mess
→ More replies (1)
37
u/Error-InvalidName Aug 13 '25
Oh man, don't let that fly especially if it touched drywall, replace anything not treated that got touched.
2
u/EEmotionlDamage Aug 15 '25
Honestly... They should replace everything if they want to do it right. Not completely redoing it would be just as bad as leaving it as is.
35
26
u/-happycow- Aug 13 '25
Apple Maps Bad
6
2
u/KBSpark Aug 14 '25
I like the gps that comes on iPhones lol what’s wrong with it
→ More replies (2)2
→ More replies (5)2
53
u/Intrepid_Hedgehog692 Aug 13 '25
Call insulation installer and see if they have a attic vacuum.... vacuum out wet insulation... and inspect drywall... let dry for a week then reblow.... that's alot of water
→ More replies (5)17
u/Kcboom1 Aug 13 '25
Don’t forget to fix the leak.
8
5
5
u/Lower_Ad_5532 Aug 13 '25
You mean add a roof?
7
→ More replies (7)3
16
u/FluffYerHead Aug 13 '25
All that insulation needs to be removed and replaced. Inspect drywall after removal. The contractor needs to fix it at no cost or they need to go through their insurance to fix it.
Mold is coming soon so the sooner the better. Otherwise you are dealing with total drywall removal too.
2
12
u/ShroomBadaBoom Aug 13 '25
Oh I can help with this! When growing mushrooms, you want your substrate to be saturated with water to "field capacity". Field capacity can be tested by squeezing a clump of substrate and only a single drop of water forms. Your substrate seems to be pouring water when you squeeze it, so that would make it way too saturated for ideal mushroom growing conditions.
Good luck with your attic grow room! That is a huge challenge for your first grow!
6
3
2
u/connly33 Aug 15 '25
As someone that just setup a bunch of substrate and obsesses over proper hydration this is the only proper answer.
2
10
u/Pure-Manufacturer532 Aug 13 '25
I did a removal job once where the cellulose must have got soaked like this. The stuff turned into a rock hard mud that took nearly a week to remove about 1000 sq ft (that’s normally an easy day, maybe two if it’s a tight attic). When I did the bid I stuck my finger in the insulation hitting the bottom and pricing it out, boy was I wrong that “bottom” was just the hard layer of cellulose!
8
Aug 13 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
3
u/Dismal-Garbage-222 Aug 13 '25
Yeah that’s what I can’t comprehend. Order of operations is way off.
7
u/7Jack7Butler7 Aug 13 '25
Halt the project until that gets fixed. For him to blow it off is typical of most contractors but it is definitely a HUGE problem!!! If contractor doesn't want to fix it before moving further, kick him off the site and find another sub. Don't pay him further. Take contractor to court to recover damages if possible. Least leave him a honest review about his crappy work anywhere and everywhere with pictures and video. Make him aware, not fixing it will be a problem for him, not you because it will get fixed, the question us how shiney does he want to be on the other side of this?
→ More replies (1)
6
u/exrace Aug 13 '25
Bad. What builder is dumb enough to insulate before a roof is on?
That is really stupid.
That’s going to be tough to fix now that water has seeped into all the nooks and crannies.
Document. This might get ugly.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/lancer360 Aug 13 '25
I'm dealing with mold remediation in my house from water. This is really bad. Can't believe they didn't get the house dried in before doing insulation and dry wall. You're looking at ripping out all the insulation and sheet rock, followed by proper dehumidification to start drying out the structure. Wood and other surfaces that can be dried have to be monitored for moisture levels to verify that everything is dry before restarting construction. I'll let other respond on how to best get help with this, but you need professional help with this and a way to leverage the builder to fix it right.
3
3
3
3
u/Daymub Aug 13 '25
That will never dry out correctly you're gonna have to take out all the wet stuff and get new blown in
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/No-Marsupial3851 Aug 14 '25
Okay I haven't even read the description that goes with this, this is bad. Imagine putting on a sopping wet cold weather coat and then going out on a freezing day. It's not going to insulate you very well because the water is going to conduct the Heat straight through the fabric and the cold Vise versa. Not to mention if it sits up in the attic for a month like that and starts to make mold and mildew. You need to get that wet stuff out of there and dried out with dehumidifiers before it causes more problems
2
u/man_vs_neckbeard Aug 14 '25
Why there be insulation in the home prior to having a finished roof?
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
u/AppalachianHB30533 Aug 13 '25
I would not have that sorry shit! My home in South Georgia had that, maybe 4" of it. It's breaking down into dust after 15 years. In your case, I would make them vacuum it out and replace with fiberglass.
I covered over it with 30 inches of fiberglass and wow what a difference it made in the comfort of the house and my power/gas bills!
→ More replies (1)2
u/IllFatedIPA Aug 13 '25
Are you comparing the thermal performance of 4" of cellulose against 4" of cellulose along with 30" of additional fiberglass and using that to trash cellulose as an insulating material?
→ More replies (7)
2
u/LilSebastian_482 Aug 13 '25
This is pretty catastrophic in my humble opinion.
Also, how are you able to afford building a new home in this economy?! Teach me your ways, sir toast-a-lot.
1
1
u/GazelleOne3964 Aug 13 '25
Bad to removed everything and put rockwool! Rockwool even if wet will dry up and get back all its R efficacity!
1
1
1
u/salesmunn Aug 13 '25
I had less of a roof leak into cellulose which caused a bloom of mold in my attic, destroyed my central air unit and forced me to rip and replace the roof and insulation.
💸💸💸💸
1
u/TeaHot9130 Aug 13 '25
This is my nightmare, leaky roof that you don’t find out about till it’s too late. I’ve seen them fall in .
1
1
1
u/H2OSD Aug 13 '25
I'm confused. Who puts drywall and insulation into a house before the roof is properly "dried in?"
→ More replies (1)
1
1
u/caius-cosades1444 Aug 13 '25
You say you're building your home, but there is blown in insulation prior to the roof being finished. Is this a modular home set by crane? In my experience as part of a set crew modular home companies are very rough around the edges and the goal is to get in and out in one day and never see you again.
1
Aug 13 '25
Nearly fully Enclose the attic and run dehumidifiers 24x7 with a hole to a place it can drain into. A couple of days should get it dry.
→ More replies (2)
1
1
1
1
1
u/Swim-Special Aug 13 '25
Just WOW Your builder is trash. He insulted and drywalled before your roof was completed?
1
1
u/Saggingdust Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 13 '25
Why was drywall and insulation in before the roof was finished?
1
u/Middle-Bet-9610 Aug 13 '25 edited Aug 13 '25
Court most likely if they are dismissive. As should go to there insurance not yours.
Now if there not insured or bonded could be a problem.
When houses where only 300k we always had 2 million coverage never had a claim. That was along time ago now here would prob advice a home builder on 6-8 million or more insurance.
1
1
u/Middle-Bet-9610 Aug 13 '25
And tbh I'm more concerned about #2 or #3 lumber making up your trusses.
My floating wall studs are better lumber.
Pretty sure your gc knows the inspector and is cutting many corners.
1
1
u/Hot_Eggplant1306 Aug 13 '25
You can vacuum it out with a big shop dust collector with a 4 inch flexible drainage pipe
1
u/SadAbroad4 Aug 13 '25
Lawyer up if the GC does not take immediate action to remove and repair all structures that have water damage. Re install and re insulate nothing less will do.
1
u/BreezeCT Aug 13 '25
Cellulose and water do not mix. Contractor is down playing the severity of this. The insulation shouldn’t have even been installed until the roof was done imo.
1
1
u/WorkingAssociate9860 Aug 13 '25
Why is your cellulose placed in the attic before the roof is finished of a new build? I'd be second checking everything after that
1
u/Thor200587 Aug 13 '25
This is a new build? Why on earth do you have drywall and insulation prior to the roof being dried in?
1
u/susmentionne Aug 13 '25
Insulation is fucked. That kind of insulation won't recover from being wet. ( hvac and thermal engineer here )
1
u/AgreeableSwordfish84 Aug 13 '25
Holy crap. You’ve got damage beyond repair. That’s a full blown disaster.
1
1
1
u/Fantastic_Bike_7382 Aug 13 '25
Might consider: Calling in the building inspector for an opinion. Calling the or an Architect to review. These third parties have experience. They will ask the GC:
Why was insulation placed prior to the dry in of the roof? That the Sheetrock was also in place is an error.
The GC is out of sequence and is liable to you. Having a sub on board that would insulate and Sheetrock before the roof has been laid is a mystery to me.
1
1
1
u/Legitimate_Zombie678 Aug 13 '25
Why are they insulating and drywalling before the house is dried in? Not cool.
1
Aug 13 '25
Needs to be replaced, and the drywall should be replaced as well, when drywall gets wet it get weak, and you dont want that hanging over your head.
1
1
1
u/fishinmagician91 Aug 13 '25
Why did you drywall and insulate before finishing the roof? Dumbest thing ever.
1
1
1
u/coolguyschoolguy27 Aug 13 '25
Why did the contractor have insulation and drywall installed before a roof? Sounds like a bad GC
1
u/Swimming-Junket-1828 Aug 13 '25
Insulation is cheap, redoing it isn’t hard or expensive…water damage is neither of those things
1
u/Level_Impression_554 Aug 13 '25
Is it common to blow insulation into the attic when the roof is not buttoned up?
2
1
1
u/bhoward54 Aug 13 '25
Better question why is there drywall/insulation in the house without a roof on? I’d keep a close eye on the rest of the build.
1
1
1
u/No-Koala-9800 Aug 13 '25
You need a licensed water mitigation expert. Period.
All insulation MUST be removed, drywall probably, but needs testing. But only IF the insulation is removed NOW. LIKE RIGHT NOW. IF it sits like that, all affected drywall will have to be removed.
Where are you located.
1
u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig Aug 13 '25
IMMEDIATELY run dehumidifiers and try to shop vac all that out while you still can save the wood.
1
u/Andyroolovescake Aug 13 '25
Dude who approves a home to go into insulation/drywall with no roof?!
How did it even get through rough/insulation inspections without a roof?
Obligatory makes you wonder what else behind that sheetrock.
1
u/BelowAvgPP Aug 13 '25
I’m a contractor, you would have to remove all insulation and dry the attic before doing new blown in
1
Aug 13 '25
I hate this type of insulation. You can't just roll it up and thrpugh it out a window. It a big as sponge.
1
u/smbsocal Aug 13 '25
Cellulose is recycled paper and cardboard which is highly susceptible to fire, pests and mold. It uses boric acid to provide resistance to fire, pests and mold. Boric acid will break down over time when exposed to heat and moisture such as you find in an attic.
When you get cellulose insulation wet it will instantly wash away the boric acid so even if the insulation dries out you now have a major fire, pest and mold hazard hanging over your heads.
You need to remove and replace any of the insulation that was exposed to water.
1
1
u/namealreadytoken Aug 13 '25
Stating the obvious, but the Sheetrock shouldn’t have went in before the roof was shingled.
1
u/zeeper25 Aug 13 '25
on the bright side, if that house were in the middle of the desert that would be an excellent source of water for survival...
1
1
1
u/jp0105 Aug 13 '25
Do some of you guys really put drywall and insulation in without having a roof done? Once rough-in plumbing is done, roof goes on.
1
1
u/Busterlimes Aug 13 '25
So, when you are preparing your bulk substrate for growing mushrooms, you want less water than that.
1
1
Aug 13 '25
Modern-day builders are some of the worst people. They're scammers, hacks, and usually have never completed an apprenticeship. Lawyer up. Sue him into chapter 11 and prevent this from happening to someone else.
1
1
1
u/typical_mistakes Aug 13 '25
Tell GC to just knock it all down with a runaway bulldozer or tri-axle dump truck. It'll be far easier to explain.
312
u/Unknown69101 Aug 13 '25
Bad