Flooring Tile - Shower on Greenboard - Update

Hi All,

About a month ago I posted in regards to my discovery that my tile shower was constructed over nothing more than greenboard drywall.

After failing to get a few different contractors to check out the job (no one was interested), I decided to dig into it myself - after all, how bad can it be?

Well, I discovered that is in fact quite bad. I updated my webpage (see below) to show some of the demolition. What I found was surprising and upsetting.

http://home.comcast.net/~grdoppke/bathroom.htm

I am looking to hire a professional to clean up the mess and get things safe and healthy. After that, I am going to attempt to rebuild it myself. I am sure I will have many questions along the way and I thank you all in advance for your help thus far and for the future.

Thanks,

Greg

Greg

I doesnt look like anything was done right. Since this is a relatively new house, did any warranty come with it? Greenboard or regular drywall would have basically been the same result. No vapor barrier as you have learned is a big mistake. I wouldnt trust the pan and would replace it. You can have more than one piece for a pan but it has to be done properly and I doubt that they did this. Who knows what they used on the seam. There are way to may holes to consider patching anyway. Let this dry out for as long as it takes and clean up the mold problem. Whats on the outside of that sheathing, maybe some 15lb felt or something else thats not allowing moisture to escape. Is there a possibility that the water behind the wet wall is coming from outside?

Unfortunately there is no warranty. Although relatively new, it was bought 'as is' with no kind of warranty.

Right now I have removed a majority of the tiling and the interior wall. I have also removed the insulation, as it was wet as well. I am concerned about the moisture on the inside of the exterior wall. I looked outside and I do not see where there are any obvious problems. It is simple hardboard siding with no visible signs of damage. I wonder if there was a wicking effect from the moisture at the bottom? Also, I am concerned about condensation. It is cold here in Michigan (15-30 degrees) and the house is obviously warmer inside. I understand the basic concept of condensation, but I am not sure exactly what effect opening the wall and removing the insulation has. I am not really sure how else to do it because it is not going to dry with wet insulation covering it.

In any case, I am having a mold damage inspection service come out on Thursday. It is a bit pricy, but I want to make certain that there are no major health hazards present. After that (depending on the outcome) I am going to have to try and figure out why exactly the wall is all wet and try to figure out what to do about the plywood and studs that appear damaged. Being an exterior wall does not help things any. I am certainly not going to cover it up until I figure out what is going on.

I will keep you posted.

Thanks,

Greg

Well, had the mold inspector out today. He said that it is unfortunately a common problem. Many people don't even realize their showers fail until years after mold and water damage has occured. He said my case doesn't look too bad. He recommended clearing everything to the studs until no more mold or moisture is found. Then get a quaility disinfectant and clean the entire area several times. After that, dry it out and put it back together.

Looks like I need to get it cleaned up and on the road to recovery.