Question about drywall and wall repair

[MichaelB]

We have a roof leak, which is being repaired. Part of one wall was damaged from water and mold, and a section about 2' x 2' was cut out. Photo below.

Once the roof is repaired, does this hold need to be repaired immediately (new drywall and paint), or can it be left open like this for an extended period (months). Reason being we will be away from home and the timing of the repair is very close to our departure date.
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[REWahoo]

No reason the repair can't wait until your return. Just stick a tapestry or painting over it and no one will know.

 

[Red Badger]

Saw away and toss any moldy material. Then, just screw a piece of 1/4" plywood (or anything you have lying around) over it (the hole) until you get back.

 

[splitwdw]

Leave it open. Will help to dry everything out. Repair it when you get home.

 

[pb4uski]

I can't see much from the photo, but I don't see any harm with leaving it open to dry/air out and then fix it when you return. Exterior wall I assume?

 

[Walt34]

I'd just leave it as is and fix it when we got back. No harm that I can think of in leaving it open.

 

[MichaelB]

I know the photo is dark, but really there's not much to see. Some wood and insulation, right in the middle of an outside wall. There was quite a bit of water but mold only there, nowhere else - behind a framed painting. Based on the feedback here, I'm going to suggest to DW we call it an extended dry-out period and deal with it when we're back.

The roof leak was around some flashing. It's one of the few level spots on the roof, and there was some "accumulation of debris". Their term, used at least a dozen times. I think that points to a flawed installation, but the owner feels they installed correctly. I asked the guy who does the work (one of the advantages of speaking spanish ) and he told me the installation could have been better and the leak avoided, but didn't convey real negligence, and I believe him.

I'm doubtful they will cover the damage to the inside wall but are doing the roof repair without objection. No signs of water or mold anywhere else.

 

[REWahoo]

I know the photo is dark, but really there's not much to see. Some wood and insulation, right in the middle of an outside wall.

When you mentioned drywall and paint, I thought inside wall. Your statement above has me confused. Is the hole inside or outside?

 

[MichaelB]

When you mentioned drywall and paint, I thought inside wall. Your statement above has me confused. Is the hole inside or outside?

The inside wall that looks outside. Not sure what the proper name is.

 

[REWahoo]

The inside wall that looks outside.

Maybe put in a window?

I stand by my earlier statement - it should be fine until you are ready to have it repaired.

 

[pb4uski]

.... I'm doubtful they will cover the damage to the inside wall but are doing the roof repair without objection. No signs of water or mold anywhere else.

Who is they? The HOA? Insurer?

FWIW, at our Florida condo the association is responsible for all outside and common walls, including the drywall inside of those walls..... we are responsible for the paint and any interior walls.

 

[NW-Bound]

Maybe spray some bleach on it? Mold spores can be a health hazard.

 

[MichaelB]

Who is they? The HOA? Insurer?

The roofing company - the roof is 4 years old.

 

[Beldar]

Insurance covers remediation and restoration (we had a similar disaster 12 months ago). The remediation (tear-out and mold removal/treatment) should only take a few hours (one visit). The repair can be scheduled later at your convenience.

For us, the restoration portion took over two months (wrong carpet ordered, storage container for furniture had wrong lock, etc). As we are ER'd we sucked it up and made ourselves available when needed. Had we been working we would have been very p*ssed taking all that time off.

USAA selected a very S-Stooges restoration company (Belfor). Never again.

_B

 

[MichaelB]

Maybe put in a window?

I stand by my earlier statement - it should be fine until you are ready to have it repaired.

Cool.

The photo is a close up. It's actually right next to a big window.

Insurance won't help me, this is South Florida and the deductibles are really high.

 

[MichaelB]

Maybe spray some bleach on it? Mold spores can be a health hazard.

Not a bad idea, just in case.

 

[Scrapr]

One stud bay? Or more? Fiberglass insulation in the stud bay? How much water got in there? Is it dry at the bottom? Is the insulation dry?

I "might" pull out the insulation and put a small fan in the bay. Worst case open up the stud bay to the bottom & see what it's like down there. Not much difference between 4' x 16" & a 18" x 16" hole. And put in a fan for a few days. Stuff in some new insulation

Get a drywall patch guy in the patch it up purty. The good guys can match the orange peel texture (if that is what you have) very well.

I see you are not going through insurance. That helps a lot. We have the same toilet supply fail 2x's over several years. Since i know "guys" we just did it ourselves. Our vacation home skylight roof leaked at <1 year so the builder got them back out. Poor flashing. They replaced some flooring too. I can see some of the patch work. But Mrs Scrapr can't. So the phrase Can't see it from my house applies here

 

[Ronstar]

Get as much of the wet stuff out as you can. Get a fan running on it if possible. Leave it open and get the hole patched when you return.

 

[MichaelB]

One stud bay? Or more? Fiberglass insulation in the stud bay? How much water got in there? Is it dry at the bottom? Is the insulation dry?

The last heavy rain was friday past, a real downpour. First time we saw any water elsewhere other than at the spot we cut out. There were signs of water below the hole and about 2 feet to one side, same level. Nothing above, nothing on the ceiling, or any other wall. I think the leak was recent and the damage contained. At least that's my hope. Everything dried pretty quickly and no water since. It's quite dry now.

It may make sense to pull out and replace some insulation, or even cut out some more drywall. We already have someone to do this, so we'll talk it over with him. He was in the attic above the leak last week and didn't see any signs of water, rot or mold.

 

[Scrapr]

The last heavy rain was friday past, a real downpour. First time we saw any water elsewhere other than at the spot we cut out. There were signs of water below the hole and about 2 feet to one side, same level. Nothing above, nothing on the ceiling, or any other wall. I think the leak was recent and the damage contained. At least that's my hope. Everything dried pretty quickly and no water since. It's quite dry now.

It may make sense to pull out and replace some insulation, or even cut out some more drywall. We already have someone to do this, so we'll talk it over with him. He was in the attic above the leak last week and didn't see any signs of water, rot or mold.

That's when the leaks appear! OK, I'm being a smartass.

I would pull the insulation from any suspect areas. It's not going to hold up well when wet. If you have a patch guy then you can open up suspect areas and not be too bad off. Maybe see if you can borrow a moisture meter. Or even better a infra red camera.

 

[samclem]

I'm late to the party, but I'd concur with leaving the hole open while you are away. In your shoes I'd probably leave a small fan running on it the whole time I was gone, and if it felt wet I'd pull out the fiberglass as far as I could reach. Two other things:


1) If I understand the situation, the water probably entered the wall at the top of the stud bay. It's very possible that there's more wetness above the top plate of that wall, in the attic (or hopefully not, inside a cathedral ceiling). It would be good to check that out and remove any soppy insulation from up there, too.

2) It seems possible that the adjoining stud bays might also have gotten wet. Leaving the wall open and blowing air in will help dry those out to some extent, if they aren't very wet (water will transpire through the wood studs). If you want to learn more, you could carefully pry off the baseboard and cut a few small holes in the drywall at the very bottom, then see if the bottom wood plate is wet inside the now "open" stud bay (if so, the insulation is also wet all the way to the bottom) as well as the stud bays on either side. The baseboard will cover the holes you made.


Also, if this were winter and you were heating the house, it would not be a good idea to leave this wall open due to potential condensation issues. For similar reasons, when the wall insulation is replaced, do what you can to restore the vapor barrier on the warm side of the wall.

 

[Sunset]

Water really likes to travel.


In this case, I'd be strongly tempted to cut out the wall from where you have the hole, down to the floor.
So you can be positively sure no water got all the way down, and you don't have wet insulation down there at the bottom.

The effort and cost to repair a 2x2 hole is about the same as to repair a 2x7 hole.


The hole can be left open, unless you have pets/kids that would get to it, but as earlier poster said, plywood would be a temporary solution (or some wallboard).

 

[Mykle57]

All good advise so far.

When deciding how much to patch, you should cut the drywall to the middle of a stud on each side. e.g., a multiple of 16 inches. Allow space to attach the new piece.

 

[Keim]

No harm in leaving it open. Could get a vent grate and put it on there if concerned about aesthetics.

 

[MichaelB]

I'm not sure how long the roof was leaking. Probably a few months. All the water was absorbed by the drywall and insulation, until it finally became visible. How long would it take for that to dry - without cutting any more wall or using a fan?

Edit - the reason I ask is there was a heavy rain this morning. No new water appeared in the exposed area, which is good. However, the covered area around the cut-out, where some water did reach before the repair, is damp. Not sure this dampness is new or old, nor how to measure or tell.