Cavity trays missing

[Jollyjay84]

I have quite a serious ongoing issue regard a cavity wall which acts as an internal wall at a roof junction.

The short version is I had a huge leak from this wall above which put a 50p size hole in the plasterboard and ran down the length of the room along the plasterboard joints below. The ceiling seems to have dried out and seems structurally ok now.

Due to covid my claim was put on hold but obviously I couldn't live with the threat of leaks every time it rains so I did my own tests and could simulate the leak by pouring water on the wall and flashing. I tried to isolate the different areas and I could make it leak just by pouring water on the flashing and not the wall.

As a temporary measure I put sealant on the flashing which has pretty much stopped the leak but during storm Christoph I monitored the ceiling all night with no apparent signs of a leak, but I then put an inspection camera into the roof void and saw the smallest drip from the metal beam, probably a couple of tablespoons worth but not enough to cause damage to the ceiling.

So my main problem here is that I'm pretty sure the majority of the leak is the flashing but I have also notice this wall doesn't have weep holes above the flashing as I believe it should.

Strangely there are weepholes 4 bricks from the top of the flat roof and above the window so in simple terms the top half is protected and the bottom half isn't.

What I can't seem to establish is whether this tiny amount of water is still the result of the flashing or water penetration through the brickwork.

My claim being submitted is for the apparent lack of cavity trays and poorly installed flashing. It's been more than 2 years so this will be claimed on the structural warranty with Premier not NHBC.

I thought I'd try and get an opinion on what you think is the likely cause? Missing trays/flashing or a combination of both?

I literally cannot find any independent builder who will acknowledge the missing trays as a problem or rather they cannot be bothered to do it so I can't get a quote which Premier is requesting.

Many thanks.

[New Home Expert]

Firstly, I cannot believe Premier Guarantee Warranty is expecting you to get a quote for the clear cut defect to be investigated.
You will also have to pay an excess on the cost of any claim too. (£1500 I think) 

From what you say it could be anything or a combination of things.
Cavity trays missing damaged, full of debris, ends not turned up.
Weep holes missing blocked, in wrong place.
Flashing issue, falling out, displaced by wind, insufficient laps, damaged.
Possibly flat roof is failing.

One thing that stands out is, the home is over 2 years old and only now this has become an issue.
This points to weather/storm damage which is the excuse I expect Premier will use to get out of doing anything at all.

My advice would be to get a professional inspector to find out what is causing the leak, before trying to appoint a builder to fix it.

Finally who was the housebuilder?

[Jollyjay84]

Thank you for the response. Lots of good info there that I didn't even think about.

I'm been off work for months so I've had plenty of time to investigate and the one thing I'm pretty confident about is the flashing is not fitted correctly. I can make the flashing leak without making  the rest of the wall wet.

Applying sealant to where the flashing meets the wall has definitely stopped me being able to recreate the leak as before. I know this is a short term bodge, it was only for investigation purposes, but it hasn't leaked through in any of the recent storms as it originally did.

My main concern now is the lack of weep holes at the base of the wall. I'm not sure if water penetrating the brick and running down the cavity contributed to the leak in the first instance but if it is happening now it's not noticeable. Also I've had an inspection camera in the roof void and no signs of water.

So if I contact premier guarantee and file a claim for missing cavity trays and incorrectly installed flashing this should be covered under the 10 structural warranty? I was under the assumption that premier would do some kind of investigating rather than rely on my own quotes?

 I was hoping they would be involved in the repair in some way as an insurance policy against further damage but it doesn't sound like that's the way it works?

[New Home Expert]

Premier Guarantee really should be inspecting this, not expecting you to get a contractor to do it and then carry out their own inspection with a view to rebutting the contractor's findings.

NHBC is better but all new home warranties are pretty much useless unless the remedial work is easily carried out, and/or relatively inexpensive or the housebuilder agrees to do it or pay for it.