Florida Room - Improperly Installed - United Exterminating Company

The detail box above shows how the water, leaking into the interior, rotted away the sills and studs supporting the aluminum structure. There was no way to see this without removing the aluminum siding covering the substructure.

After the sale, the new homeowner discovered that the Florida room leaked water in several areas. After dismantling the outside aluminum siding it was discovered that the flashings were installed improperly (backwards!) and the wooden substructure was made entirely of plain wood - not pressure-treated wood as it should be. Most nails were not galvanized, so as soon as they became wet, they rusted, and that rust formed the conduit for even more moisture movement to the inside walls.

Another view, showing the back of the room where the worst water incursions were. Water was leaking in from the bottom of the aluminum structure, it was also leaking UNDER the structure. This Florida room was built directly on top of a patio slab. Florida rooms should have proper foundations (footings) that will resist movement and stress. A sure sign of no foundation is glass cracking after a few years.

This view gives you an idea of how the room was attached to the house. The detail box shows the obvious moisture problem evident even without removing outside siding. Most of the bottom windows were in this condition.

This Florida room was installed by an inexperienced builder, unfamiliar with good construction practice. In deference to the builders, it might have been installed by the homeowner himself, the history is not clear.

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