For John Rinaldi, it's an unwanted extension of his house. A reminder of the problem in his basement.
"The point is I paid for a house that had drain tile in it that should work," said Rinaldi.
John bought this Janesville house new in 2008. Soon after came leaks and flooding and then something creeping up his walls.
"This was the corner that was packed with mold," said Rinaldi. "We have mold throughout the house. I am concerned about the health of my family."
He says he's brought his concern to the builder Preferred Homes and the owner has attempted to plug the basement leak with epoxy. He's even added this extension to the downspout to keep water away from John's home. But John believes the drain tile system is broken and needs to be replaced.
"Since we've been here , there's never been a drop of water in this thing," said Rinaldi looking into his sump crock. "Its been completely dry since I've owned it."
John's got an estimate for the work: $2,000 to $10,000 depending on what's wrong. He wants the builder to pay for it. But the builder, Bill Bohn, tells Call for Action that he and john had a deal. He says, "the agreement was if John got water in his basement again to call. But he hasn't." And John admits since the builder's 'fix' in March he's yet to see a leak.
The builder says he's been trying to locate the source of the leak for the last year and is experimenting to fix the problem. But the homeowner says he's just not going to be satisfied until new drain tiles are installed in the basement.
If you have a consumer complaint you'd like to bring to our attention, feel free to give us a call at 661-2727.
