Developer covered coal chute with drywall

We bought a townhouse from a developer and have had 99 problems so far. Everything from holes clear to the outside of the house to the latest…. The basement kept flooding and when we followed the leak we found that the coal chute was wide open behind the drywall. The air and water flow down the inside of the coal chute, freezing pipes, causing drafts in rooms immediately above, and is also full of debris (of waste water pipes, tupperware crates, old cables, you name it). During the walkthrough, the engineer report, etc, this was obscured by the drywall and is now just coming to light. The cover at the top is made of wood and is clearly inadequate. Can a case be made for fraud? It was intentionally hidden with the drywall and never disclosed. Is this common? And what’s the best way to fill it? Should we brick it from the inside? Cement it from the outside? How do we stop the leak?

radicalnewtherapy

in Cellar 10 years and 2 months ago

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NeoGrec | 10 years and 1 month ago

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Don’t get rid of the chute. Although you might feel it’s only been a nuisance until now, these chutes have some good uses — ventilation and light ingress are just two. Have a masonry contractor dig a dry well (3ft square should do the job) in the floor of the chute to absorb occasional excess water. Then do what everyone here has recommended: install a proper, tight-fitting metal hatch. So many Brooklyn rowhouses have these. There are plenty of metalworkers who can do the job.

daveinbedstuy | 10 years and 2 months ago

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I meant pointing out that the exterior wood covering might not be waterproof.

cate | 10 years and 2 months ago

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We have exactly the same thing, but it’s not covered by drywall. There is a window and window screen in the rubble cellar wall. It’s extremely useful and important for ventilating the basement. Like yours, ours has the same bars on the top. A very simple and primitive wooden cover fits over the bars. This is very typical in the rear of houses. Ours doesn’t leak, especially if we are careful to pull it up fairly snug against the side of the house. We have about a million other leaks in this area though — I would do some checking around to be sure what the source of the water is. As far as I know, though, this is not a coal chute. Coal would be delivered from the front of the house. Re the reviews, Slopefarm is correct.

mousta | 10 years and 2 months ago

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lopopolo or vinnies I’ve used lopopolo for a small job. A lot of people on here recommend them.

radicalnewtherapy | 10 years and 2 months ago

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Great idea on the skylight if you can keep it from leaking… The drain about the base of the wall ran into a small channel until it overflowed, wetting the drywall and flowing through the tile (note: dangers of finished basements when buying a house) and all over the floor. The trap is in the front of the house so it runs from the back wall to the front wall. Any good leads on a metal worker who can fabricate for us?

mousta | 10 years and 2 months ago

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Suprisingly the chute itself doesn’t look like it’s in bad shape. The metal hatches invariable leak, which is fine for the most part. The drain at the bottom of my chute doesn’t actually lead anywhere, just into the ground underneath. It’s less a drain and more of a hole. I ended up taking the metal hatch off and putting a skylight on my coal chute. brings some natural light into the cellar and it’s sealed well so it prevents leaks. My front hatch still leaks. In the winter the boiler makes it dry down there anyway and in the summer I have a good dehumidifier that’s tied into the waste line.

slopefarm | 10 years and 2 months ago

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Dave, I think bad references are allowed. Accusing someone of a crime is not. Hopefully, cate will clarify, but i think a post answereing a query about a particular contractor negatively would not be pulled.

radicalnewtherapy | 10 years and 2 months ago

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Pictures from the scene of the crime. The thing about this is that the top of the hole has bars (prison-style) and it is in the back of the house without stairs. They put on a proper metal hatch in the front, no leakage. No metal hatch in the back, just wood but we assumed the wall was closed, not wide open. DIB – yes, would have thought the engineer could point that out but with the drywall up how could he know. Can you cut into drywall during the walkthrough?

daveinbedstuy | 10 years and 2 months ago

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And Lol at all the debris in there…typical bad renovation practices fom corner cutting idiots. Your walls are probably full of the same stuff. Sorry. I dont see why only good and not bad referencs can be given here.

Rick | 10 years and 2 months ago

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I wouldn’t cement over the hatch. It makes getting things in and out of your basement easier. Have a mason build you a proper curb and have a iron hatch with a door installed.

daveinbedstuy | 10 years and 2 months ago

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You need a metal waterproof hatch just like every other brownstone has. Your inspector should have pointed outhat what you had was inadequate.

radicalnewtherapy | 10 years and 2 months ago

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Thank you for the reply. They are already named and shamed on YELP. I just didn’t see it until after…it is criminal. My most urgent concern is stopping the water, which has not saturated the drywall and stopping the air. The chute itself seems to be in great shape. They did build it up above grade and place very nice brick around it so it’s just a matter of getting the hatch. Is there a reason not to just fill it with cement? I can’t imagine a scenario where we will every use it again but I definitely want the wall closed in the basement and from the backyard. #painfulhomeownership

cate | 10 years and 2 months ago

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Please don’t name them. This is not a court of law and we can’t accuse people of criminal behavior. I don’t know about whether a lawsuit is worth fighting or not, but as far as fixing the leak, my advice would be to remove any drywall in a cellar and test with a hose to see where the water is coming from. If it’s just the cover, it’s not terribly expensive. If you have to repoint the wall, it’s a bit more complicated. Freezing pipes in the cellar is surprising to me to hear. We have windows open in the cellar to ventilate it and pipes do not freeze. Our rooms on two floors above are very cold by the windows. This is mostly because of holes in the walls (and/or lack of insulation, as is standard in old houses).

zag0r | 10 years and 2 months ago

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The truth is that it is a kind of fraud. Can a case be made? Depends on if it’s worth someone’s time to make it a case. At least name them to shame them and to warn others. The coal chute should have masonry walls with vapor barrier to begin with, beyond that it’s a matter of existing leaks and degree of finish in the cellar. Build up the chute walls to extend about 6″ above grade and install a Bilco hatch on this curb.