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Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate, Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker (Fred Griffin Real Estate)

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Rainmaker
5,583,278
Barbara Todaro
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Happily Retired - Franklin, MA
Previously Affiliated with The Todaro Team

that's not a foundation issue.... it could be the quality of the strips of wood... but I think it's the humidity causing swelling and if the bundles of strips are not left in the home for a few days to adjust to the humidity in the home, they will cup after the installation.... each strip is tapped into place with a rubber mallet and when they swell that's the photo....

May 04, 2018 01:25 PM
Rainmaker
711,852
Lynnea Miller
Bend Premier Real Estate - Bend, OR
Premier Real Estate Service in Central Oregon

Yes. Usually a sign of moisture issues. Not typically a problem in Central Oregon unless there has been a plumbing leak

May 04, 2018 12:48 PM
Rainmaker
5,216,398
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Definitely a moisture problem. Just moved out of a condomnium that had a flood. The floors are seriously cupped and will be replaced.

May 04, 2018 01:39 PM
Rainmaker
1,955,212
Sheri Sperry - MCNE®
Coldwell Banker Realty - Sedona, AZ
(928) 274-7355 ~ YOUR Solutions REALTOR®

Sometimes flooring isn't cured. I wonder if that could have been an issue?

May 04, 2018 01:32 PM
Ambassador
2,684,009
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

    Cupping usually gets blamed on moisture coming through either off-grade subfloor, or moisture coming through an unsealed slab. 

    This is the first Inspection letter I've seen where it is blamed on poor installation!

May 04, 2018 01:14 PM
Rainmaker
5,772,575
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Fred,

I agree with Lynnea Miller .  We recently saw this in a home in SB and there had been a leakage.  The owners were in the process of replacing the floor.  A

May 04, 2018 12:55 PM
Rainmaker
2,781,173
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

I had my whole house done by professionals who speak this product fluently

May 04, 2018 01:52 PM
Rainmaker
1,844,291
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

It could be a little bit of both but I would suspect the floor first before going nuts. Install is the #1 problem or thing that I would investigate first.

He's saying the floor is installed upside down. With pre-finished flooring how can that be?

May 04, 2018 01:45 PM
Rainmaker
4,572,183
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

I have seen this but I think Debbie Gartner,  as Alexandra noted,  may offer some additional insight. 

May 04, 2018 01:15 PM
Ambassador
5,049,183
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

I've never heard this issue blamed on the foundation. Barbara Todaro to the rescue!

May 04, 2018 03:52 PM
Ambassador
3,345,091
Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

I do see that from time to time.  Poor installation would be my guess. 

May 04, 2018 03:43 PM
Rainmaker
1,525,616
Sybil Campbell
Fernandina Beach, FL
Referral Agent Amelia Island Florida

I've only seen this where there were serious moisture issues.

May 04, 2018 03:01 PM
Rainmaker
1,543,727
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® e-Pro CRS RCS-D Vets
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
CEO of Vision Drive Realty - Coastal San Diego

Could be moisture issues, acclimating issue, too tight, no "float" etc.

May 04, 2018 02:43 PM
Rainmaker
7,836,134
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Better call your favorite flooring guy.

May 04, 2018 02:30 PM
Ambassador
2,061,803
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

In my experience cupping is typically due to changes in humidity.

May 04, 2018 02:19 PM
Rainmaker
5,104,931
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

I've seen it and it's always attributed to moisture under the flooring.

May 04, 2018 01:54 PM
Rainmaker
679,404
Diana Dahlberg
1 Month Realty - Pleasant Prairie, WI
Real Estate in Kenosha, WI since 1994 262-308-3563

I've seen this problem before ... and it was usually due to moisture.

May 04, 2018 04:10 PM
Rainmaker
613,494
Eve Alexander
Buyers Broker of Florida - Tampa, FL
Exclusively Representing ONLY Tampa Home Buyers

I have never seen a "cupped" floor that did not look like cheap quality laminate to begin with...

Eve

May 04, 2018 04:00 PM
Rainmaker
809,258
Kasey & John Boles
Jon Gosche Real Estate, LLC - BoiseMeridianRealEstate.com - Boise, ID
Boise & Meridian, ID Ada/Canyon/Gem/Boise Counties

Yes I have seen it with water damaged hardwood. Not foundation related. Also not installation related as I understand. -K

May 04, 2018 03:54 PM
Rainmaker
3,416,038
Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

It is the wood, not foundation. Humidity will do this as well as wet mopping frequently which some actually do

May 04, 2018 04:50 PM
Rainmaker
2,390,620
Bob "RealMan" Timm
Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND
Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

Interesting Fred Griffin . I can not say with certainty that I have seen this before.

May 04, 2018 04:44 PM
Ambassador
5,230,068
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Two things typically cause that issue here, Fred:

1. The wood needs to sit inside, climate-controlled space to acclimate to the temperatures for, I believe, at least 4 days. Some builders are pushing their deadlines and skip this step. 

2. The majority of issues here are in older homes with moist crawl spaces or basements. When the moisture issues are resolved, in a few weeks, the cupping goes away. 

May 04, 2018 03:38 PM
Rainmaker
900,128
Olga Simoncelli
Veritas Prime, LLC dba Veritas Prime Real Estate - New Fairfield, CT
CONSULTANT, Real Estate Services & Risk Management

Sounds like an installation issue; wood swells, installers need to allow for that.

May 04, 2018 05:22 PM
Rainmaker
5,868,544
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

I had a leak from the water line in the refrigerator, and caused the cupping.  It took 6 months, but the wood finally dried out (we are dry here in CO), and eventually went away.

May 08, 2018 09:13 AM
Rainer
67,369
Evelyn M Epperson
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Johns Creek, GA
A Tradition Of [Excellence, Trust & Service]

Cupping happens here in Georgia either due to moisture in the slab or the slab was not prepped properly prior to installation of the flooring.  

May 07, 2018 06:25 PM
Rainmaker
2,817,671
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Yes, I see often...too often.

 

Looks like a moisture/water/humidity issue.  the question is the source.

 

Is it solid or engineered? (kind of looks like engineered)  How installed?  What's below it?  How was it installed?  Nailed or glued?  (doesn't look like floating)

 

It could be due to many things.  It could in fact be from foundation, if foundation wasn't sealed, or due to hydrostatic pressure - if ground is very saturated with water.

 

could be due to not acclimating long enough and/or not a proper temp and that humidity readings weren't done before installing.

 

Could be due to water leak somewhere.

 

could be due to humidity levels in room/home are too high

 

I have seen all of these issues and more.

 

I don't understand inspector's note.  that makes no sense to me.  But then again, what do I know, LOL.

May 06, 2018 11:53 AM
Rainmaker
1,239,901
Sam Shueh
(408) 425-1601 - San Jose, CA
mba, cdpe, reopro, pe

Glued underneath. Need floating type....

Buckling -membrance bends and give way under pressure or strain.

 

 
May 05, 2018 06:02 PM
Rainmaker
1,502,998
Ryan Huggins - Thousand Oaks, CA
https://HugginsHomes.com - Thousand Oaks, CA
Residential Real Estate and Investment Properties

That I've not seen.  Of course we always let it sit for a week or so in the house to get used to the weather in the house and install it with a small gap under the baseboards to allow for expansion.

May 05, 2018 09:04 AM
Rainmaker
4,434,127
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

No.

May 05, 2018 06:38 AM
Rainmaker
3,071,489
Tony and Suzanne Marriott, Associate Brokers
Serving the Greater Phoenix and Scottsdale Metropolitan Area - Scottsdale, AZ
Haven Express @ Keller Williams Arizona Realty

Moisture issue!

May 05, 2018 06:17 AM
Rainmaker
4,800,082
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

This is news to me.

May 05, 2018 05:45 AM
Rainmaker
4,319,419
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

Fred Griffin - the best in new construction, Barbara Todaro nailed it. 

May 04, 2018 11:41 PM
Ambassador
3,854,909
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

I have seen this in a rec room on ground level...but

this is a question for Debbie Gartner The Flooring Girl!

May 04, 2018 09:52 PM
Rainmaker
536,943
Rose Mary Justice
Synergy Realty Pros - Dandridge, TN
Synergy Realty Pros

I agree with the inspector if it were our neck of the woods.  Poor installation causes this as flooring has to have room to move.  It has to acclimate as well for at least 24 hours.  

Could be from Moisture but not always.

Seen it before.

May 04, 2018 09:32 PM
Ambassador
3,164,294
Tammy Lankford,
Lane Realty Eatonton, GA Lake Sinclair, Milledgeville, 706-485-9668 - Eatonton, GA
Broker GA Lake Sinclair/Eatonton/Milledgeville

Bad/untimely installation can do it.  I've seen it.  When hardwoods are delievered they should be unwrapped and sit in the space for a time before installation.  When people skip that wait period and install immediately this can be the exact outcome.

May 04, 2018 09:30 PM
Ambassador
6,393,404
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

I have seen it before, after a plumbing leak, once the floor dried it went back to normal.

May 04, 2018 09:10 PM
Rainmaker
3,988,007
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

Excessive humidity inside the home can cause cupping. I have seen it happen and my HVAC man verified it.

May 04, 2018 08:37 PM
Rainer
140,560
Richard L. McKinney P.A.
Atlantic Shores Realty Expertise - Port St Lucie, FL
For Results that MOVE you on the Treasure Coast!

I see it quite often down here and hear the same reasons that your inspector said. Bad installation and humidity. 

May 04, 2018 07:01 PM
Rainmaker
1,712,676
Joe Pryor
The Virtual Real Estate Team - Oklahoma City, OK
REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties

We have wood floors on the second floor of our condo close to the ocean in Florida. No issues.

May 04, 2018 06:50 PM