This is a Pulte-installed wood floor in a Pulte-built house at Sun City Hilton Head, SC. The original and current owner says in a letter to Pulte dated June 13, 2009:
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"At a cost of $12,960, I had wooden flooring in my home installed by Pulte as an add-on when we bought the house in April 2005, and took up occupancy in November. At that time homes were in high demand and being built incredibly quickly. In fact, if a lagoon view was wanted, you had to enter a lottery!
The den became my office in the Wisteria model and a large carpet laid on the Pulte installed wood floor, upon which sits a plastic pad of the type that protects my office chair from damage to the carpet when moved on its rollers. A huge stain has appeared beneath all this, the carpet is wet, and that part of the floor black. The Pulte representative that came in response to my call, effectively said that I was at fault, because the protective pad was blocking evaporation of the water seeping up from the concrete slab, thus I must pay to have the floor replaced. It seems to me that what I have done is perfectly normal and a practice that I have successfully used elsewhere, and that wetness coming up through the concrete slab is a result of a crack or not allowing the slab to properly cure once laid.
Incidentally, a similar occurrence took place at the southern end of the lounge where nothing sat upon the floor, and following a Pulte inspection the section of the floor was replaced, as the moisture barrier between the slab and the floor was missing. New sealant was applied and all has been well since.
I remain unconvinced that has gone wrong is because of any wrongdoing on my part, and would welcome your response before taking any further action."
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Pulte to homeowner:
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"I have spoken to xxxxxxxx; he in turn has spoken to the manufacturer of the flooring - generally, the consensus is that the placement of the plastic covering over a rug has effectively trapped moisture in the area that would otherwise have dissipated. I have asked xxxx to verify the likely placement of pipework and drainage to ensure that there is no possibility of an underground leak - we are confident at this stage that that is not the cause. The manufacturer of the flooring is suggesting that the area be left uncovered to see if the stain reduces. Fact is, if it does, it would somewhat confirm our suspicions. I would also like to obtain a moisture reading to be able to monitor the area from a more scientific perspective. I will get with xxxx to set up that appt.
Once we have the results, we will have a better idea of next actions. I have to caution you however. If we determine that the stain was caused by the placement of the plastic, we would consider this a homeowner responsibility.
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We will be in touch in the next couple of days to schedule the appointment."
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Homeowner to Pulte:
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"Thank you for your response and I look forward to meeting with xxxxxxxx, whom I have always found to be a most pleasant gentleman to deal with. In the meantime would you please be so kind as to supply me with the name of the company that provided the wood flooring for my home, conform the placement of a vapor barrier between the slab (sand?) and flooring, together with any record on my file that you may have of the actual moisture levels prior to installation.
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Concerning your word of "caution and homeowner responsibility". Having made use of carpet protectors in both homes and offices to avoid damage for several decades without problem, how am I supposed to be aware that such a normal act would violate the design criteria of a Pulte built home, and result in a ruined "stinky" carpet and extensive flooring damage?"
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Stay tuned.
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