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Performance Standard: No leaks of any kind shall exist in any soil, waste, vent, or water pipe.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will make repairs to eliminate leakage.

Performance Standard: Condensation on pipes may result at certain combinations of temperature and indoor humidity.

Corrective Measure: None.

Performance Standard: No valve or faucet shall leak because of defects in material or workmanship.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair or replace the leaking faucet or valve.

Performance Standard: Dampness caused by wicking through the basement walls or floor and condensation of water vapor on cool walls and floor are not the responsibility of the remodeler.

Corrective Measure: None. Dampness prevention is the responsibility of the owner.

Discussion: The owner’s failure to maintain a proper grade away from the house can contribute to dampness. Condensation also contributes to dampness.

Performance Standard: Leaks resulting in actual trickling of water shall be repaired. Leaks caused by landscaping improperly installed by the owner, or by the failure of the owner to maintain proper grades, are not the remodeler’s responsibility. Walls and floors of new construction may become damp as concrete, mortar, and other materials dry, and dampness alone is not considered a deficiency.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will take such action as necessary to correct basement leaks, except where the cause is determined to result from the owner’s actions or negligence.

Performance Standard: Flowing or trickling water on interior crawl space surfaces is unacceptable.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will take the necessary corrective measures to eliminate or drain away any flowing or trickling water on crawl space surfaces.

Performance Standard: Condensation in the crawl space shall not result from failure to provide adequate ventilation as required by code. Condensation resulting from other causes is not the responsibility of the remodeler.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will ensure that ventilation meets the appropriate code requirements. Further reduction of condensation is an owner maintenance responsibility.

Discussion: Temporary conditions may cause condensation that cannot be eliminated by ventilation and a vapor barrier because: Night air gradually cools the interior surfaces of the crawl space. In the morning, moisture picked up by sun-warmed air is carried into the crawl space and condenses on cool surfaces.

At night, outside air may rapidly cool foundation walls and provide a cool surface on which moisture may condense.

If the house is left unheated in the winter, the floors and walls may provide cold surfaces on which moisture in the warmer crawl space air may condense.

Excessive moisture inside a heated house may hit the dew point within or on the colder bottom surface of vapor-permeable floor insulation. The condensation can be reduced by placing a vapor barrier between the insulation and the floor sheathing.

If condensation must be entirely eliminated, the owner can do so by sealing and dehumidifying or heating the crawl space, or by heating and dehumidifying the house.

Performance Standard: When metal is heated, it expands, and when cooled, it contracts. The resulting “ticking” or “crackling” sounds generally are to be expected and do not constitute a defect.

Corrective Measure: None.

Performance Standard: The stiffening of the ductwork and the gauge of the metal used shall be such that ducts do not “oil can.” The booming noise caused by oil canning is not acceptable.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will correct the ductwork to eliminate noise caused by oil canning.

Performance Standard: Ductwork shall remain intact and securely fastened.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will reattach and re-secure all separated or unattached ductwork.

Performance Standard: The heating system shall be capable of producing an inside temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit, as measured in the center of each room at a height of 5 feet above the floor under local, outdoor winter design conditions as specified in the ASHRAE

Handbook: Fundamentals.1 National, state, or local energy codes shall supersede this performance standard where such codes have been locally adopted.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will correct the heating system to provide the required temperature in accordance with the performance standard or applicable code specifications. However, the owner will be responsible for balancing dampers and registers and for making other necessary minor adjustments.

Performance Standard: If air-conditioning is installed by the remodeler, the cooling system shall be capable of maintaining a temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit, as measured in the center of each room at a height of 5 feet above the floor under local outdoor summer design conditions as specified in the ASHRAE Handbook: Fundamentals. In the case of outside temperatures exceeding 95 degrees Fahrenheit, the system shall keep the inside temperature 15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the outside temperature. National, state, or local codes shall supersede this standard where such codes have been locally adopted.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will correct the cooling system to provide the required temperature in accordance with the performance standard or applicable code specifications.

Performance Standard: None.

Corrective Measure: Condensation lines will clog eventually under normal use. The remodeler will provide unobstructed condensation lines at the time the job is accepted. The owner is responsible for maintaining them in that condition.

Performance Standard: Refrigerant lines shall not leak during normal operation.

 Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair leaking refrigerant lines and recharge the air-conditioning unit unless the damage was caused by the owner’s actions or negligence.

Performance Standard: Tile, brick, marble, and stone flooring shall not crack or loosen.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will replace cracked tiles, bricks, marble, and stone flooring, and re-secure loose tiles, bricks, marble, and stone, unless the defects were caused by the owner’s actions or negligence. The remodeler is not responsible for discontinued patterns or color variations in replacing tile, brick, marble, or stone flooring.

Performance Standard: Gaps between miter edges in trim and molding shall not exceed 1/16 inch.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair gaps exceeding the performance standard. Caulking or puttying with materials compatible to the finish are acceptable.

Performance Standard: Gear finishes used on exterior surfaces may deteriorate rapidly. This problem is beyond the remodeler’s control.

Corrective Measure: None

Performance Standard: Clear finishes on interior woodwork shall not deteriorate during the warranty period. However, clear finishes used on exterior surfaces may deteriorate rapidly, and they are not covered by this performance standard.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will retouch affected areas of clear-finish interior woodwork and match the original finish as closely as practical.

Performance Standard: The wall covering shall not peel off the walls.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will reattach or replace the loose wall covering.

Performance Standard: Exposure to natural light may cause spots on and minor fading of the carpet.

Corrective Measure: None.

Performance Standard: Cups in strip oak floor boards shall not exceed 1/16 inch in depth in a 3-inch maximum span measured perpendicular to the long axis of the board. Cupping caused by exposure to moisture beyond the control of the remodeler is not covered.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will correct or repair to meet the standard.

Performance Standard: Bows exceeding 1/4 inch in 16 inches are unacceptable.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will replace any wood lap siding with bows exceeding the performance standard, and finish replacement siding to match the existing siding as closely as practical.

Discussion: If the siding is held by nails into studs and is force-fit during installation, expansion caused by increasing relative humidity may cause bulges or waves. Even with proper installation, siding will tend to bow inward and outward in adjacent stud spaces.

Performance Standard: End gaps wider than 1/8 inch are unacceptable.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair end gaps that do not meet the performance standard by providing joint covers or by caulking the gap. If the siding is painted, the remodeler will paint the new caulking to match the siding as closely as practical.

Performance Standard: Any piece of lap siding more than 1/2 inch off parallel with the bottom course or more than 1/4 inch off parallel with contiguous courses is unacceptable, unless the owner and the remodeler have previously agreed to disregard the performance standard to match a preexisting structural condition.

 Corrective Measure: The remodeler will reinstall siding to meet the performance standard for straightness and replace any siding damaged during removal with new siding.

Discussion: This defect is preventable. Lap siding can be kept straight by measuring and marking the courses on the comers, snapping lines between the marks, and holding the courses to the marks. However, if the remodeler and the owner have agreed that the floor of an addition is to be on a different plane from an existing floor (e.g., out of level), the siding on the addition may not be parallel and in line with the existing siding.

Performance Standard: Siding that projects more than 3/16 inch from the face of adjacent siding is unacceptable.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will repair or replace any siding not meeting the performance standard.

Discussion: Buckling is caused by increasing relative humidity, which causes the siding to expand. It can be prevented by leaving space between the tongues and grooves for siding to expand, and by leaving the siding outside for a few days to allow it to adjust to the ambient humidity prior to installation.

Performance Standard: Siding shall not delaminate.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will replace delaminated siding unless the delamination was caused by the owner’s actions or negligence. The repaired area may not precisely match the original siding.

Performance Standard: 1/8 inch in 16 inches, or 1/4 inch in 24 inches, are unacceptable.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will install additional nails in siding to meet acceptable nailing schedules and will replace any siding that has bows exceeding the performance standard.

Discussion: Some waviness in siding is to be expected because of bows in studs. However, proper nailing of siding will straighten most bows.

Performance Standard: Some waviness in lap siding is to be expected because of bows in studs. Thermal expansion waves or distortions in aluminum or vinyl lap siding, sometimes called oil canning, are unacceptable if they exceed 1/8 inch in 16 inches.

Corrective Measure: The remodeler will correct any thermal expansion waves or distortions exceeding the performance standard by reinstalling or replacing siding as necessary.

Discussion: This problem is caused by the siding being nailed too tightly to the house instead of loosely “hung” in the center of the nail slots, or by not allowing adequate room for the siding to expand at the ends.

Performance Standard: Gradual fading or change in color caused by sunlight occurs in nearly all vinyl and aluminum sidings and cannot be prevented by the remodeler.

Corrective Measure: None.