Water damage is sneaky. A small leak behind a wall can run for months before you notice - and by then, you're looking at thousands in repairs. Mold, rot, structural damage, ruined insulation. It compounds fast.
The good news? Water damage leaves clues. If you know what to look for, you can catch it early when fixes are cheap and simple.
Visual Warning Signs
1. Stains on Ceilings or Walls
Water stains look like brown or yellowish patches, often with a darker ring around the edge. They usually appear below a leak source - under bathrooms, near roofs, around windows.
2. Peeling or Bubbling Paint
When water gets behind paint, it loses adhesion. You'll see bubbling, peeling, or flaking - especially in bathrooms, kitchens, and basements.
3. Warped or Sagging Drywall
Drywall absorbs water like a sponge. If a section looks swollen, saggy, or soft to the touch, there's water damage behind it.
4. Soft or Spongy Floors
Step near your toilet, bathtub, or under sinks. If the floor feels soft or bouncy, the subfloor is probably rotted from water exposure.
Smell and Texture Clues
5. Musty Odor
That "basement smell" or musty odor? That's mold. And mold needs moisture. If you smell it, there's water somewhere - even if you can't see it.
Common sources:
- Humid basements or crawl spaces
- Poorly ventilated bathrooms
- Slow leaks in walls
- Wet insulation in attics
6. Mold Growth
Mold shows up as black, green, or white fuzzy patches. Check corners, under sinks, around windows, in basements. If you see mold, you've got a moisture problem.
Structural Red Flags
7. Warped or Buckled Wood
Baseboards, window frames, door frames - wood swells when it gets wet. If trim is pulling away from walls or boards are cupping, that's water damage.
8. Efflorescence (White Powder on Concrete)
See white, chalky residue on basement walls or concrete? That's efflorescence - mineral deposits left behind when water evaporates. It means water is moving through your foundation.
9. Cracks in Walls or Foundation
Not all cracks mean water damage, but water can cause settlement issues and foundation movement. If cracks are growing, getting wider, or have water stains near them, investigate.
Where to Check
Do a water damage inspection twice a year. Hit these spots:
Inside the House
- Under sinks: Check cabinet floors for warping, stains, or smell
- Around toilets: Look for soft floors, stains, or loose toilet base
- Bathrooms: Check caulk lines, grout, ceiling below upper-floor bathrooms
- Attic: Look for roof leaks, water stains on rafters, wet insulation
- Basement/crawl space: Check for standing water, damp walls, musty smell
- Around windows: Look for stains, peeling paint, soft drywall
- Water heater area: Check for rust, corrosion, puddles
Outside the House
- Gutters: Clogged gutters overflow and dump water against your foundation
- Downspouts: Make sure they direct water away from the house
- Grading: Ground should slope away from foundation, not toward it
- Foundation: Look for cracks, staining, or areas where water pools
Common Causes
Understanding where water damage comes from helps you prevent it:
- Roof leaks: Missing shingles, damaged flashing, ice dams
- Plumbing leaks: Supply lines, drain lines, water heaters, toilets
- HVAC condensation: Clogged drain lines dump water inside walls
- Poor grading: Water flows toward house instead of away
- Basement seepage: Groundwater pressure, foundation cracks
- Window/door leaks: Failed caulk or flashing lets rain in
- Ice dams: Montana specialty - melting snow backs up under shingles
What to Do If You Find Water Damage
- Find the source: Don't just patch the symptom
- Stop the water: Fix the leak first, then deal with damage
- Dry it out: Wet materials need to dry completely to prevent mold
- Assess damage: Decide what can be saved vs. what needs replacing
- Repair properly: Don't cover up wet materials - they'll mold
Prevention Tips
- Clean gutters twice a year
- Check roof annually
- Maintain caulk around windows, doors, tubs, showers
- Fix plumbing leaks immediately (even small drips)
- Run bathroom exhaust fans during and after showers
- Keep basement humidity below 50%
- Grade soil away from foundation
- Insulate pipes in unheated areas
Found signs of water damage? Call us for an assessment. We'll find the source and give you an honest estimate on what needs fixing.