Answers

Looks like this may have been someone's remedy for a deteriorated / rotten mud sill (the flat wooden plate which sits atop the foundation wall, upon which the joists bear).  If that is the case, it is possible that you might be able to remove the latter obstruction if one can restore the proper / original condition over the window.  That would want to be examined and undertaken by a professional.

As with any such thing, it is difficult to say for sure without a full on-site examination by a home imporvement professional with structural knowledge and experience in these types of repairs.

Cheri,

Did this just happen three years after installation or could this have been there from the time of installation and you didn't notice.  Sometimes this can happen, especially on older homes that have old wooden windows where the installers use something like a chisel to literally "bust out" the old exterior blind stops on the window when installing replacement windows from the exterior.  The old wood can be very dense and hard to chip off.  The force of hitting on the exterior could cause this type of thing or as someone else said, could have a shim putting pressure against the back side of the interior trim.  You probably would have noticed that kind of damage right away though.

Typically a 70 year old house has already settled so you wouldn't think that was the cause, unless you are having some other kind of structural problems with the home.  If it were water, I would imagine you would see some kind of staining or drips on the interior as well.  

It's really difficult to say, unfortunately.  It could be installation related, but would be hard to say without pulling off the metal wrap on the exterior (assuming they were wrapped) and seeing what is going on.  

I dont really see any water damage. They could have by accident impacted the trim with the shims. Maybe send a pcture of the outside and that should tell us a little more

Hello! I'm sorry to hear that you are having issues with your windows. From viewing your photos, it appears that there is water coming from up above the window. That being said, it could have been from improper installation or just bad windows. 

Please feel free to reach out to us and we can send one of our salemen out to have a look at what's going on with your windows.

Christy

EntryPoint Doors and Windows

5018 Bristol Industrial Way Suite 209

Buford, GA 30518

770-904-0094

I agree that you need a structural engineer. The longer you wait the more damage that could occure if it continues to move

I would recommend hiring a structural engineer to review and recmmend repairs not something you should let go. 

You might consider trying to add a new layer of ceiling drywall using GreenGlue sound proofing adheasive. This gets installed without removing anything too, it should be noted . This will be the most inexpensive aproach but may not be a complete cure. And you'll only lower the ceiling by about 5/8".

 You can look up Green Glue on the web for more info and where to to purchase.

If you don't want to loose ceiling height, you will need to remove the celing covering to gain access to the floor joist cavities.

A product we've had great sucess with is Roxul (http://www.roxul.com/residential/create+a+quiet+home/which+safe+n+sound).

Dennis is correct, NARI is a great resource.

Locate a contractor that has a good relationship with a structural engineer. Between the two, they should be able to come up with a good solution.

You can also use the GuildQuality "Find a Contractor" at the top of the webpage. THere you can find local contractors. I agree with Dennis that NARI is also another great option.

Begin by going to www.NARI.org and find a chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry in your area. NARI members are held to a high standard and they commit to a Standard of Ethics in writing. On www.NARI.org you can look for design build contractors with Certified Remodelers (CR) and Certified Lead Carpenters (CLC) on staff. The contractor will know if they need the services of a structural engineer (P.E.) to specify what needs to be done. You're welcome to contact me directly with your questions.

Dennis D. Gehman, CR, MSA, CLC, CKBR, CAPS

President

Gehman Design Remodeling

PA 000297

355 Main Street

Harleysville, PA 19438-2417

O 215-513-0300

F 215-513-1280

dennis@gehmanremodeling.com

www.gehmanremodeling.com

NARI = National Association of the Remodeling Industry

CR = NARI Certified Remodeler

MSA = CertainTeed Master Shingle Applicator

CLC = NARI Certifled Lead Carpenter

CKBR = NARI Certified Kitchen & Bath Remodeler

CAPS = Certified Aging in Place Specialist

You said your basement is made of treated wood? As in there is no concrete or masonry walls below grade?

If that is the case, my first suggestion to you would be to hire a contractor to excavate around your house, demo the basement walls, and replace them with concrete or masonry, followed by correctly installed waterproofing and draining backfill. This will not be an easy or cheap fix. Your insurance may help cover the cost of this repair.

I have never seen a below grade basement built with wood. That just doesn't make sense.

If you do have masonry or concrete walls, and they are leaking, especially through treated plywood that is attached to them, this is an indicator of a more serious problem outside. You may need to excavate around the house and replace the soil with a different type that allows for rapid drainage and prevents any sort of hydraulic pressure from building against your walls. Soil such as sand or gravel, or a mix of the two is ideal for this purpose. Also you should install proper waterproofing against the exterior walls to prevent water from contacting the wall at all.

Hydraulic pressure is incredibly powerful, and if you are experiencing water accumulation and build up sub grade against your house, and it is pushing through the wall, then no product you apply to the wall will stop it or be effective. You have to resolve the cause of the problem first.

Hope this helps.

Unfortunately I think WoW Home Solutions answered you correctly. This is an issue that should have been addressed in the planning phase by a forward thinking builder and/or architect, and at the latest in the building phase (assuming you had your home built; if it was a production tract home, then I'm sorry... and prepare yourself for more problems down the road....). Now that your home is completed, there is no easy or cheap remedy to this issue.

The only thing I can suggest that may work (emphasis on may/might/maybe) is to strip the existing drywall off the ceiling and replace it with soundboard. Insulate with spray foam (professional application) while it's all opened up. The spray foam will absorb some of the vibration and deaden the transfer of noise.

I'm no attorney-but this is how I understand things as a layman.

Risk is a broad term and I don't know if you are talking to the safety and health or the finanical well being of employees and buyers.

As far as the safety and health of employees there are hundreds of different specific regulations (that carry the weight of law and are mostly administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or a state agency) that address different industries and different scenarios, but as an overall approach the General Duty Clause lays the foundation for pretty much any of those https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=3359&p_table=oshact

The "code" reference probably relates to plumbing, electrical, building etc. codes.  They certainly regulate various trades and carry penalties of various types (generally financial or with financial consequences, not criminal) for failure to follow them.

As far as industry guidelines and manufacturers guidelines, failure to follow those certainly expose the builders to potential civil lawsuits to compensate someone for alleged damage as a result of that failure.

If there was a situation that resulted in a charge of criminal negligance that results in injury, then I imagine any of the codes, regulations and installation would be brought in to support (or refute) such charges.