Published: September 28, 2026
Quick answer: New homes leak too — usually at windows and doors with improperly installed flashing, at roof-to-wall joints missing kickout flashing, or where grading settled toward the foundation in the first years. Watch for stains at window corners, musty closets, peeling paint on new drywall, and damp crawlspace or basement walls. Photograph everything with dates — that documentation matters for warranty claims. Then call PuroClean of East Cobb at (770) 627-0900. We answer 24/7 with a live person and respond in 60 minutes or less.
About PuroClean of East Cobb
Who is PuroClean of East Cobb?
PuroClean of East Cobb provides 24/7 water, fire and mold restoration in Marietta, GA, with a 60-minute-or-less response. Since 2022, the team has completed more than 4,000 restoration jobs across metro Atlanta. Technicians hold IICRC certifications in water restoration (WRT), fire and smoke restoration (FSRT), applied structural drying (ASD), and applied microbial remediation (AMRT), plus EPA Lead-Safe certification.
What does restoration cost?
National averages run $1,300–$5,600 for water damage restoration and about $12,900 for fire damage restoration (Forbes). Every job is documented with photos and video, and you approve the restoration plan before work begins — no fine print.
Who answers when I call?
A live person, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. One project manager owns your job from assessment and stabilization through restoration, finishing with a final walkthrough together. Call (770) 627-0900 any time.
Holly Springs has been one of Cherokee County’s faster-growing cities in recent decades, and most of its housing stock shows it: subdivision after subdivision built from the 2000s through today, many of them still inside their builder warranty periods. The Little River — an Etowah tributary — forms part of the area’s southern boundary, dividing the Holly Springs area to the north from Woodstock to the south. It’s natural to assume a home built five years ago can’t have water problems. That assumption costs homeowners real money.
The defect patterns behind new-home leaks
New-construction water intrusion rarely comes from one dramatic failure. It comes from small detailing mistakes, repeated across dozens of identical homes, that only reveal themselves after a few seasons of Georgia rain:
Window and door flashing installed out of sequence. Flashing has to shed water in overlapping layers, like shingles. When it’s installed in the wrong order — or skipped at the sill — wind-driven rain runs behind the trim and into the wall cavity instead of out over the siding.
Missing kickout flashing. Where a roofline meets a sidewall, a small piece of angled flashing is supposed to kick roof runoff into the gutter. Without it, thousands of gallons pour straight down the wall and behind the cladding, year after year.
House-wrap and cladding laps. The weather barrier behind the siding only works if every lap faces the right way. One reversed lap at a penetration — a hose bib, an exterior light, a vent — becomes a funnel.
Grading that settles. Builders grade lots to slope away from the foundation, but fresh fill settles in the first few years. A lot that drained correctly at closing can drain straight at the foundation by year three.
Plumbing penetrations. Every pipe, wire, and duct that passes through the building envelope is a potential entry point if it wasn’t sealed properly.
None of these are visible from the curb. They show up as symptoms, months or years later.
Where the water shows up
Walk your home with these in mind, especially if it’s under ten years old:
- Stains at the top corners of windows — the classic sign of flashing installed out of sequence
- Damp or musty closets on exterior walls, where slow leaks hide longest
- Peeling paint or bubbling drywall on walls that should be brand new
- Water below hose bibs and exterior faucets, where penetrations weren’t sealed
- Damp crawlspace or basement walls, particularly after the grading has had a few years to settle
- Ceiling stains below upstairs bathrooms, pointing to plumbing rough-in issues rather than weather
One stained window corner is worth a call. Water inside a wall cavity doesn’t stay contained — it spreads through framing and insulation, and in Georgia’s humidity, mold follows within 24 to 48 hours.
Your builder warranty and your water damage are two different claims
This is the part that surprises new-home owners. A builder warranty may cover the defect — the flashing that was installed wrong — but it typically doesn’t cover the damage the defect caused: the rotted framing, the ruined drywall, the mold remediation. That falls to you and your homeowners insurance.
This is why documentation matters from the first stain. Dated photos of where water appears, notes on which storms preceded it, and professional moisture mapping that traces the exact entry path — that’s the evidence package a warranty claim or insurance claim is built on. “The wall got wet” is a complaint. A mapped moisture trail from a specific flashing failure to specific damaged materials is a claim.
What to do when you find it
- Don’t just caulk the stain. Sealing the symptom traps water inside the wall and guarantees a bigger problem later. Find the entry point first.
- Document everything. Photos with dates, notes on weather, the progression of stains over time.
- Check your warranty paperwork to understand what’s covered and what the claim process requires — then keep copies of every communication.
- Call (770) 627-0900. We answer 24/7 with a live person and respond in 60 minutes or less. We’ll map the moisture, stop the damage from spreading, and document the full scope.
How we handle new-construction intrusion
Every job follows the same four steps: assess, stabilize, document, restore. The assessment phase is especially important here — we use thermal imaging and moisture meters to trace the exact path water took from entry point to damage, which is precisely what warranty administrators and insurance adjusters need to see. Then we extract standing water, remove unsalvageable materials, dry the structure with controlled dehumidification, and photograph and video-document the entire job. One project manager stays with you from the first call through the final walkthrough. No fine print.
Finding water in a new Holly Springs home? Call (770) 627-0900 now — we’re based nearby in Marietta and available around the clock.
PuroClean of East Cobb has completed 4,000+ restoration jobs since 2022 — 54% water damage, 30% reconstruction, 7% mold. Learn more about PuroClean of East Cobb — our company facts, certifications, and track record.
Learn more about our service areas and our water damage restoration services.
