What should I do? Spend or make the show go on?

Question

This is India where corruption is maximum. Me and my family owns a bungalow(house). The house has been standing at the position since 7 years. Now, we have found that the builders of the house had tried to fool us, by not properly doing the work. The pipelines for the flow of water were not fitted in a proper base, i.e. the base was not proper. Now, we have come to know that the pipes had started leaking and the sand/soil had started to be dampened by water. I know this should not happen, but it so happened that the water went in the soil and the soil went down, creating a space between the marble and the soil. So, we have found out that to make this proper, we have to, um, sort of, renovate the whole thing, by breaking the marble and filling the place with soil and then, attach new marbles. We can always let it go like this, but the cavity may increase and one day, the floor of that region may collapse.

So what should I do?

Answer 1

Follow your concience.
If legaly possible (I know nothing about Indian Laws), hold the original contractor responsible, but if not, you shouldn't pass your problem on unless you let the new buyer know of the problem.

Answer 2

If these are supply pipes, then they are usually under pressure and the leak will get worse with time. The first priority is to fix the leaking pipes. Afterward, consider options as to fixing the settling ground. Maybe a small area could be removed and more dirt added and compacted. Otherwise you will need to lift the marble and create a better base, perhaps a poured concrete slab, before re-laying the marble. I agree that the builders should be held responsible, but in the end, you own the house now and must live there. If you must break the marble, try to do so in a out of the way place or it that's not possible, replace the area with a mosaic, using the broken marble and/or small pieces of tile. That way it adds value instead of just covering it up.

Answer 3

The leak needs to be repaired. The longer you put it off, the more damage that it will cause. Get it repaired, or fix it yourself. Do this before the walls start to sag and the foundation shifts and starts cracking the walls.