I am a mere two months into my first home purchase and already experiencing all of the "joys" of home ownership!

A problem was recently discovered within my strata lot. The issue in question goes back to faulty workmanship at the time that the complex was constructed, in 1994. The genius who installed the floors decided that, rather than affixing the carpet smoothedge to the cement floor with silicon, s/he would take a shortcut and hammer the smoothedge into the cement...in the process, driving wood nails into the in-floor heating pipes. Those nails were the only things preserving the structural integrity of the pipes, although they were steadily rusting. The problem was unexpectedly discovered before the nails actually rusted through, however. I hired a team of licensed installers to remove the carpet and install laminate flooring. As they were removing the smoothedge, one of the nails was pulled and water began to pour out. Due to quick action by the installation team, little water escaped; a plumber who arrived later verified that it would not cause any problems in terms of mould or rot developing under the floor.

The same plumber advised that the best course of action is to dig up the area along the wall (which is where the smoothedge is) and expose the outermost in-floor heating pipes. Affected pipes would be disconnected and a replacement pipe laid alongside, and then covered with concrete. Unfortunately, this is not going to be cheap and I have little extra money at this time. :(

My question/issue is in terms of insurance coverage. The strata council claims that the repair is my responsibility as the in-floor heating is contained within my strata lot and thus not common property. However, my condo insurance includes a clause indicating that it does not insure "the cost of making good faulty materials, faulty workmanship or improper design."

What other recourse do I have available?

Thanks for your help!

Wishing for the good ol' days when I was "wasting my money renting."