Leak through second floor??? HELP!

San Antonio TX - House built in 2000, no bathroom mods at all since then.

Two-story single family home

Upstairs master bath has a garden tub (no jets) and then a shower next to it with glass door enclosure etc.

Garden tub gets used very infrequently

In Feb/March of 2007 noticed the ceiling DOWNSTAIRS with a linear type of what appeared to be water spot approx. 9" in length with a very slight crack down the middle and a small circular type of spot next to it about 2" in diameter. This spot is directly under the garden tub.

I kept a close eye on the area and it didn't seem to change at all.

Within the last 2weeks or so I have noticed that it is significantly different. see pics here - http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb232/gtrplayer_2007/?mediafilter=images

The variables:
1. In San Antonio around January we had a TERRIBLE ice storm for this area...everything was frozen with a coat of ice. My trees and leaves were covered with 1/2" of ice. It ruined many trees etc...

2. The tub/shower is up against an outside wall of which the upper half of that wall is not brick. It is wood siding etc.

3. Within the last couple weeks the use of the tub has increased. (this is what caught my attention) Use of the shower has always been daily. The use of the shower seems to not affect the area.

4. As you can see in the pictures there is a small strip of linoleum type flooring in front of the tub and shower and then full carpet.

Here are the pictures of the tub, the outside wall, and the ceiling damage.
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb232/gtrplayer_2007/?mediafilter=images

The house is out of warranty as it was built in 2000. I have insurance that covers "leaks" etc...

Recommendations? What should I do? What type of service should I call? What should I watch for in terms of scams/rip-offs etc...

What kind of "ball park" cost am I looking at here?

Thanks!

It doesn't sound that bad. It's not like you have a burst pipe and water is gushing through. Either way, there's gonna be some cutting of the ceiling, wall or both. You gotta be able to see the leak, before you can fix it. But if you're not comfortable cutting into your walls, then Grumpy said it best........ call your Insurance agent.

Pewterpower said:

It doesn't sound that bad. It's not like you have a burst pipe and water is gushing through. Either way, there's gonna be some cutting of the ceiling, wall or both. You gotta be able to see the leak, before you can fix it. But if you're not comfortable cutting into your walls, then Grumpy said it best........ call your Insurance agent.

Click to expand...

I'll put that another way...
If that were my house, I still might consider having it done by another plumber, (well no...I'd never hear the end of it from her) why not let my insurance take care of it? (Also, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be covered....conflict of interest type thing there.)