We were called to check the exterior of a house for numerous water leaks and damage done by a previous contractor. They had attempted to diagnose and repair these areas but failed and washed there hands of it.

The first leak found was caused by the home builder not installing the correct flashing at the rear of the garage. Siding was removed and rotted wall sheathing was replaced. After the 5/4″ shirt boards were replaced they covered completely with a textured aluminum wrap. The wrap was then run up behind a couple of courses of siding. Doing this doesn’t allow for water to get in and travel behind the material. It is forced out and can then drain to the ground. Once everything was wrapped and flashed, the siding could then be re-installed.

The second leak was a little more difficult to find, but after a few hours of isolating various areas we were able to pinpoint it to just above the main entrance door. The previous contractor had replaced the door and side lights, but purchased the wrong door and installed it incorrectly. On top of that, the brick sill was sitting higher than the sub-floor, which made the unit sit too high up. Either way, the door had to come out….and so it did. Once out, we could better see what kind of mess we had to deal with. The brick below the door were removed. Some were cut down and re-used, and a slate threshold was installed at the correct height. Rather than having the customer purchase another door, we cut the existing door down to the correct depth. A metal pan flashing was fabricated and installed, where none was before. The opening was modified to fit the smaller door and it was then re-installed. Self adhering flashing was applied around and above the door. The problem with most window and door installations is improper or no flashing. A wet test was then done to make sure everything was water tight before trim and siding went back up.

The third leak is similar to the first but on the front of the garage. The same techniques were used in repairing this area.

The forth leak was also caused by the builder in that rain water was getting behind the siding and staining the garage ceiling and wall. A leak in the same area was due to a roofing contractor incorrectly installing flashing,  at house wall and chimney, a couple of years prior.

Even after repair all of these leaks, the homeowner still didn’t feel confident that this wouldn’t happen again. During the previous repairs, we noticed that where the wall panels came together, there were large gaps. These gaps should have been caulked or covered with a 4″-6″ window/door flashing tape, but they were not. The only way to solve this would be to remove all the vinyl siding and repair all the sheathing gaps……and there were a lot! The other issue was the age of the siding. It had been up for almost 20 years and had began to oxidize and fade. After much debate between both sides, it was decided that everything should come down and be done correctly.

As the siding was stripped from the first wall, it was obvious that we had made the correct decision. Not only were there the gaps at each panel, the panels had holes from boots where they had been walked on, hammered through and just general carelessness.   The vinyl siding was also installed incorrectly, in so many ways! Rotted skirt boards were replaced and correctly wrapped with colored aluminum. All wall panel gaps, doors and windows were covered with flashing tape and new vinyl siding was installed. The house looks almost the same as when we started……almost like nothing had been done. But the homeowners know they made the correct decision and can now sleep better.