Proper Masonry & EIFS Systems
As a building science enthusiast, I love consultation gigs. The one I’m currently involved in has really put some “wind in my sails,” because despite spending ten’s of thousands of dollars, the problem has still NOT been solved…. but I have figured it out!
This commercial customer has been having issues with water intrusion into their building since it was constructed over 10 years ago. They have removed and reset every store front window on the building. They have replaced the roof. They have hired masons to repoint masonry. But still, everytime Monroe gets a hard blowing rain, water pours into the building in numerous locations. The manager told me who built the building and instantly I knew I was going to discover some shoddy work.
At my initial walkthrough, I poked my head around and used my moisture meter to detect where the intrusion originates. My company returned the next day and cut deliberately placed holes into the wall cavities to track the water and investigate the construction of the building….
As far as my knowledge of building code goes, what I discovered is illegal construction coupled with horrible masonry installation. The bottom 24” of the wall cavity is packed solid with mortar. A proper masonry design will have some water intrusion, and the wall cavity will be waterproofed and netted to allow that water to travel down the face of the sheathing, then drain out of the wall cavity to the exterior. The weeping characteristic of this masonry install is non-existent! Furthermore, the sheathing of the building appears to be an interior grade gypsum board (like you find on the walls of your living room)…. and there is NO waterproofing or even vapor barrier for that matter!
I am in the process of compiling a report of my findings. Also, I have another return trip to do some water hose testing on some downspouts to pinpoint some major holes in the masonry that MUST be repointed. The next photo shows EXACTLY what is going on when the building gets wet. That water you see? … it is coming back into the building!
I have (3) proposed solutions for this problem and I’ll list them in order of least expensive to most expensive:
Repoint various holes in mortar joints. Remove and properly reset a few downspouts. See if the problem goes away.
Prep all cracks in masonry using Loxon Caulking or mortar. Prep and paint building with Sherwin Williams Loxon paint. This is a high millage paint that is vapor permeable. Basically, we will coat the whole building with a special kind of “flex seal,” (like you have seen on TV).
Demo all masonry. Demo all sheathing. Install Huber ZIP Sheathing. Install new masonry with netting to produce drainage plane.
I always feel proud of myself when I can solve a problem that others cannot. I feel especially proud knowing that the company I have built refuses to bid “low bid” contracts that require using sub-par designs, sub-par workers, and sub-par materials. This project in particular is a true demonstration of “you get what you pay for.” I promise you, the General Contractor that built this building made a profit on this job. And sure, the customer may have saved $100k at the time of construction, but they have ultimately spent far more money and headache over the years remedying issues!