Leak in Eifs Exterior Wall
Hi. I live in a new construction condo in Williamsburg. Basically there is a leak in my terrace and my builder has sealed the concrete slab. He thinks there may still be a leak coming from the exterior walls. He wants to apply waterproofing to 2 of the 4 walls that surround my terrace. I…
Hi. I live in a new construction condo in Williamsburg. Basically there is a leak in my terrace and my builder has sealed the concrete slab. He thinks there may still be a leak coming from the exterior walls. He wants to apply waterproofing to 2 of the 4 walls that surround my terrace. I am really perplexed why he will do only 2 of the 4 walls. I asked him why and it basically comes down to effort. The other 2 walls are tall and he would need to get a permit and scaffolding. Also he told me that these 2 walls are made of eifs and they would be waterproof. I am asking to check on the validity of this Should I be concerned?
Get this handled properly now. If you let them fix this with a quick method, it will come back to bite you later once the warrantry period is over. EIFS is horrible and is well known for having problems with leaking. As Denton said or all you need to a tiny crack and then the water is getting in.
Hey guys,
Thanks for your advice. All of the work being done is being handled through the warranty of the building. So nothing has been out of my pocket so far which is good. However, the work being done seems band-aid and piecemeal and it’s been tough fighting them to get it done right. If you have any advice other than contacting the condo board and management company which I’ve already done, I’d be interested in knowing what I could do to better argue my issues.
“but installation is everything” – truer words were never spoken!
I agree with WL, if this is new construction, it should be covered by someone else. You should also find out if other owners in the building have the same problem. Water infiltration on new construction (glazing walls or stucco) is so common it is almost the norm. The downside is that you may have to fight to get it.
I’d also get a second opinion from another contractor – “sealing” a concrete slab and “waterproofing” two stucco walls sounds pretty slapdash. Has the contractor said what he thinks this problem is? Where does he think the water is coming from, and why would sealing a (theoretically) waterproof slab and waterproofing a (theoretically) watertight wall solve the problem.
what WL said, but if you’re in a DIY mode, I would doubt that ‘waterproofing’ a wall will do any good. Most likely the leak is coming from a penetration, such as the terrace, and not from the wall. Quite possibly a poor flashing job around terrace or windows.
You could always hook up a hose and do your own water test section by section.
EIFS should be waterproof but installation is everything.
this should be handled through you board president and the management company. let them negotiate this to get it for free from the developer. if that’s a pain, then get a contractor and do an proper analysis and fix it yourself.