We were recently contacted by the Owner of a brand new hotel in Michigan who noticed a yellow stain above the windows in two of their guest rooms. The top of the windows would leak during heavy rain events, and it even caused the blinds to fall off in one of the rooms.
To determine the source of the moisture infiltration, Trisco performed a comprehensive water testing procedure in conjunction with subsurface exploration to observe the original construction detailing. The building was constructed of insulated concrete forms (ICF) with thin brick veneer on the exterior and EIFS on the parapets. There was no cavity drainage system in place, which made it difficult to determine the migration pattern of the water.
Eventually, we discovered that improperly detailed EIFS-to-roof flashings were to blame. We designed an inexpensive repair which successfully stopped the leak.
This project underscores the importance of subsurface detailing. Most of the time we are looking at buildings which are 25, 50, or even 100 years old, but occasionally we see eye-opening situations like this on a building that isn’t even 1 year old.
If you are experiencing any water issues in your new or old building, we would be more than happy to help you address these issues; visit https://triscosystems.com/ to learn more.
