Water Damage? In the Summer?

Summertime Blues.  It may not seem like summer would be the busiest time for water damage issues, but we are involved in several projects in the end of July where the crux of the job is repair of rot or other issues related to improper waterproofing.

It's not always the most rewarding part of our job either.  Craftsman love the feeling of building something that was not there before, and while it is nice to put a family back in their home knowing it is going to protect them from the elements and stand tall for many years to come, it's just not quite the same when you leave something that looks the same as it did when you started the work.

As construction finishes become more seamless and concealing, the tell tale signs of water damage become less obvious and easier to ignore.  Discoloration in the walls or ceiling, a bubble in the paint, a stain on the curtains, or a buckle in a hardwood floor mean that water has either penetrated the outer shell of your house or leaked from your plumbing, and could be causing even more damage that you can not see.

Damage to the framing and sheathing beneath the siding on your house can undermine the structural integrity of the building and, once you discover it, can require an enormous effort to rebuild.   That work can involve repairing or replacing a roof, removing siding or stucco, properly flashing and waterproofing decks, roofing joints, doors and windows, replacing framing, sheathing, and other structural parts, and depending on the age of your building, potentially re-engineering damaged sections and updating them to current code.  And the longer the water penetrates the building, the further you have to open the walls to diagnose the damage.

The earlier you detect and address water damage issues, the better your chances of mitigating tremendous costs.  And addressing the issues in the summer months means putting the building back together with materials that are thoroughly dry and have a chance to cure before staving off the elements again when winter rolls back around.

- Jon Leon Guerrero