Moisture in front wall garden level
We have had persistent problems with paint bubbling and peeling off a section of the wall. I finally bought a moisture meter and the reading is literally off the charts wet.
The area is inside, between our front door on the garden floor and the party wall on the side. The entire corner is damp to the touch. I also checked directly above it on the parlor floor, and the moisture readings were fine. I’ve checked the stoop and there is no pooling water and the moisture meter was find there too.
I went into the basement to see if any pipes were running up there but I couldn’t see one. Is it common for there to be a pipe somewhere in the front wall on the garden floor, under the stoop?
felurian
in General Discussion 7 months ago
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8 replies
Brownstone Home Inspection | 7 months ago
this investigation will start high. all of these investigations start as roof inspections or in the area up high and they are priced off a roof inspection. sometimes it will lead off the roof, and that is ok.
most leaks in these houses come from only a few areas.
felurian | 7 months ago
The slab on the garden level in the vestibule. Ok I’ll give you a call this week to organize for you to come look at it 🙂
Brownstone Home Inspection | 7 months ago
you do mean the slab in the vestibule at the top of the steps? or garden level? either way, a roof drain line is suspect.
i will find it if you brought me over there. you will learn a lot about your roof and cellar (if you have an unfinished cellar).
also, moisture in masonry of say 14% is not unusual, depending on where it is. you mentioned “off the charts”, to me that 40% or above though anything over 17% is a lot and over 25% screams “leak” to me and once i find that i continue looking and eventually get to something around 35% and then we are right on it..
Brownstone Home Inspection | 7 months ago
you realize if i answer this stuff on here, i can put myself out of business, right?
I would begin asking “where the roof drains are on this house?”. i would look in the basement and see if anything comes down from that area to the basement to a waste line. or go to the roof and see if there are drains up there, either on your side over that area or the neighbors. and consider if there are any water using systems above that area.
really, i found a roof drain leak in that area on a home inspection only like 3 weeks ago.
i have thermal imaging that can sometimes show where pipes are in walls.
it could also be the neighbor’s house.
felurian | 7 months ago
Thank you Steve! I’ve used the moitsure meter all over the stoop and it actually appears that moisture is pushing upwards into the concrete slab in the vestibule.
The slab is often wet, even when there has been no rain for weeks. Is it possible there is a cracked pipe under the vestibule somehwere?
Brownstone Home Inspection | 7 months ago
a good place to look is the point where the steps join the house. on many houses, that juncture creates a natural open joint (by virtue of the construction) that can be closed with modern products. also, the front of the saddle. but even if you close these, as i said below, the entire rest of staircase is a problem.
buyers should know, when you see fresh paint under the steps and in the area under the top step and in front of the door do the garden apt, that is often done to hide damage and if you look closely, you will see repair work done to cracks. the cracks form because moisture in the mortar or brick (or holding stone together) freezes and as it freezes it turns solid and expands by 9% and, as good students of physics know, two solids cannot occupy the same space at the same time – so something has to give. Many people repair these cracks in a sort of superficial fashion which is not how one deals with masonry problems. and painting mortar? that is a cardinal sin.
i am not saying that cracks could be the problem OP faces but if one looks at older steps and sees hidden repair work, this is an indication of decades of issues that could have been brought on by moisture (or settling and mositure) and applying patching mortars is not really the way to deal with these problems. at best, they delay the inevitable. buyers have to be aware of this sort of damage as they look at potential purchases.
of course, if you call me to do your home inspection, you will follow me around and I will explain all of this-
steve
Brownstone Home Inspection | 7 months ago
i do leak and water intrusion investigations on these houses in brooklyn and i can safely tell you that every set of concrete, brownstone, or brick and mortar steps in brooklyn holds, retains, and leaks moisture or water. every one of these houses i inspect for a sale has these issues, though some owners and sellers have managed to mitigate this to some degree but never perfectly.
know that there could be a roof drain pipe in that area on some houses, but more in the side wall (the party wall) than in the front wall. to see if you might have a roof drain in that area, see if your roof drains from the front or back (or both) and go on your roof and see if you have a drain in the front on that side of the house; you can also see if coming down in the basement).
i am not even going to suggest you call me to come out and look at this because even if i can find an entry point you can seal, the entire rest of the stoop will still be a problem.
i suppose we can start investigating breathable sealants (i mean silicone based sealers, not paints) that might help keep water out. but usually by the time i am called for these problems, people have painted the steps and know that paint causes more harm than good on mortar (it traps moisture)
Steve
Brownstone Home Inspection LLC.
www.brownstonehomeinspection.com
felurian | 7 months ago
I’ve uploaded a photo here which explains it much better than my rambling post: