Exterior Leak Specialist Recommendation Needed

We recently did a gut renovation to our home.  One side of the house opens to an alley and where the walls are new plaster over a coat of cement like material to level the walls, numerous bubbles and cracks have formed.  The odd thing is that none of the cracks appear on the top floor walls and there are no leak problems in the rooms where there is sheetrock. The roof is new and has been checked. The outside wall on that side was redone about 6 years ago.  It seems as though the water is moving horizontally down the walls somehow. There is no plumbing on that side of the house. We are desperate to have this issue resolved, so we are ready to hire an expert.  In the archives from 2012, someone with the screename “anotherposter” mentioned Maurice Schickler was used by a friend and they also mentioned an architect that they used for a bigger project figured out their own leak problem.  If you are reading this, would you please post an update?  If anyone else has hired an expert, we’d love to hear about your experience.  Thanks.

bklynpwds

in Masonry 12 years ago

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hbranty | 12 years ago

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We have had good experiences with Metro Waterproofing: 718-521-1435

m926bk | 12 years ago

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There are a number of restoration architects/engineers who do leak investigations, even at small buildings.  Sometimes even at new construction.  They could do a visual inspection or water testing, which involves spraying an area for an hour or two, monioring with a moisture meter, then moving up or over until they’ve got it.  The spraying part is usually done by the owner or a contractor, for insurance reasons.  Then the architect could recommend repairs via a memo or drawings.  It’s all really based on how much money the client wants to spend.  A few architecture/engineering firms that I know or think could do this are Walter Melvin Architects, Nick Melone Architects, Superstructures, RAND Engineerining.  A restoration consultant is Mary Kay Judy.  Good luck.

Arkady | 12 years ago

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Water is really sneaky & isn’t necessarily coming in anywhere near where you’re seeing the damage.  Can you track, for instance, whether it’s worse when rain comes from a given direction?  If we get a stretch of dry weather you might try aiming a hose at any suspicious areas.  But wait a while between trying different places since it could take hours for the seepage to show.