Seeking architect to diagnose leaks in walls

Our 9-unit brownstone co-op on the Upper Westside of Manhattan has chased water leaks for years. We recently spent about $32,000 doing exterior work on the rear wall (an extension to the rear of the building was added in the 1980’s) and replacing 2 windows. But the leaks continue. Our contractor has been methodical and professional but hasn’t solved the problems. We’re thinking of using a renovation architect to guide our next steps, with or without our original contractor. We’d really appreciate recommendations and/or suggestions. Thank you.

rutimann

in Roofing 11 years and 3 months ago

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handyrenny | 11 years and 2 months ago

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hello, we would be more than glad to come an take a look at your problem. Renny 646-221-9147

Augustiner | 11 years and 3 months ago

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You can also just rent a thermal camera for $90 at Home Depot. It´s good enough to trace down the areas that are most affected

bklynpwds | 11 years and 3 months ago

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Cate–Catherine charged an hourly rate and it came out to about $1600\. She spent 3 hours at the house and about 6 hours on the report (which may seem like a lot but we had Maurice’s report for comparison and we definitely made the right decision to get a 2nd opinion). We wound up using her to bid out and manage the repairs rather than our original architect and contractor and could not be more pleased to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! We recommended her to a neighbor who also had a leak problem and they were equally happy with her (they had their own contractor perform the work she suggested). Catherine was the only person who looked at our problem who did not “guess” what was wrong.

cate | 11 years and 3 months ago

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bklynpwds, could you give a ballpark figure of what Catherine charges? Was it more than $2,000 for the examination and report? Thanks.

bklynpwds | 11 years and 3 months ago

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We’ve been dealing with a major leak issue for over a year after a major renovation, one that our architect and contractor could not fix. We hired Maurice Schickler (who was recommended on this forum as a leak specialist) to figure out where the water was coming from and after our appointment with him, we knew we needed a second opinion. We asked a friend whose husband is a building engineer and he recommended Catherine Paplin (Bacarella Paplin Architects Collaborative). She specializes in historical restoration and renovation. She did a completely thorough examination of the building including moisture meter readings, photos and detailed notes and gave us a comprehensive report on what the problem was and how to solve it without unnecessary repairs. The difference between these two individuals was like night and day. I would highly recommend Catherine. I hope to one day get my money back from Maurice. Good luck.

metalwork | 11 years and 3 months ago

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One of my customers had this problem in Brooklyn Heights on their townhouse. one of my Guys re pointed the walls, especially were the gutters are. and that solved the problem.