Details are still light, however residents of a condo building in Santa Clara has been ordered to leave until temporary shoring has been installed.

NBC 10 is reporting that concrete has come loose from the building and city engineers determined that the building needs to be repaired.

Judging from reviews that I found on Google, Villa Bella Condominiums, located at 1850 El Camino Real has had persistent leak issues since it was built. Robert S said in part on his review “One of the most concerning problems is the persistent water leaks in the parking structure. The developer insists that repairs can only be made when it’s dry, yet even after supposed fixes, the leaks return with every rain. This raises serious concerns about the quality of construction and whether these issues are actually being resolved or just patched up temporarily.”

This is just speculation but I would think that structural issues are a result of water intrusion into the below grade garage and has likely eroded support for columns and walls. That’s typically what I see when I do inspections with my engineers.

All in all, this is another reason why quality assurance inspections should be required on all buildings while they are being built to ensure that they meet all requirements by manufacturers of waterproofing products as well as structural inspections being done. Footings and columns and walls are being poured in erected.

If you are a developer, architect or contractor who would like more information on quality assurance, inspections of your waterproofing systems being installed, reach out to us for a conversation about how we bring great value to your project.