Category Archives: Uncategorized

Quality Assurance Observations, Roof Inspections and Consulting, Uncategorized

Bill Leys of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC Completes Steep Slope Roofing Systems For The WUI Training

President Bill Leys of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC recently attended a webinar presented by SGH on “Steep Slope Roofs in the WUI”.

The one hour AIA approved course discussed the additional requirements for roofs on homes and buildings in California’s Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) that increase a roofs resistance to ember storms which are one of the biggest causes of wildfires running unchecked through homes in vulnerable areas.

With this new knowledge and increased awareness of the challenges that homes face in the WUI, William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC is better prepared to assist our clients as their building envelope consultant.

Staying up to date on new requirements, products and technologies in construction is important and we are dedicated to increasing our knowledge so our clients can benefit.

Reach out today for a free discussion on what building envelope issues you may be experiencing and how we may be able to help.

Call today 805-801-2380.

Bill Leys performing quality assurance inspections at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto.
When it comes to waterproofing buildings, clients reach out to William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC to bring that dream to life! We do consulting quality assurance inspections and leak investigations.
SB 326 Balcony Inspections, Uncategorized

Is Dr Balcony Competent to Discover Defects? We Have Doubts After Our Re-Inspection of EEEs Found Multiple Defects They Failed to Identify!

We were recently hired to do a follow-up inspection at a condo in the Los Angeles area. The client, an individual homeowner, had serious concerns about the report the association received from Dr Balcony. Their concerns began when the inspection was done, saying that a person showed up, said they weren’t licensed but that “someone” who was a licensed architect would review their photographs and information before signing the report.

We got a copy of the Dr Balcony report and reviewed it before we did our own inspection. (Please note our inspection was not an SB326 inspection.) Many of the photographs in the report were blurry and weren’t marked up to identify a defect that supposedly was in the photograph (we mark up all our photographs to show you exactly what defect we found) and the report was difficult to read. We completely agree with our client, I’ve read more than a few reports from other companies and Dr Balcony’s report is a tough read. Defect codes that are for their internal use confuse readers, information on an EEE are in different places and many photographs are of irrelevant subjects.

An example of that is Dr Balcony inspectors seem to obsess over code issues that SB 326 doesn’t require us to concern ourselves with. (We do check railing heights & railing stiles and note that they may not meet current code, same with stairs, but these aren’t noted as defects, rather we advise that the HOA may wish to address these in the future and that your insurance company may require upgrading in order to renew a policy).

Continue reading Is Dr Balcony Competent to Discover Defects? We Have Doubts After Our Re-Inspection of EEEs Found Multiple Defects They Failed to Identify! →
Uncategorized

May Is Deck Safety Month, Get Your Deck Inspected for Only $200, Regularly $350

Thousands of Decks Are Over 20 Years Old & May Be Unsafe Take Advantage of Our May is Deck Safety Month Inspection Price of $200, a Savings of $150 off the Regular Price

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. – April 27, 2025 – PRLog — William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC is San Luis Obispo County’s premier deck inspection company. Having inspected thousands of decks over the last 20 years for Homeowner Associations, apartments and homeowners, we know that decks can be a second living area during the spring summer and fall. We want people to enjoy their decks and know that their deck is safe to use all year round.

With the average age of decks approaching 20-25 years, the risk of collapse or failure increases dramatically as they age. The North American Deck & Railing Association (NADRA) says between 2000 & 2008, at least 30 people lost their lives as a direct result of a deck collapses, and more than 75% of people on a deck when it collapses are seriously injured. The Berkeley balcony collapse in 2015 killed 7 people and left 6 others with lifelong injuries after a deck fell off a building, sending the victims 40 feet to the sidewalk below.

Decks can and do present hazards to people who use them; old decks can have rotted wood, rickety railings and rusting fasteners that can fail when the deck is loaded with people. Bill Leys, President of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC says that deck collapses are not uncommon, and happen frequently when the deck is loaded with people, especially when there’s a party or special occasion and crowds gather on the deck.

For the month of May, William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC is offering homeowners of single family homes a special low price to inspect their deck for only $200, a discount of $150 off the regular price of $350 to inspect the deck attached to the home. William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC checks and inspects over 25 various parts and pieces of a deck during a typical inspection.

“Saving one person from death or serious injury is well worth the regular price of $350, and at a low fee of

$200, we are making deck inspections affordable for everyone.” says Leys. The deck inspection fee is valid for homeowners and tenants of single family homes only, and excludes inspections for real estate transactions, inspections under SB 721 and SB 326 for apartments and condo’s. This inspection special is good for the entire month of May during NADRA’s annual Deck Safety Month.

Call Bill Leys at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC today at 805-801-2380 or visit our website at http://www.SB326DeckInspectors.com for more information and to schedule an appointment. The company accepts cash, checks and Venmo payments.

Contact

Bill Leys

leyswaterproofingconsultants@gmail.com

805-801-2380


Deck Inspections, SB 326 Balcony Inspections, Uncategorized

Protect Your HOA With Our SB326 Inspection Certification

If you have been following our blog for any time now you know that we have been railing against the practice that is roiling the inspection industry where unethical inspection companies are using Engineers or Architects to robo sign reports that they have written after they have done the inspection. Sb326 clearly requires a licensed architect or engineer to perform the inspection however some companies are trying to deliberately circumvent that requirement and are using contracted labor to do the inspection instead of an architect or engineer.

We made up this form that you should ask your inspection company to fill out and certify/attest that their inspections follow the letter of the law and that a architect or engineer shall be performing the inspection.

Continue reading Protect Your HOA With Our SB326 Inspection Certification →
SB 326 Balcony Inspections, Uncategorized

A Competitors Guarantee Gives Away Their Game

We compete against Dr Balcony around central and southern California. They are members of multiple CAI Chapters. Despte their low price offer, I know of at least 2x we won a job against them even though my company submitted a bid that was more than theirs.


Why? When I was able to give a presentation to a board of directors and explain how we operated, that we had a licensed structural engineer performing the inspections, that I did a supplemental waterproofing report that was attended to the engineers stamped and sealed report, that we inspected 100% of all the EEEs to ensure that nothing was overlooked, we were awarded the job. They saw my years of experience as a waterproofing contractor, that an engineer was personally on site doing the inspection, that our no conflicts of interest guarantee that we don’t bid on repairs, that we get competitive bids without obstructing the free market, that the 20% discount is a fraudulent attempt to subvert the market, where competitive bidding and a companies experience matter.

I have it on good authority from a client who had this company on site & when they saw who was inspecting the deck complained to their HOA, lo and behold an architect appeared and inspected their deck at that time. They did not know if the architect continued to inspect other decks or just theirs.

I am making inquiries to the Architectural Board & the Board of Engineers as to whether the engineer or architect has to actually be on site & perform the inspections or if they can allow an individual without any engineering or architectural qualifications to perform the inspection basically write the report & then they will put a cover letter on that says the report is accurate.

This offer of taking 20% off the lowest bid that the association received  is just a bad sales tactic because they want to do the repairs, & that 20% off will be easily added back into the cost of the repairs because who is keeping them honest once they get the work?

Continue reading A Competitors Guarantee Gives Away Their Game →
Uncategorized

Leaky Windows Plague a Recently Built Home – Our Thermal Camera Reveals Interesting Results

We recently acquired a FLIR Thermal Camera/Moisture meter for our toolbox, and it didn’t take long to put it to work. A client suffered from water leaks in 3 sets of casement windows and at a sliding door on his 1 1/2 year old home during the storms in January.

Our FLIR Thermal Camera in action. Cooler temps show up as blue, warmer temps show up as white/grey. There is either no insulation in the wall or it is wet.

We took this unfortunate problem as an opportunity to use our Thermal Camera to “see” what the problems might be. It appears, pending further testing, that the window areas and walls where the 6 leaky windows were reported, have moisture in the walls. To confirm the results, we took the image below of a window/wall without any reported leakage.

Thermal image shows white/grey walls which in thermal language is a warmer temp, indicating that the wall is dry.

Using a thermal camera can quickly find and pinpoint where leaks may be hiding; and verifying it with destructive testing on the exterior will be the next step.

When it comes to leak detection and investigation, the experts at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC can help you find the leak, identify the source and write a report for use in getting repairs made by your builder.

Don’t go it alone, the builder wants to spend as little as possible on “go-backs” and repairs, and your home and your family’s health may be at risk-mold, mildew, fungus infestations happen quickly.

Call us today if you are experiencing leaks, moldy odors and bad faith builders who seem to be brushing you off. We have experience investigating leaks and testifying in depositions and acting as expert waterproofing experts.

Uncategorized

We Are Now Offering Building Wellness Exams For HOA’s

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Is your building envelope healthy and thriving? Or is your building envelope suffering from the constant assaults by Mother Nature, wear and tear, neglect and age? Property Condition Assessments are the official name for what we term a Building Wellness Exam. With our Building Wellness Exam, you’ll know how your building envelope’s health is doing. What is a building envelope you might ask? Simply put, a building envelope consists of the various waterproofing and water resistant products that keep your buildings dry and habitable.

Inspections form the basis for proper mainatennce and repairs.
We find the small problems before they become big problems.
Leaking garages can led to major structural issues.
Cost to repair, 3k, cost to replace, 10-12k.
This could be a life safety issue.
Owner Bill Leys has over 20 years of on the job experience!

Roofs, siding, decks etc are all part of a building envelope. Separate items, they must all work together to shed water away and out of a building. If they don’t work together, or if they aren’t maintained, repaired and replaced when necessary, failures can cause massive problems at massive costs to repair.

Our Building Wellness Checkups, based on ASTM E2018-15, Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments, don’t cost a lot but they can save you a lot of money and trouble by getting your building maintenance issues under control. Learn more at our new web page here and get started today to keep your buildings healthy! Call us or send us a message using our contact form on the left side of the page.

Uncategorized

Why You Need Quality Assurance Observers on Site During Waterproofing & WRB Installations

What is the total cost of having to fix construction defects that you found after the building is completed? When tenants are ready to do their tenant improvements, move in and start paying rent, but can’t because of water leaks, how much does unnecessary delays cost? How much does it cost to put up scaffold around a building, remove the brick facade, redo all the windows flashings and then put it all back together? How much in lost rents did this cost? $250,000? $1,000,000? We don’t know the answer to this question but we can take a wild assed guess…a lot!

This building is in downtown San Luis Obispo, and was ready at the end of November for tenant improvements to begin in the interior-a restaurant on the first floor, Amazon offices on upper floors; and then it rained. That’s when the owner of the new building discovered he had a major problem. Many windows leaked in the storm. So they hired a consultant (not us) who performed spray water testing in conformance with ASTM standards for leak testing.

Of the approximate 60 windows in the building, 45 or so leaked. After destructive testing was done, it was discovered that molded corner flashings that are installed into the rough opening of the window frames had a critical piece cut off by someone, and no one noticed or knew…and then the windows were installed, the facade installed and no one did any water testing or quality assurance construction monitoring during the window/WRB installation. ..if they had, the work could have been halted, the issue rectified and the costs and damages could have been greatly mitigated.

Daily costs for Quality Assurance Construction Monitoring run $1,200 a day. On a job like this building, maybe 30 days of construction monitoring may be necessary, or about $36,000.00. Which sounds like a lot until you go back to the costs of lost rents, building repairs and the headache of months of delays in getting your building back.

Quality Assurance Observations don’t cost, they pay with long term dividends on a properly dried in building. That’s what we do-help make buildings perform better, one building at a time.

Call us today for a discussion on how William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC can help you with quality assurance construction monitoring, where we observe, inspect, document and report to you, the building owner or general contractor, what we have observed, materials used, whether the work was done according to plans, specifications and the drawings.

Uncategorized

Deck Inspections For Real Estate Transactions-Ethics and The Law

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  1. SLO & Santa Barbara Realtors-Do you know William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC inspects wood and waterproof decks for buyers (and sellers)? We are the only company that does deck inspections where our duty and interest is only to the client, we do not bid for repairs! Why is this important? Because it’s the law. Contractors performing inspections for real estate transactions may not bid on work found to be needed. “Free” inspections predicated on doing the repair work is included. B&P Code section 7195 imposes certain duties and constraints, including prohibitions on repairing properties on which an inspection was performed in the last 12 months, accepting kickbacks and payments of referral fees to agents. Beyond that, it’s simply not ethical. We work for your client; that’s it. If your client, after getting our inspection, wishes to verify that the repairs to the deck or buildings weather resistant barriers are being installed correctly, they have the option of retaining us to perform quality assurance visits to observe and record a contractors repair procedures, materials used and following the plans and manufacturer’s specifications. Learn more about our services here in our website.
Careful checking if the integrity of the woods found this problem at a post connection.
Deck Inspections, Uncategorized

Finally, Architects, Builders and Owners Have Local Waterproofing Consulting, Deck Inspections & Construction Monitoring Services in San Luis Obispo CA

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I’m happy to say we are opening our doors to San Luis Obispo area clients who are in need of building envelope consulting services. Leaking buildings cost millions annually in repairs and construction defects suits are costly and time consuming. Monitoring and documenting the waterproofing work can minimize exposure to risk.

Let me help you in your building envelope waterproofing needs. I have experience installing waterproofing systems and construction monitoring of waterproofing systems being installed, investigations of leaks in existing buildings and deck inspections for buyers of real properties. 

I’ve worked on some of the largest waterproofing projects in California that required construction monitoring services, including Alphabet Inc’s project in Mountain View, Stanford Hospital, Louise Packard Childrens Hospital, 1680 Broadway in Oakland and many more during my tenure with Allana Buick & Bers in Palo Alto.

I look forward to hearing from you and explore how I can help you on your project!

STANFORD HOSPITAL MONITORING THE WATERPROOFING OVER OPERATING ROOMS