The other home inspector missed this “little” issue
A recent inspection we performed for a prospective buyer of a condominium in San Luis Obispo demonstrates perfectly, why you as a buyer need to have your own inspections done at your own cost. This particular inspection found many issues that were glossed over as simply needing patching and painting rather than complete replacement of major components such as windows, doors, decks and subflooring under a shower.
The seller had a pre sale inspection done at their expense and provided that report to the prospective buyer. He had questions and doubts about the report and reached out to us after searching for a waterproofing and building consultant.
Our inspection found that many items the other inspector glossed over in his report as needing “patching and painting” or minor repairs were far from the real situation which was that all the doors and windows were past their useable lifespan and needed to be completely replaced. We found dry-rotted framing on decks, open and exposed framing on columns, dry-rot in the substrate below a shower floor which requires the substrate to be replaced due to fungus infestations.
Major issues that will require tens of thousands of dollars in repairs are now known issues that will need to be disclosed by the seller if the client who hired us doesn’t complete the purchase. This example illustrates perfectly why inspections don’t cost money, they save you money.
If the prospective buyer does move ahead with the purchase they can negotiate concessions, a lower price or credits to account for the costs necessary to fix the problems we found.
Take a look at the photos below to see what we found, and then give us a call at 805-801-2380 to get a quote on your building envelope inspection on the home or building you are considering purchasing.
When you hire William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC, you are hiring an ethical, experienced company who puts our clients interests ahead of our own.
Even before William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC was formed, President Bill Leys has been assisting clients throughout California recover financial damages from contractors who caused construction defects that led to water intrusion and property damage. As an expert waterproofing consultant serving San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Kern and Los Angeles counties, we’ve helped clients recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past few years.
Our expertise in building technology and waterproofing methods, investigative skills and ability to document and report on the problems, the causes and suggested repairs needed have allowed our clients to convince the Contractors State License Board, the contractors at fault and their Bond companies to act. We’ve seen great success with the CSLB investigating complaints, contractors agreeing to repair defective work and have bond and insurance carriers pay on claims made by our clients.
Some recent success stories include helping a client in San Bernardino recover 5k+ in damages caused by faulty deck waterproofing work by a contractor from Palm Springs. Our investigation found that the contractors “expert witness” actually had business ventures with his client, leading to the Judge concluding the contractors witness had implicit bias in favor of his client. In other words, his testimony was rejected by the Court. Our client got a court order that the contractor had to remove a lien on their home and could not collect $5,000 they claimed our client owed.
No blocking between the old and new plywood is a defect that will cause any waterproofing to eventually fail.
Another success story found us assisting a client in Avila Beach whose recent kitchen addition was apparently leaking. Our investigation found windows were leaking from faulty installation, deck flashing that leaked from faulty installation and as a result of our testing and report, the client was able to successfully initiate a claim against the contractors general liability insurance and recover funds to repair their damages. The client made a confidential settlement with the insurance company for well over 6 figures.
Water found inside the wall of a kitchen addition from defective installation of weather resistant barriers.
One of our greatest success stories is helping a senior couple in Morro Bay CA when their deck project went south on them. We did preliminary investigative work, finding that the waterproofing product a local Grover Beach construction company who calls themselves “San Luis Obispo’s Expert Deck Contractors” was improperly applied. The client, using our report, filed a claim with the CSLB and after the CSLB investigated, was able to recover over $30,000 in financial damages.
Destructive Testing Reveals That the Waterproofing Materials Specified Were Not Installed to the Minimum Specified Thickness
We were able to help a local non profit recover for damages caused by the improper installation of a low slope roof system last year; the entity was concerned after the roof was replaced and there were still leaks occurring. Our inspection and report found numerous defects in the installation of the single ply roof and with that in hand, our client was able to convince their contractor to repair and replace defective portions of the roof.
Improper termination of roofing system under a skylight.
If your building is suffering from water intrusion, if you suspect your home has defects, if your not getting a response from your contractor and keep getting brushed off, don’t delay any longer. Put the experts at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC to work for you.
We can perform visual inspections, destructive testing (up to $1,000 in value) document the results, write reports that are easy to read, explain the problems and why we believe the defects are caused by a contractor or from defective materials and help you recover damages. Don’t let contractors ghost you, gaslight you or try and evade responsibility. Cslb laws are strict regarding time frames for when you can attempt to recover for damages. The sooner you act, the less damage will occur and the sooner you can start recovering.
Here’s why William Leys Waterproofing Consultants, LLC stands out as your best choice for balcony (SB-326) inspections:
What Makes Us the Ideal Choice
1. Strong Experience & Genuine Expertise
A deep background in waterproofing. Bill Leys brings more than two decades of hands-on experience, beginning in 2003 as a waterproofing contractor and working for a leading engineering/architect firm- Allana Buick & Bers in Palo Alto.
2. Trusted Bill has been a licensed deck waterproofing contractor since 2007, actively installing waterproof deck coatings across California for HOAs, apartment complexes, and residential projects. Hundreds of clients over the years have trusted Bill to waterproof their decks.
3. Extensive deck inspection history Since 2007, Bill has conducted deck inspections for HOAs, apartments, and real estate transactions—bringing 17+ years of field knowledge to each inspection.
4. Ethical Integrity & No Conflicts of Interest
5. Strict ethical standards We guarantee in writing that there are no conflicts of interest—we do not bid on repair work, nor are we tied to any alternative revenue streams.
6. Transparent and fair bidding Instead of pushing repair contracts, William Leys encourages clients to obtain three competitive bids, maintaining the free market and transparency.
7. Compliance with SB-326 Requirements
8. Engineer-led inspections We require that a licensed structural engineer be physically present during inspections—this ensures full compliance with SB-326, which mandates a qualified professional conduct the inspections.
Supplemental waterproofing reports While the structural engineer handles the official inspection and report, we provide a supplementary waterproofing report that is appended to the engineer’s sealed report—creating a comprehensive and technically rigorous report.
9. Comprehensive, Client-Focused Service
100% sampling on EEEs (Exterior Elevated Elements) Unlike some providers meeting only minimum statistical thresholds, we inspect 100% of all categories (decks, stairs, walkways), delivering a thorough, confidence-building evaluation.
Specialized for HOA needs Bill’s previous experience as a CMCA-certified HOA manager gives him insight into reserve studies, ongoing maintenance concerns, and association priorities.
Relevant geographic coverage Serving a wide area—from Paso Robles to Bakersfield, Orange County, and Palm Springs—we’re locally accessible and familiar with regional building conditions.
Insurance and protection We carry robust General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, and Errors & Omissions insurance—valuable safeguards for HOAs and associations.
10. Proven Reputation & Client Trust
Positive client feedback One HOA manager shared:
“I’ve received high praise from the Board that they really respect your findings and knowledge of the inspection process.”
Trusted repeat selection We’ve been chosen by multiple HOAs—such as in Santa Barbara and Palm Springs—because of our reliability, ethical stand, and expertise.
In Summary
Experience & Expertise 20+ years in waterproofing, licensed, deeply technical Ethical Integrity No repair bidding; transparent client-focused approach SB-326 Compliance Engineer on site; dual-report method for structural and waterproofing insights Thorough Service 100% EEE inspection; HOA management savvy; wide service area Client Trust & Reputation Praised by HOAs; chosen repeatedly for key projects
In short, William Leys Waterproofing Consultants excel through their blend of deep technical knowledge, unwavering ethics, regulatory compliance, and client-centric service. They provide both peace of mind and exceptional quality—making them a standout choice for balcony inspections under SB-326.
Reach out today for a free quote on your inspection.
Long term leaks into this building has destroyed the framing behind the siding and because it is so rotted, the siding doesn’t have anything left to be attached.
As building envelope consultants we are often hired to determine where why and how a roof, siding or windows are leaking. After doing destructive testing and finding what caused the problem, it’s often an installer error that created the problem. Yes sometimes it’s defective waterproofing products, but that’s the exception, not the rule.
For architects and their home building clients, one way to ensure that the building envelope is going to perform correctly for it’s expected life span is to hire a waterproofing consultant to review the architects building envelope details, and to perform quality assurance inspections while the building is being dried in. Drying in a building entails roofs, below grade waterproofing, building paper over the plywood covered walls, window and door flashing for example. All of these need to be installed in a sequence to work together for the building to remain leak free.
Whether you are building tract homes, commercial/residential, condos or a spec home, a small add to the project budget to include a waterproofing consultant to assist in keeping your project leak free is a good investment. Consider the costs when a building does leak; there’s investigative costs, loss of use, possible mold claims, expensive repairs and everyone is aggravated.
William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC is here to help you with making your building project a success. Reach out today for a discussion on how we can help bring value to your project.
Fiduciary duty is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as a “duty obligating a fiduciary as an agent or trustee to act with loyalty and honesty in a manner consistent with the best interest of the beneficiary of the fiduciary relationship as a principal or trust beneficiary.”
CAI’ magazine “Common Ground” has a very good article in their March April issue on fiduciary duty. Quoting from the article Bob diamond senior council at Reed Smith in McLean Virginia says”the essence of fiduciary duty is to act in the best interests of those who you serve. A director must put aside personal considerations when making decisions on behalf of the owners.”
Rotting wood on a deck.
When it comes to sb326 and fiduciary duty the duty of the board is to carry out the inspections as required by law regardless of cost or that they don’t have money in the associations accounts to pay for it. A lack of knowledge or understanding about sb326 will not be a legal defense or at least won’t be a strong defense to not carrying out an inspection of the common area Exterior Elevated Elements.
A director for a homeowners association must act within the scope of their given authority, acting good faith use ordinary care Act in the best interest of the association and act reasonably when making business decisions.
The reason sb326 exists is because of the tragic collapse of a balcony in Berkeley that resulted in the deaths of seven people and leaving six with lifelong injuries. Warning signs were evident and the property management company failed to investigate the reported deck problem thoroughly. That is one of the reasons that a multi-million dollar settlement was made before the case went to trial.
Unsafe railing
William Leys Waterproofing Consultants can help Boards meet their fiduciary duties with our thorough and comprehensive inspections of your decks, stairs and walkways. By hiring an experienced waterproofing inspector like Bill Leys, who guarantees that a structural or civil engineer will be performing the structural inspection, helps protect the Association from financial liability. Our inspection team has 20+ years of experience in structural and waterproofing experience.
By hiring an experienced firm with the required credentials, your association will be secure in the knowledge that your EEEs are safe for residents, guests and service personnel to use. We’ve seen competitors of advertising that they are “the cheapest inspection company”. From our perspective, that isn’t comforting at all, especially when you find out that the cheapest company is hiring “handymen” as contract labor to perform the inspection.
Hidden danger exposed after destructive testing.
Reach out today for a quote on your SB 326 inspection needs. We give you a fast free quote that exceeds the requirements of SB326 by inspecting 100% of the EEEs, utilizing moisture meters, thermal imaging cameras and as needed, borescope cameras.
Don’t leave your Association legally exposed to lawsuits by ignoring your fiduciary duties. Call Bill Leys directly at 805-801-2380 to start your inspection. William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC has been setting the bar in performing SB326 inspections since 2022.
We will be performing quality assurance inspections on this project in the East Bay.
We’re excited to announce that we were awarded the contract to perform quality assurance inspections for a large HOA reconstruction project in the East Bay area of San Francisco. The 100+ units in the HOA are leaking at the decks and resulted in damage to the exterior walls.
We will be performing periodic inspections of the weather resistant barriers (WRB’s) the installation of sliding doors and the waterproofing of the decks to ensure that they are being installed in accordance with the plans and specifications. This helps the Association ensure its money is being spent well on quality work and the materials are installed correctly that will last for their expected life spend and perform as intended.
Observing installation of new WRBs integrated into the existing WRBs. A sliding door with the screw coming through the threshold. Building paper installed before weep screed…? It shouldn’t be.
If your HOA is about to undertake a major renovation project, talk to us about how we can help protect your interests by providing quality assurance inspections that will help spot problems before they get away. We report directly to the association and provide a daily report for every visit along with extensive photo documentation. Catching a problem before it’s covered over will save a lot of heartache and finger pointing later on. We find that contractors like having quality assurance inspectors on site because they know that we are there to help the project through to a successful completion.
Reach out today for a conversation on why your association should have a quality assurance inspector on your six-figure + project.
Is humor the best way to market our SB326 inspection services? Viral memes seem to resonate with people these days so it’s worth a shot.
If you need a SB326 inspection you need to vet your inspector thoroughly. Are they independent and free of conflicts of interest? Any inspection company that owns a waterproofing or contracting company is not free of conflicts of interest.
We’ve seen multiple clients coming to us with SB326 reports in hand that were written by contractors, signed off on by an engineer who didn’t actually inspect the EEEs and the report is written to favor the contractor who now uses that report to extort HOAs reserve funds.
At William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC we guarantee in writing that we have no conflicts of interest. We don’t own a waterproofing or contracting company, we hire a structural engineer who writes the report and we write a supplemental waterproofing report that is appended to the engineers report.
Call today, time is running out for getting your inspection done before the deadline. 805-801-2380 ask for Bill.
My email to CAI-CLAC asking them to modify SB 326 to ban inspectors from bidding on repairs.
If you’ve experienced high pressure tactics, feel taken advantage of, that unnecessary work was done it you are being told needs to be done, let CLAC know by emailing them at lsrc@caiclac.com
Please see below
Good afternoon,
Here’s some documents from EMPIREWORKS, a vendor member of CAI who isliterally using SB 326 to steal from HOAs. They are considered among the the worst of the worst by my fellow inspectors and I who do not bid on repairs.
We’re being asked for second opinions by HOAs who are being told all their decks need to be replaced ( they don’t) at hugely inflated costs. These companies use pressure tactics, to threatening to report the HOA and that there’s huge penalties if they don’t comply.
Please call some of the inspection companies listed at Davis Stirling. These companies will tell you the same thing I’m telling you.
Please read some of the contracts; are they a company that you as counsel to an HOA client would advise the contract is ok to sign? Seeing these egregious clauses , which I’ve been told are unethical at best and illegal and unenforceable at worst, would you even advise a client to continue negotiating with or would you advise them to run?
This is what’s out here and what we’re dealing with on a near daily basis.
I’m sick to death of the people who will literally walk through the blood on that sidewalk in Berkeley to steal a dollar. The anniversary of Berkeley is coming up in June, and those victims must be remembered and their deaths not be in vain. That is why I am so vocal. Appreciate you listening.
Thank you,
Bill Leys President William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC Follow me on Twitter BlueSky Threads Insta and Tik Tok, search @deckinspector
Call or text me anytime at 805-801-2380 for fastest service.
This architect admits he didn’t inspect the EEEs, and he lives in Tennessee, so he’s literally robo-signing reports that are being inspected by a contractor who is writing the report to their advantage.The Board of Engineers says yes it appears that the engineer violated the law, but there’s nothing we can do
As a balcony inspector performing #SB326 inspections on condos in California, I often hear the complaints about costs of these inspections. Stage 1 visual inspections are costly, and if the Structural Engineer determines that further Stage 2 destructive testing is necessary, it can get very expensive very quickly.
However, Stage 2 inspections are very important. When I’m doing my inspection of the waterproofing elements, I often find signs of water intrusion into the framing. My engineer and I confer and I explain what I’m seeing, what I think is the cause and we generally agree that a Stage 2 inspection ( destructive testing inspection) is necessary.
Recently we performed Stage 1 inspections in a condo building near Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. We determined that there was evidence of water intrusion into the framing and called for a Stage 2 inspection. Working with a team from Whitestone Construction, we had Whitestone remove stucco and masonite siding on 5 decks that are on the 3rd floor of the building. These decks are covered with 1″+ of concrete on them, and after the crew from Whitestone removed stucco and masonite siding, we discovered significant structural damage that was so alarming we immediately closed the decks to use.
The concrete decking and stucco siding hid serious damage that presented immediate life safety concerns to us. This meant the decks were unsafe to be occupied until repairs are made.
While looking at the damage, the Berkeley balcony tragedy came to mind. Here, as in Berkeley, students used the decks to hang out on, perhaps leaning on the railings to talk to friends below. A person in these balconies could have fallen from a railing giving way because the framing it was secured to was so rotted out wouldn’t hold.
The horrors of Berkeley can never happen again. Thirteen students in Berkeley fell 40′ to a concrete sidewalk. Seven died and six are left with serious life long debilitating injuries and the mental pain of that terrible evening.
Berkeley is why we inspect, and Berkeley is why I have become a warrior in the battle against bad contractors doing bad work that gets people killed. SB 326 needs some fine tuning, but overall it is saving lives. My peers in the industry and I stand up for keeping buildings and decks safe.
Independent inspectors, free from conflicts of interest, are your Associations best defense against another Berkeley tragedy from happening again. Yes inspections aren’t cheap, but a lifetime of being haunted by nightmares of people dying in a fall from a balcony and the costs of a lawsuit for negligence will quickly outrun the costs of doing inspections.
Reach out today to get started on your balcony inspections and get your association compliant now. Don’t delay thinking the deadline will be extended ( it might be) and even if it is, dry-rot is working on weakening your decks, putting people’s lives at risk.
Don’t delay your balcony inspection! The life you save could be your own.
SB 326 Deck Inspections * Waterproofing Consultants * Construction Defect Investigations By Bill Leys The Deck Expert 