We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to perform the SB326 balcony inspection for a large community in Camarillo. With 48 decks and 90+ stairs and landings, the Board of Directors vetted three firm’s qualifications before choosing us as the best qualified inspection firm for the job.
Cantilevered decks like this need to be inspected under SB326 Although the stairs are concrete, these stairs are supported by wood and therefore must be inspected.
“We are pleased to be selected as the best qualified inspection company in Ventura County.” Our reputation as an ethical firm, with guarantees that our structural engineer is performing the inspection of the structural elements and not just robosigning a report assures our clients that they are getting the best value for their money.” said Bill Leys, president of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC.
We invite your Association to put the expertise of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC team of waterproofing experts and structural engineers to work on your balcony inspection project. Contact us today using the contact form on the right or call Bill Leys directly at 805-801-2380.
Today marks the 8th year since the balcony at Library Gardens literally fell off the building with 13 young adults standing on it to take a birthday photograph Seven people died as a result of a near 40 foot fall to the concrete sidewalk below. Ashley Donohoe, Olivia Burke, Eoghan Culligan, Nick Schuster, Lorcan Miller died at the scene and Aoife Beary passed away on January 2, 2022. The survivors were left with lifetime suffering and pain from grievous injuries.
I contributed to several newspaper articles with my opinion, I reviewed plans, photographs and other information sent to me by journalists for the LA Times and Mercury News Group. There is no doubt in my mind that the defect that caused the deaths and injuries to these kids was set into motion the day a carpenter took a saw to the laminated veneer lumber beams and cut them to provide slope on the deck without then sealing up the open exposed wood/glue to prevent water from getting into the material. With the addition of OSB/oriented strand board, and all of that crap wood being soaked for months during a rainy winter set into motion the demise of that balcony.
The builder didn’t protect the deck from moisture the carpenter didn’t protect it from moisture nobody protected it from moisture and as a result of carelessness neglect whatever they want to call it the blood on that sidewalk may be washed away but it’s still there… That sidewalk is holy ground. I make a sign of the cross when I’m on that sidewalk.
There is no doubt in my mind that a balcony inspection should have found problems and that deck would have been. People had reported that the deck had unusual slope… Which seems to indicate that the deep beams were slowly failing. It is also reported that they were mushrooms on the ceiling below that was simply scraped away, which should have been a huge warning sign of moisture intrusion. It certainly would have set alarm bells off in my head.
The Berkeley deck collapse is on my mind every time I perform a balcony inspection. I think what if that was my daughter or son lying on that sidewalk? I think about the parents and families who lost their child and I renew my vow each time in insisting that I do the best inspection possible, that when our engineer signs your report that your balconies are safe, that I won’t wake up one morning to the news of a deck collapse on a property we’ve inspected. This is that important to me.
Contact us today via text or calling 805-801-2380, email us using the contact box to the left …
We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to perform the balcony inspections required under SB 326 by the Board of Directors of an HOA in San Luis Obispo.
Tumbling Waters HOA San Luis Obispo
The condominium association has 68 decks requiring Stage 1 inspections. Bill Leys, President of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants said he is extremely excited to see the number of Associations who are contracting with the firm for these important inspections. “We have a lot of deck inspections scheduled for most of the summer and are scheduling some jobs into October already, the demand is really ramping up.” said Leys.
Leys recommends that Associations start getting bids now and getting inspections scheduled ASAP. “There’s a point where we will reach full capacity and I anticipate we will be pretty booked for inspections through the end of the year and into 2024 within the next 4 months. There are not many inspectors and structural engineers who are doing balcony inspections and those that are, are telling me they’re booking up rapidly as well.”
Reach out to us today, drop us an email using the contact form on the left side of your screen, or call Bill Leys directly at 805-801-2380.
By now many people have read the story of a deck collapse in a vacation rental in Georgia…9 people were injured, including several senior citizens. Fortunately no one died.
The pictures of the “accident” show a typical deck collapse scene, the rotted wood at the house to deck connection, the furniture and deck spilled all over the ground, rescue crews giving first aid and transporting victims to the hospital.
A typical deck collapse with multiple victims caused likely by a poor connection to the house with rotted wood failing and sending the deck crashing to the ground.
As a professional performing deck inspections I can say that I see this typical scene over and over, particularly on single family homes and it seems, very often that they are on rental properties. After viewing this picture above I tweeted out to Airbnb and VRBO that they could help lead the drive to deck safety by requiring owners to have professional inspections signed off before they can rent the property and let people use the deck. Very often on rental properties there are a number of people visiting having a party on the deck and then they go over to the edge of the railing where the view is to have a picture taken of the group and that’s when the decks framing becomes overloaded and the deck crashes to the ground.
Influential and powerful companies like VRBO and Airbnb have the ability to drive owners to have inspections performed on the deck. Insurance companies can also start requiring inspections of decks before they insure a property.
As a professional inspector whenever I am at a party or someone’s house with a deck on it I will walk underneath the deck and take a look at the connections between the house and the deck, the framing the posts etc., to make sure that I am not going to be the victim if the deck comes down. That may make me sound like a Debbie Downer but I’ve seen the results of too many deck collapses hospitalizations, death, long-term injury. The Berkeley deck collapse should have been a wake-up call Nationwide but we just ended up going back to the usual and typical shrugging and saying not much we can do…
Well there are things we can do, we can require inspections on vacation rentals where it’s likely that large groups of people will gather in the deck. We can stop or severely reduce deck collapses by requiring owners to have their decks inspected yearly. A typical deck inspection might run $250 to $350…
To paraphrase Rage Against the Machine, “It has to start somewhere, it has to start sometime What better place than here, what better time than now?” It’s time to start fixing this preventable problem.
We are pleased to announce that we have been selected by an HOA in Santa Barbara to perform their SB 326 Balcony Inspections. The 29 + EEEs, including decks stairs and walkways will be inspected by our licensed structural engineer and Bill Leys, a qualified waterproofing consultant who has been inspecting decks since 2007.
This job marks the 6th contract we’ve signed with the management companies HOA clients. They know when their clients contract with William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC that they are getting a company that has great references, no conflicts of interest and a commitment to our industry and HOA clients to do what’s right.
Contact us today for your free EEE evaluation and proposal. I walk every job before we bid, we know your property and we know how to do your job efficiently. There’s a reason we are becoming the deck inspection company to rely on. Contact Bill Leys today and get started on working with a company that has your interests first.
We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to perform inspections under SB 326 for a property in Palm Springs CA. With over 70 EEEs to inspect, the association sought inspection quotes from some of the best inspection companies in California. We are honored to be thought of as highly as Sigler & Associates, A7 and Focused Inspection Group and asked to bid this job.
The Board of Directors interviewed each company after reviewing their proposals. I specifically told the Board during my interview that if our company lost the job, that I knew they had competent bidders that had no conflicts of interest and that I could sleep soundly knowing that they would be in good hands if they selected another company. I continually warn my managers that there are unsavory deck inspectors that are only seeking to take advantage of unsuspecting HOAs that are easy marks. We guarantee that we have no conflicts of interest. Some deck inspectors own waterproofing companies that want to do the repairs without you getting three competitive bids…
People say I’m crazy to talk up my competitors, but I don’t look at these companies as competitors, I look at them as peers worthy of respect and that they represent our industry well. I’m happy that we were awarded the job… And look forward to bringing your Association competitive bids against my worthy peers. May your association win the best inspection it deserves.
Your association deserves the best inspector who has zero conflicts of interest.
Call me, Bill Leys the Deck Inspector at 805-801-2380 for a fast free quote on your SB 326 inspection. We’ll be happy to bid against our peers and so will they.
We are pleased to announce that we have been selected to perform an SB 326 balcony inspection for a 100 unit condominium complex in Camarillo. The association has multiple decks and stair/landing combinations that are required to be inspected under the balcony bill.
We have no conflicts of interest, and we guarantee that in writing. We are here to protect our clients and we work in their best interests, not ours.
There’s a reason we are in demand and it’s because HOA managers are realizing that we are one of the best inspection companies in the market. We are on a very short list of inspection companies on Davis-Stirling.com. If a company that you are considering isn’t on that list, there’s probably a good reason. Don’t take chances, get the best you can. Bill Leys has been inspecting decks since 2007. Call us today.
There’s a lot of false information being spread by grifters in the balcony inspection industry.
First let me say that I have a lot of respect for my peers in the waterproofing consulting industry. Many of them are members of trade association groups, have designations as roof and waterproofing consultants and have the highest ethical standards. I salute them and place myself amongst them as a person who puts their client first, above all other interests.
Then there are the people in the balcony inspection industry who are spreading false information, sowing fear and generally lack any moral compass at all. They typically own a contracting business and are in the balcony inspection business to take advantage of unsuspecting managers and Boards of Directors of HOAs.
Case in point, the screen shot above from a deck inspectors website… Saying the inspection must be done by a licensed and certified inspector. There are no requirements set down in SB 326 that an inspector must be licensed or certified. What SB 326 says is the report must be signed by a licensed structural engineer or a licensed architect. There is no licensing entity, such as CSLB or The Board of Professional Engineers that issues licenses or administers tests for EEE inspections under SB326. This competing inspectors website is full of false information designed to frighten you.
Secondly, Associations are not required to file their balcony inspection report with the city or country building department. If, and only if the Structural Engineer or the Architect determines that an EEE is structurally unsound, and is a threat to life/ safety, then that person is responsible to notify the local building department, within 15 days after the inspection about the unsafe structure.
Third, we already caught this “deck inspector” having a balcony inspection report signed by a civil engineer and have reported that to the Board of Professional Engineers for investigation.
When you know the facts you’ll see why we and our fellow peers uphold the highest standards and are your best choice to perform your balcony inspections. Don’t get bamboozled, get educated, ask questions and above all always get 3 bids. Call us today for your free EEE evaluation of your HOA and rest easy knowing we are working in your best interests.
Go to the Board of Professional Engineers website and look up this license number. It doesn’t belong to the civil engineer who signed it. Now look up the name of this engineer and you’ll see that he is a civil engineer. https://search.dca.ca.gov/?BD=31. And just out of curiosity, isn’t it strange that this guy used the wrong license number?
We are pleased to announce that we’ve signed a contract with Carhill Condominiums in San Luis Obispo to perform Stage 2 inspections of the Associations EEEs.
Stage 2 inspections include destructive testing and borescope camera inspections after our Structural Engineer determined after a Stage 1 inspection that water was getting past the building envelope into structural members of the EEEs.
Bill Leys, president of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC said ” We are fast becoming the choice of HOA managers and Associations to perform SB 326 inspections because of our commitment to being free of conflicts of interest by guaranteeing in writing that we do not own any contacting firm, bid on any work or have any interest in any products we may specify for repairs and restoration of an Associations EEEs. Managers recognize that low ball bids for balcony inspections come from firms that own waterproofing companies that want to do the repair work. These companies know they can pad the cost of inspections into the cost of repairs and the Association is hoodwinked into thinking they got a deal. William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC always seeks 3 bids for Stage 2 inspections and 3 bids for repairs to structural elements.”
Stage 2 Inspiring results- This deck has severe water intrusion issues after a Stage 1 inspection determined that water likely leaked into structural members.
The experts at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC invite your Association to come experience our professionalism, expertise and no conflicts of interest guarantee and see why we are becoming the choice of HOA professionals to perform EEE inspections.
We are excited to announce that we were selected to perform the balcony inspections at Varsity Park HOA in Moorpark by the Board of Directors of the HOA under SB 326.
Balconies await inspection by Bill Leys, the Deck Inspector.
The property is managed by A Diamond Management located in Thousand Oaks.
Bill Leys, President of William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC said the award of the contract to the firm is another sign that the managers of associations recognize the experience of the company and that the firm’s competitive pricing allows HOAs to be able to afford the best deck inspectors in the industry. “A lot of other companies don’t have deck inspectors who have actually installed deck waterproofing systems like I have. Years of experience installing deck systems and tearing apart failed deck systems teaches one a lot more than what ” book learning”: ever can. Real experience makes a difference.”
Please contact us for your free no obligation EEE evaluation and proposal for an SB 326 inspection. We visit every job personally so we know your property, and what it will take to inspect it effectively. We don’t ask you to send us pictures and tell us how many decks you have… That’s not your job to do the deck inspectors job.
See why Bill Leys is The Deck Inspector. Call or email us now.
SB 326 Deck Inspections & Building Envelope & Waterproofing Experts
SB 326 Deck Inspections * Waterproofing Consultants * Construction Defect Investigations By Bill Leys The Deck Expert 