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.
A client we are working with on a balcony inspection proposal walked us through their underground garage to get to the other side of the building so we could count the decks. As we walked through the garage I mentioned that that were a lot of leak areas and I saw that there was some crumbling concrete as well.
They said oh we are getting the leaks fixed, we have two bids and we are going to hire X company to do the waterproofing on the podium deck above. I said that’s good because you have some problems here… What are they doing? It was then they showed me the two scopes of work that the contractors had proposed to do.
This scope of work mentions nothing about using any particular brand or specific material. It is poorly written and leaves out many important steps that this job requires. Poorly written as well, this scope of work is ambiguous and like the first scope, has no mention of any brand names or warranty.
We initiated a conversation with the client and discussed these proposals and corresponding scopes of work. The client believed that the work they were ready to award to a contractor was going to fix their problems. Several issues they had were a failing coating on the podium deck, leaks into the building and severe degradation of the structural concrete deck.
Under the podium deck is significant deterioration. If you see these symptoms in your concrete, you have 99 problems but a waterproof deck ain’t one. Hidden behind a pan on the ceiling to catch water, hidden structural damage.Up above on the deck, failing coatings are dangerous to bare feet and they leak into the deck below.Failing coating at the pool deck coping. A very clogged up downspout is causing water to back up and causing leaking into the building.
We gave the Association a proposal to consult and perform non destructive percussion testing of their concrete deck and the coating on top. The engineer we partner with and I inspected the deck and as seen above, found some serious damage to the concrete and rebar inside. We found that nearly all of the coating on the top of the deck was delaminated and failing. We found that there was stress on the walls that the pool was set into.
We are excited to announce that we’ve partnered with a local non profit to assist them with their waterproofing needs on a to be built low income community in Santa Barbara county. This new community will provide housing for seniors with limited incomes that will give them a safe warm place to live in a very expensive area of the country.
William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC will review the Waterproofing details on the plans, provide comments and suggestions to improve the weather resistance of the building at an economical cost, as well as specify a low slope roof system for the mechanical/HVAC systems that will provide a long term solution to keep the building dry and free of water intrusion.
We are excited to start this new project and work with one of the top architectural firms on the Central Coast.
Once construction starts, William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC will also provide Quality Assurance Observation services to ensure the Waterproofing systems are installed correctly to the manufacturers specifications so that the building will receive the warranty from the manufacturers of the waterproofing products.
We are pleased to announce that we have been selected by a 40 unit HOA in Cayucos on the Central Coast of California to coordinate their SB 326 inspections of balconies stairs and landings to bring them into compliance with Civil Code 5551 aka SB326.
If your Associations decks need to be inspected under SB 326, reach out for a free quote on our coordination servicestoday. We visit your property, r independent licensed structural engineer determines how many EEEs need to be inspected and we determine the best method of access to the EEEs. Then we can give you a fixed quote for coordinating your Stage 1 inspection.
This Association sits near the ocean and enjoys great views down the coast. While residents enjoy the views from their decks, we want to be sure they can do so safely. With over 40 SB326 inspections under our belt and the fact that we’ve been inspecting decks since 2007, the Association found our experience to be just what they were looking for.
Find out why managers trust us to be their authoritative source for coordinating balcony inspections and get started now! Call us direct at 805-801-2380 or use the contact us box on the left side of the page.
We are pleased to announce that we have been retained to investigate leaks on a new addition on an Avila Beach residence by the owners of the property.
The owners of the property had hired a local contractor, who with a team of subcontractors built a dining room with a deck above to expand the living space and take advantage of the views that they have. The contractor completed the project shortly before last winter’s rains started up and the owners quickly realized that there were leak problems in several areas of the new construction.
We have performed visual inspections as well as rudimentary water testing that has found several areas of concern that will need to be further investigated via destructive testing.
Water testing a window in the search for leaks
If you’re building is leaking reach out to us today for assistance in investigating the cause and devising a solution to repair the problem. The longer you wait the worse the damage can become with water intrusion issues into structural elements.
A 9 year old child is lucky to be alive and only suffered some relatively minor injuries when the railing on a deck he was playing on gave way and he fell from the second story deck to the ground.
Our screen grabs from a TV news channel shows just how bad a shape the railing that still remains on the deck is in.
Stiles on the right side of the deck are obviously in poor condition. The whole front part of the railing is gone, indicating widespread dry-rot and likely improper fastening of the railing to the posts.The remains of the railing lay below the upper deck.
I’ve seen similar railings like this in the past where a carpenter uses a nail in the top of the railing and one on the bottom to attach the stile. This method is not a very good method to achieve a 200 pound resistance to someone leaning against it, and especially for small children who are probably leaning on the stile’s themselves. These cheap wood stiles will often rot out in a few years from being exposed to water.
On one inspection I did at a property for sale, I kicked the wood stiles with a bit of minor force and the stiles failed. The seller was furious that I “damaged” his property, but I pointed out that if his grandchild leaned on that railing he likely would have fallen 15 feet to a concrete sidewalk below. My answer was I probably saved someone’s life, so fix it properly.
A better method of protecting occupants is to use pre built railings that are made of metal welded together in the factory.
Falls through railings are unfortunately a common occurrence, and many result in death or severe injuries. Years ago a Board member of a condo I managed fell through a dry-rotted railing while on vacation, after a few days he passed away from grievous injuries.
This is another example of why we inspect folks.
When it comes to life safety, don’t fool around folks, the reason we inspect is to prevent accidents.
If you are buying a property with decks and railings, have it inspected by an expert like ourselves before closing.
If you are an HOA get your decks inspected by the experts at William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC. We guarantee that we have no conflicts of interest and that we only work for the associations best interests.
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.
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 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.
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.
Setting the Bar in Coordinating SB 326 Inspections With Independent Structural Engineering Experts & Waterproofing Experts With No Conflicts of Interest
Call 805-801-2380 Coordinating SB 326 EEE Inspections Since 2020 * Waterproofing Consultants * Leak Investigations 