Water Intrusion Repair

Living in the Pacific Northwest means lots of rain throughout the year, so it is important for your home to be protected.

Water intruding the home can show itself in discoloration of window sills and trim, walls and ceilings. When the home’s siding is removed around areas of water intrusion you can see the rotten wood sheathing surrounding the window and the destruction water intrusion causes to the structure of your home.

Water intrusion can be a sign of a bigger problem with the construction of your home, more than just a leaky window problem. More often than not the windows themselves are not the problem. Incorrect installation of the windows, lack of correct flashing, house wrap, and caulking are the more common reasons why water is intruding into your home. Even a spot on the ceiling can come from poor installation of windows and not from a leaking roof. Water gets behind the siding and, because of poor installation, gets behind the window flange and leaks into the house.

Incorrectly Install Window        Correctly Installed Window

In the picture above to the left the window has been incorrectly installed, the house wrap is behind the window flange which will allow water to get inside the house. In the picture above to the right is a correctly installed window, the house wrap is over the flange on the top and under the flange on the bottom to lead water over the window and down the wall of the house.

A correctly installed window, the top flange in covered by the water block while the bottom flange is not, caulking has been applied to the edges of the water block and the flange to provide a weather tight window.

To prevent water from intruding your home, proper flashing should be used around the structure of your home. 'Kickout' flashing should be installed where the roof connects to the side of the house to direct water into the gutter as opposed to behind the siding. It is also important for the window flanges to be correctly papered and wrapped with water block. If the paper and block are on the wrong side of the flange it allows water to get in behind the window and leak into the house and rot the surrounding wood.

Kickout flashing moves water away from the siding and into the gutter, keeping water away and protecting the house from water leaks behind the siding.

Sheathing under the siding rotted near the gutter because there was no 'kickout' flashing to direct water into the gutter away from the side of the house.

Small overhangs with correctly applied paper and water block protect the house from intruding water.

If you notcie any discoloration on your walls, ceilings, or around your windows, make sure you get it checked out immediately.  The longer you put off preventing and repairing water damage the more damage it can do to your home and the repairs can become more costly.