Water Intrusion: How Does Water Get Into My Home?
What is Water Intrusion and What Causes It?
Water intrusion is caused by using the wrong materials during construction and installation of your windows and doors as well as roofing and siding. The most common source of water intrusion is leaking windows.
The building did not properly install a water barrier during the construction of your home. Water gets behind the barrier and gets into the plywood which starts to rot your home from the inside out. One place to detect this action is at the windows.
When you look at your windows and they have a trim around them – is the trim rotting? If yes then you know there is likely water going around the framework of the window and rot has started. It is only a matter of time before the window starts leaking.
In the past 10-15 years some building have used really cheap trim called SPF Whitewood – which is created from the softest wood around for building materials. It will last 3-7 years then need to be replaced. It is a fraction of the cost of cedar or a cement material used to trim windows. The cost savings is recognized by the contractor and the homeowner pays more in the future when the trim fails and water intrusion happens. Now the homeowner has to get a new window and fix all the rot damage caused by using cheap materials – a much larger expense.
Pacific Exteriors NW can inspect the outside envelope of your home and tell you if any cheap materials were used during construction so you can have the problems fixed before they cause real damage to your home.
