Wet Building Solutions

Saturated West Town Masonry Building Dripping with Efflorescence - Evaluation May 2026

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:38:22 GMT

20-year old Saturated West Town Masonry Building Dripping Efflorescence - Evaluation & Repair Recommendations prepared May 2026

Evaluation by Wet Building Solutions written by Bob Kelly, May 2026

Subject Property:

Circa 2005-ish building with CMU on 3 sides of the building and brick front elevation. Side and rear elevations are showing signs of severe efflorescence. Minerals are flowing out of the masonry at each level of the structure, indicating trapped moisture in the CMU. The concern here is air quality, as well as preserving the wooden interior framing and trusses. The building is unhealthy and must dry.

The building is retaining a large amount of water. To restore the health of the building, we must get airflow under the plywood sheathing at the truss ends. To dry it out, we will uncover all areas that have any connection to upward vapor movement and install an engineered pathway to release the moisture vapor.

Venting is needed at every floor level, the top of the parapets and the perimeter of the roof system. We also need to prevent water from entering at every horizontal surface, for example, parapet capstones, door sills and windowsills.

Investigation:

We need to investigate the condition of the roof system.

Remove 1-2 sections of recreational decking along both sides of the roof at the perimeter where the trusses are embedded in the masonry walls
Locate trusses and drill 4-5 small holes, one into each truss, and insert a moisture meter to document the condition of the trusses.
Seal the roof appropriately.

Roof Venting:

Cut back 6 feet of existing recreational roof decking to access the roof membrane.
Remove 3 feet roof membrane and sheathing.
Remove 1 foot of foam insulation along the perimeter of the roof. Foam insulation will be replaced with Rockwool insulation. Insert dimple board along perimeter of wall to separate new insulation from the masonry.
Remove mortar from both sides of each truss end. Water saturates the masonry, which guarantees contact with moisture to the wood.
Install WickRight Roof Vent flat onto the trusses AND vertically on the parapet wall.
Install new roof membrane and WickRight 3-piece vented counter flashing over the roof vent.

Please note: Owners must remove the mature plants. It’s too much weight for the roof framing. Wet Building Solutions and our subcontractors are not responsible for moving plants, furniture, and personal possessions from the roof prior to the start of work. If crews need to move anything from the roof on the first scheduled day of work, the HOA will be charged an additional $135 per hour per crew member performing this task.

Parapet Venting: The engine that creates suction for venting the roof

Front elevation capstone flashing:

Remove capstones
Install WickRight vapor permeable membrane and WickRight vented flashings between the top of the wall and bottom of the capstones
Re-install capstones

Vent top of side elevation parapet walls:

Remove metal coping.
Install WickRight metal coping vent and new copings with proper leg length (5” minimum) to prevent wind-driven rain from entering the wall.

Masonry sealants: Minimize the amount of rain absorption via the walls

Seal Front Elevation with ChemTrete PB-100

Seal the Side and Rear Elevations with Elastomeric paint

The structure is taking on moisture and cannot dry out. The formula for creating a dry building is to minimize the bulk water getting in and maximize the moisture getting out. The photo below shows how moisture can penetrate through pinholes in the elastomeric finish. The efflorescence is due to water becoming trapped, pooling at the bottom of the through-wall flashings at each floor and the roof level and carrying minerals out leaving deposit stains behind. It was helpful to get pictures of the building while it was wet on the exterior. You can see areas of saturated CMU below.

We recommend applying 2 coats new elastomeric paint. We will help your get multiple sealant application bids from quality installers.

Custom Venting Plan for North and South Elevations:

The foam insulation on the interior of the building, has forced us to find an alternative way to release the trapped water. The building needs airflow and vapor release to help slow any potential rot in the end grain of the wood trusses. We recommend the following:

Determine the layout of all the floor and roof truss ends.
Drill holes through the CMU at the top and bottom of each floor level in line with the trusses.
Drill vent holes to dry approximately 300 truss ends embedded in the walls on both sides of the building.

This repair should be performed while scaffolding is in place for masonry sealing to maximize the use of the access.

Additional recommended repairs:

Re-design and re-install recreational roof decking:

Rebuild and install 6’ of removed recreational decking into 3’x6’ sections for easy maintenance.

3rd floor door sill flashing for front and rear elevations on each deck

Remove limestone sills
Remove 2 decking boards
Install sill flashing which will also be used to flash the rim joist of the deck
Reinstall stone and decking boards

Cornice Repair, Window Sill Flashing Recommendations Wet Building in Logan's Square, Chicago

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:56:56 GMT

Cornice Repair Recommendation - Logan's Square, Chicago 5/10/2026

Building Evaluation performed by Wet Building Solutions on 5/10/26
N. Oakley Ave, Logan Square, Chicago, IL

Brick, block, limestone and Renaissance Stone Building taking on moisture in several areas.

1. Cornice

2. Window Sills / Basement walkout

3. Roof Penetration Flashings

4. Sidewalk

5. Garage Capstones

6. Masonry Waterproofing Sealants

1. Cornice - Cornice on the front of the house is a beautiful architectural feature. This is the fixture?? on a masonry rebuilding that would normally allow the roof to dry given the pitch of the roof was highest at the front of the house and lowest at the rear.

This cornice is different. Its made from cinderblock with no flashing under the limestone sills?? which cover the top. The metal coping does not fully cover the top of the parapet wall, allowing water to go down into the building. In order to fix the cornice and make it function properly, we must do the following:

A. remove existing cornice, top only.

B. Remove limestone coping and open the top of the wall to start the drying process.

C. Install WickRight metal coping vent across the top of the masonry wall

D. Install new metal coping. This will extend to cover the interior of the parapet wall.

E. Install metal panels over the interior of the parapet wall. Coping will cover the top of metal panels, stop water from entering CMU and allow drying. The bottom of the panel is folded to receive counter flashing to cover the roof - wall baby tins -

Yellow indicates a metal panel - See drawing above

2. Window sills - does not appear to have flashing under any of the limestone sills. If leaks show up in some areas and not others, it’s due to exposure to the weather. Water saturates through the stone and continues down often coming out of the top of the window below. Many times water is not detected when it saturating the brick, but when the water flows out of the window heads.

Front elevation limestone sills do not lineup with the windows, based on this circumstance, I recommend removing the limestone band on both floors, install flashing and re-installing the band.

There's similar condition in the walk out basement area. It would be a good idea to flash the limestone above the basement walkout. Water saturates through the limestone, transfers to the cinderblock behind it which then transfers moisture to the interior.

The picture above shows

A: the limestone sill flashing

B: pan flashing needed for the door as well as creating a drain in front of the door to keep water from saturating into the house. The patio should be 3 to 4 inches lower than the doors so it can be flashed.

C: concrete to stone connection - this connection should be ground out and sealed with polyurethane expansion joint sealant.

3. Roof penetration – Instead of using a neoprene boot, this should be finished in lead.

Recommendation: Remove shingles around the perimeter of the pipe penetration. Install lead flashing. Set into a bed of roofing cement and shingled appropriately. Please note: there is hail damage on the roof. In addition, the roof lacks venting. Air is not getting in from the eaves and minimal exchange is occurring with the existing roof vents.

4. Sidewalk – the grade is too high around the perimeter of the building.

This is the cause for water coming in over the foundation. The window location is also another source of water. It is positioned low to grade and wicks moisture to the interior.

Repair Recommendation: Place Butel tape to the inside corner of the of the masonry/sidewalk. Screw down a stainless steel angle on top of the tape to compress and seal the gap. Butel does not leach out. Cover the angle with a small 24 gauge painted steel.

5. Garage capstones – water is getting into the wall and causing damage to the ends of the roof trusses. You can see discoloration of the wood framing, indicating breakdown of the lumber. To keep this from happening, the wall needs to be vented and sealed on the exterior. Without removing the pergola, we should remove the capstones from the exterior of the building. Install vented flashing and re-install capstone s. We don't use mortar when setting the capstones.

6. Masonry sealants: Apply ChemTrete PB 100 flood coat to the front, side and rear elevations of home and garage. Includes caulking of all windows and doors.

3/9/26 – Evaluation for single family masonry home built in1928 in Beverly neighborhood, Chicago

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:41:32 GMT

3/9/26 – Evaluation – 1928 Historic Masonry Home, Beverly neighborhood, Chicago

Evaluation of single family Historic Masonry home built in 1928 in Beverly neighborhood, Chicago - from Wet Building Solutions Proposals March 2026

Goal of Work – Restore the Building’s Ability to Dry

Many masonry buildings develop moisture problems when modern repairs unintentionally trap water within the wall assembly. When moisture cannot escape, it accumulates within the masonry and structural framing, leading to deterioration of mortar, wood framing, and interior finishes. The proposed work focuses on interrupting the moisture cycle, restoring controlled drying, and preventing future condensation within the wall and roof assemblies.

The purpose of this work is not simply to repair visible damage, but to correct the moisture cycle affecting the building. Many buildings receive partial repairs that temporarily hide the symptoms while moisture continues to accumulate within the wall and roof assemblies. The scope proposed here focuses on restoring the building’s ability to dry and preventing the conditions that cause ongoing deterioration. Addressing the moisture movement now helps protect the structure, avoids repeat repair costs, and preserves the long‑term integrity of the building.

Capstone flashing:

The reason for installing vented flashing is to create a drying event in the masonry wall. It’s called hygric distribution and drying. Lime mortar allows water to travel from wet to dry very quickly; almost like moisture in bread. When it dries out, it gets absorbed. When repairs were done to your home, the mason used standard hard mortar. It doesn’t absorb water. It’s hard from Portland cement crystalizing the lime. This traps water. Since Portland cement mortar is only on the outside of the building (where tuckpointing happens) and the old lime is on the inside (from the original construction), then water moves toward the interior inside – wet to dry.

In addition, the copper between the masonry and limestone caps on the parapets is the source of condensation. Copper gets warm quickly while the masonry is cold and wet. Condensation forms then dripping occurs. We can use copper to make your new vented flashings. The difference is vented flashings have a corrugated plastic gap between the metal and the masonry forming a thermal break. Vented flashings do not cause condensation.

Installation Process:

Remove capstones, remove copper metal layer. Remove mortar from top of wall and bottom of stones. Install WickRight Vented Drip Edge. Re-install existing capstones. Seal head joints of the stones with backer rod and polyurethane sealant.

Please note: I have considered your project without this process and keeping the copper coping. However, the metal layer between the masonry and stone is creating a repeating cycle of condensation that must be eliminated. Based on the age of your home, the interior core of the parapet wall could be fragile and require repair. If we provide an exit for the water vapor, the deterioration of the interior brick wythes, may stall and allow you to postpone parapet rebuilding.

Install roof venting: parapet wall, bottom of trough, shingle patching:

Remove 2’ of shingles from bottom of gutter area. Remove copper. Install vent panel to interior of parapet wall, bottom of gutter and 2’ section of mansard roof. Install roof membrane. Cut slot in roof sheathing. Install counter flashing. Install shingles at flashing.

Gutter – rear elevation:

Remove copper, install venting behind gutter, re-install existing copper apron / gutter

Dormers - The dormers will be affected:

We suggest, copying existing details, and installing new shingles. It’s a small area and to save the shingles will cost more than to strip then install new. During the siding installation process, we need to create a gap between the siding (shingles) and house wrap to allow for drying. Now would be the time to install a nicer material if that’s a priority for you.

Metals:

Window flashing and siding: Pan flashing must be integrated into the roof.

Masonry sealants:

Typical new tuckpointing mortar is harder (contains Portland cement), than the original mortar used to build your house. Contemporary mortar invites more water to enter the building and become trapped which fuels the cycle of condensation and more moisture affecting the interior perimeter of the building. The entire building needs to block bulk water from entering the envelope so we can offset the balance of wetting to more drying, therefore I recommend sealing the whole building.

NorthCenter Masonry Home Evaluated for mysterious leak source

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:41:49 GMT

NorthCenter Masonry Home evaluated for leaks in master bath - March 4, 2026

Information from Wet Building Solutions building assessment performed March 4, 2026, Basic Building Construction Description:

Structure has a brick face front elevation with mixed precast concrete and limestone accents.

Sides and rear elevations are split face block.

Limestone sills: No flashing visible in mortar joints, so cannot assume flashing is present. Even if there is flashing, if the flashing cut short, the mortar can trap -moisture and divert it around the flashing into the building. Masonry walls are topped with sheet metal covered limestone copings. Sides and rear wall are finished with terracotta tiles.

Reported Issue:

Client is experiencing water staining primary bath ceiling and windows. When ceiling is opened, water is present saturating the bottom of roof sheathing, fiberglass insulation and wood trusses.

Recommended repair has three steps:

Blocking bulk water from entering the masonry
Flashing all horizontal surfaces
Venting the structure to exhaust water vapor

None of the steps can resolve the water issues by individually, but together, they can make the building healthy.

Leak Source Description:

This is a primary bath ceiling showing masonry water penetration and condensation in the roof cavity.

To fix it we need to build in a way to exhaust trapped water and vapor and maintain dry condition. The building needs to release more water than it absorbs.

The trusses are wet due to bulk water ingress through the masonry.

In addition, the mortar is in direct contact with structural lumber (trusses) allowing the wood to get wet and stay wet.

Roof Venting:

EPDM roof: we will pull back portions of the roof membrane as needed, insuring as much of the roof membrane stays intact as possible.

Install WickRight Roof Vent and inspect trusses. Repair recommendations will be made once we see the condition of the trusses.

We will then re-install the roof membrane onto the WickRight Roof Vent.

Scuppers should be removed, flashed and re-installed.

Initial Goal: Trusses inspected, mortar removed near truss ends, venting installed to promote continual drying.

Masonry Sealant and Scaffolding Information:

Masonry needs to be sealed to stop bulk water from saturating the mortar joints and all masonry units, brick and split face block.

Ideally, every masonry sealant project should have full scaffolding so the masons can see every crack and imperfection that needs to be re-pointed. Making the masonry intact ensures a effective sealant installation. Full scaffolding is not always practical and there are times when a building is "good enough." Scaffolding adds a minimum of $10K to the cost of any sealant project.

Venting the building can make up for minor masonry cracks that are not obvious without scaffolding.

Scaffolding options:

Swing Stage - hanging scaffolding from the roof

Scaffolding built from the ground up

Masonry sealants information:

ChemTrete PB-100: alcohol-based siloxane. No residue after drying. Bonds to silica in the wall. Highest breathability of alcohol based products on the market. Spray or flood-coat applied.
Prosoco: water based, less breathable, less durable, 30% less costly than Chemtrete PB 100, spray applied
Intelligent Membranes: water based, most durable, 99.9% breathable, must be brush and roller applied. Must apply from scaffold.

Rotten Trusses Endanger Residents in Chicago 3-flat

Fri, 15 May 2026 19:04:39 GMT

Support wall built in Living Room to make sure the roof doesn't cave in!

Client of our sister company - WickRight General Contracting

WickRight General Contracting, which is Wet Building Solution's sister company, fixed a wet building in Ukranian Village in 2018. When Bob (Kelly - owner of both companies) walked across this building's roof, he could tell that the trusses were rotten -- they sagged, they crackled, they popped. To be safe, he had the crew build a support wall in the client's living room to make sure the roof didn't collapse.

If your roof make creepy noises of sags when you walk on it -- lock off access to the roof immediately. And give Bob Kelly at Wet Building Solutions a call. We'll help you figure out next steps to keep everyone who lives in the building safe.