How often have you heard "They don't build them the way they used to"?

While this might be true when you compare today's spec home, say, to an older, well-built Craftsman home in the Columbia neighborhood, sooooooooo much of our work is created by the poor workmanship of others. It's fair to say that upwards of a third of our work involves repairing the results of someone who knew less than they should have.  

It's also fair to say that the single greatest cause for this need to follow behind others is their ignorance about flashing.  It's such a paradox given that flashing is so inexpensive to purchase and install.  But flashing typically protects the most fragile spots in a structure. So when flashing is done wrong, this missing or poorly installed building material wreaks havoc on the pocketbooks of the happy homeowner.  

Well, let's say we make them happy after we fix the results of poor workmanship.

Let's look at a mix of repairs we've performed over the years...........

A problematic, flat roof is replaced with a sloped roof when substantial damage was discovered during a window replacement

Challenge: it was supposed to be simple --- replace about 6 windows around the home to improve its energy efficiency.
Solution: rather than try to improve this flat roof, clearly the Pacific Northwest's worst roof design, the client did the right thing --- replace it with a sloped roof!



Note the rot to the left of the window.  The culprit:  poor detailing where the flat roof meets the slope.  And the damage was severe enough to ruin some of the exterior sheathing, framing and insulation.






























Here, above, is the flat roof and then, magically, the new, sloped roof below.





Aspects we performed: design and construction.





Client name: privacy requested
Client address: privacy requested








Note the chimney/roofing interface:  years and years of trying to fix it without proper flashing.  Caulking simply does not replace the need for proper flashing.  Here it is after we did it correctly.























The carpentry is now done, ready for our client to prime and paint it.



Siding failure on a relatively new home requires an entire exterior makeover

Challenge: the existing EIFS siding failed and needed replacement. EIFS stands for Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems. The product is also called synthetic stucco, and refers to a multi-layered exterior finish that's been used in European construction since shortly after World War II, when contractors found it to be a good repair choice for buildings damaged during the war. The majority of repairs to European buildings were to structures constructed of stone, concrete, brick, or other similar, durable materials. EIFS layers bond to form a covering that doesn't breathe. That's fine when no moisture is present behind the covering, but if moisture seeps in it can become trapped behind the layers. With no place to go, constant exposure to moisture can lead to rot in wood and other vulnerable materials within the home. What had worked well as an exterior shell for concrete and stone became a problem when used on wood. Moisture related problems led to individual and class action lawsuits by consumers.
Solution: totally eliminate the original EIFS application and repair the scattered pockets of rot. We then needed to select its replacement and we settled upon a combination of cultured stone and HardiPlank siding to dress up this lakefront home.







First let's look at two shots of the original EIFS siding.  At first glance it looks just fine, doesn't it?













Aspects we performed: design and construction.









Now let's look at the finished product.....





















Client name:  privacy requested
Client address: privacy requested




























Perform seismic retrofit work in order to repair the faulty, initial workmanship on this steep slope along South Hill

Challenge: cracks in the major structural pier blocks on an unstable slope alerted us to the need to engineer, and then install, the structural necessities to stabilize this potentially threatened home.
Solution: after adequately anchoring the home itself to its huge foundation, we overlaid all of the pier blocks and the exposed footings with additional concrete.  Adjustable cables provide some of the shear value needed to complete this seismic overhaul.



Structural engineering, which we always outsource, obviously played a key role in the actual work we performed.  Let's take this photographic journey starting from afar and drilling in, closer and closer and closer........












Aspects we performed: design and construction.




























Client name: privacy requested.
Client address: privacy requested.
































Replace a thoroughly rotten deck guardrail with a clear cedar framework and cable rail

Challenge: although TREX decking had been installed by others a few years earlier, the guardrail was shot.  It had been poorly detailed and water infiltration destroyed its infrastructure.
Solution: with incredible views of Bellingham Bay, the clients selected a 'see through' cable rail design for the new guardrail.  The rotten guardrail was a framed wall with siding on both sides of it so you could see nothing through it! Had the initial builder spent an additional $50 for flashing materials and a few more hours to properly install it and this repair project would have been unnecessary!







First check out the degree of rot in these two 'before' photos.  Chris is leaning on a section of the removed guardrail.



















Aspects we performed: design and construction.

































Client name: privacy requested.
Client address: privacy requested.