Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal — DelMarVa — May 11 - 24, 2012 — 19A
www.marejournal.com
D el M ar V a
ncluded in that seemingly endless list of responsi- bilities incumbent upon the By Clay C. Ewell, Construction Systems Group Construction Technology Moisture protection: Avoiding costly mistakes I
itself known after the three to five years it takes for the assem- bly to become saturated. Time and budgetary con- straints in preconstruction and construction too often do not allow for proper review of the design or supervision of each trade when the actual work begins. The end results of inadequate design, deficient construction and an inability to oversee every facet of the veneer installation, are seri- ous moistureproofing problems that have literally been built in. A common example of this is the failure to properly install through-wall flashing in brick
masonry veneer walls. Archi- tectural drawings, at best, show typical sections of veneer at floor slabs, window heads, brick shelves, etc. In fact, what one finds after construction is flash- ing with missing or inadequate weepholes, plugged weepholes, punctured membrane flashing, interrupted flashing, flashing that droops down into the wall cavity and serves as a reservoir for moisture; the list goes on and on. Conversely, in all fair- ness to contractors, one often finds through-wall flashing designs that do not address corners in the veneer, structural barriers to continuous flashing
or two component flashing sys- tems using metal and flexible membrane, around which water can flow as if neither exists. Flashing metal or membrane cost very little to fabricate and install. Demolition, repair and reconstruction of a completed brick veneer is another story. The burden then falls upon re- sponsible parties in the design, bidding and preconstruction phases to seek out and address these and similar issues so as to avoid very costly mistakes. Construction managers are encouraged to develop a work- ing knowledge of moisture pro- tection or be willing to advise
their clients to obtain the ser- vices of a qualified consultant specializing in this field. As post construction problems and litigation involving moisture protection system failures has increased, so too have Archi- tects and Owners shown a will- ingness to retain the services of a specialist to assist in design and construction. Considering the cost of remedial solutions, to say nothing of the negotiations, attorney’s fees and the possible loss of client good will, it could be money well spent. Clay C. Ewell is president of Construction Systems Group, Inc. n
construction manager is an item that, more thanany other, eventu- ates in post- construction p r o b l e m s and even liti- ga t i on . We
Clay C. Ewell
speak of one of the fundamental requirements of “shelter,” that being protection from the ele- ments or more specifically, pro- tection frommoisture. Moisture problems can occur anywhere on a new or renovated building. From roof to foundation, each component of the building en- velope must provide a barrier to moisture that is both economi- cally efficient and amenable to long term maintenance. Provisions for this essential element of shelter begin in the design stage. More often than not, design is a function of packaged information provided by the various manufacturers of moisture protection/veneer systems. Producers of single-ply roofing, for example, provide product information, stan- dardized details for flashing and even proprietary broad and narrow scope specification sections in CSI format. These are offered in professionally printed brochures that, by all appearances, are exhaustive and complete. The resulting construction documents, as con- struction managers know, vary dramatically in quality. As representatives of the Owner, construction managers have an opportunity, if not a responsibility, to examine these documents with an eye for de- ficiencies that will ultimately result in problems. Subcontrac- tors, like the traditional general contractor, contract to provide the design as shown in the con- struction documents. Although they are expected to exercise good judgement based upon superior knowledge of their trade, they are not obligated to redesign every project. This is particularly true in instance where competitive bidding is the norm. Later, it often hap- pens that a contractor will compound a design problem by providing only a semblance of the original intent. A classic example of this is a defective waterproofing membrane cov- ered by a sand-cement setting bed and pavers, that only makes
Committed to the Preservation and Restoration of Building Structures
CSG is a professional engineering firm dedicated to providing Building Owners, Property Managers and Homeowner Associations high quality and economical construction solutions. We are considered “experts” in moisture protection providing advice on a range of projects from new build construction to the renovation of buildings related to:
· Moisture Protection
· Restoration and Preservation
· Building Condition Surveys
· Construction Management
· Construction Litigation
Clay Ewell, President Thomas Curley, Sr. Vice President
CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS GROUP, INC. 1451 Dolley Madison Boulevard Suite 300, McLean, Virginia 22101 703-917-0055 www.csgengineer.com
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