1. HISTORY
In early times the Coastal Native Peoples built their longhouses with large steep sloped roofs with overhangs to shed rainfall. Walls were one thickness of wood. Spaces between the wood, often were not filled at all, or were incompletely filled. Air could move in and out. (Ventilation)

Early pioneers followed the Northern European traditions and built also with large overhangs and covered verandas. Their walls too were porous by today’s standards. Some describe this as “”drafty””.

Most buildings constructed prior to 1960 had peaked roofs.

During the urban boom of the 1970's, that coincided with an interest in California style architecture, (flat roofs and stucco sides) some residential buildings in coastal British Columbia started to fail due to leaky roofs and other water damage. The developers and their architects sometimes literally copied building designs from much drier climates.

Providing the 1970's and 1980's buildings didn't have too many flat roofs, balconies and uncovered walkways and there was good workmanship in the construction, annual maintenance usually kept up with the water failures.

It wasn't until the government regulated requirement for air tight building systems in the late 1980's that major water problem became evident and the effects have been a disaster for many homeowners.

Buildings that were constructed in wet weather or with wet wood with poor detailing at windows and perimeter decks, balconies and walkways, resulted in the complete walls rotting and sometimes holding together only by the exterior cladding.

Before the requirement to have buildings air tight, the annual drying and ventilation often delayed the inevitable damage.

I recently renovated a 1912 house in Victoria. After 90 years there was no sign of leaky condo syndrome. The older houses were, after all, very well ventilated. Hard to heat as a result, but well ventilated. Sometimes you can tell which way the wind is blowing outside when you are inside. This was also true of the long houses and Northern European houses. Moisture can get out and it did not accumulate in the walls and cause damage.

2. DETAILS OF BUILDINGS. WHAT CONSTITUTES A LEAKY CONDO.
All moisture damage is not from rain water. Moisture in air leaking out of buildings can corrode fasteners holding wall cladding systems in place. The persistent presence of moisture through small leaks and internal humidity and condensation will cause damage over time,

Water can produce rot, corrosion, mould, or mildew, ruining interior finishes, impairing indoor air quality, creating health problems and damaging buildings.
Every building suffers from moisture problems in this climate but the problem is increasing.

Energy conservation started the trend to tightly wrapped buildings. The national building code requires high insulation values and increased air tightness for all new and renovated buildings.

Yet, it only vaguely recommends that waterproofing would be a good idea. In addition, it is vague on what to do with interior moisture that cannot get out.

We may save a lot on energy conservation but we have to subtract the cost of resultant moisture damage and remediation.

Back to leaks from the outside.
Wall cladding can be a problem area, given all the different materials that are joined together, Miles of caulked joints on a building and the tiniest hole can allow rain penetration, no wonder buildings leak. To compound the problem, new and cheaper building materials, touted as high-tech wonder products, don't always have a performance track record.

If there is a fundamental design flaw in the installation, the building will leak right away.

3. BLAME! THE POLITICS.
The 1998 Barrett Commission on leaky condos identified the blame clearly on poor design and poor construction. The Commission's report findings on wood frame buildings outline the following design and construction problems:
• The need to effectively manage drainage and importance of air barriers in a complete wall system;
• The misuse of face-sealed systems and lack of rain-screen provisions;
• Inadequate roofing design;
• Penetration through poorly designed open walkways and balconies;
• The absence of roof overhangs; and
• Complex design components such as visually appealing joints and arched windows which are prone to failure.

The provincial government establishes standards of health, safety and occupancy of buildings through the British Columbia Building Code BCBC). Local governments regulate this code through building permits.

In our view we cannot expect the provincial or local governments to regulate every aspect of building construction.

The developer or builder buys the land, sees that the zoning is appropriate, hires professional architects, engineers and landscape architects to do the design and specifications, hires the subcontractors, approves of building materials and fixtures and markets the homes.

Under this scenario, most people feel the developer or builder of a housing project is responsible for any major problems resulting from design and construction.

For an insight into one of the worst situations, read the testimony before the Barrett inquiry and "Further Amended Statement of Claim," Strata NW3235 Owners v. Quay Developments et al, B.C. Supreme Court March 26,1998. A graphic summary can be found in the Vancouver Sun, May 9, 1998 tiled "The Lido". The condo owners say that half of the units are damaged and the repairs amount to $4 million. This California inspired development by Quay Developments Ltd., once called an architectural wonder, became a disaster for the owners.
The worst project with water problems is likely the 15 acre Glen Robin Place (Strata Plan NW-580) project in Burnaby. This California style development was built by the provincial government as subsidized rental housing in phases between 1975 and 1980. There are 96 apartment units in three story structures and 24 townhomes. The provincial government sold the project in 1995 and a private developer reorganized it into strata units and units were sold to homeowners and investors.
The architects and builders are long gone and the combination of investors and homeowners with their lifetime savings at risk is a difficult decision making combination. A condition survey in 1997, is an eye opener about the deterioration process of wood construction if buildings are poorly designed for the wet climate. There are problems with the exterior cladding, exterior walls, windows and sliding doors, party walls, decks, drainage, railings, kitchens, bathrooms, roofs. According to professional investigators, not even the concrete slabs are sound. One architect has commented that "it is likely the whole development will have to be demolished, possibly eliminating any investment the strata owners have."

Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) proposed changes to the Vancouver Zoning and Development By-law. When appearing before the Barrett Commission, the architects recommended:
• Building floor calculations be measured from the inside face of a structure of the outside walls. This would not penalize developers for using superior wall construction;
• Modify the definition of "maximum building height" to provide all zoning schedules that when a gable, hip or gambrel roof is used the maximum permitted height is to be measured to the mean height level between the eaves and the ridge. This was the definition in the 1970's before restrictions encouraged flat roofs which tend to lead to designs that do not have overhangs;
• Increase the maximum permitted heights in zones that have 35 foot maximum height to 39 feet; and 45 feet in zones that have a maximum 40 feet. The current height restrictions do not work well with the desirability of having four story buildings and encourage flat roofs with no overhangs;
• Canopies and roof overhangs should be allowed to project into yards without penalizing the floor space area allowance;
• Balconies should not be penalized for having roofs and more balconies should be encouraged as they provide excellent protection to exterior walls in addition to providing outdoor space.

The good news is that developers are implementing new technology and are designing to overcome the abundant rainfall in the coastal regions of the province.

4. PRACTICAL THINGS TO LOOK FOR WHEN INSPECTING A BUILDING.
So, what do you look for when inspecting a building?

• Efflorescence in basements and inside cement walls. As moisture travels through porous cement, salts chemicals are picked up and deposited on the inside.
• Rust on visible metal components in basements and parking garages.
• Downspouts pouring onto wall surfaces and plugged gutters “waterfalling” onto walls.
• Plugged drains on roofs. If drains are plugged where does the water go?
• “High tide marks” indicating drains are too small.
• Mildew on exterior walls. Moisture escaping through stucco walls keeps that part of the wall wet. Black mildew grows there. (Also look carefully at recently painted stucco.)
• Rust and electrolysis on electrical boxes, visible nails protruding into walls, and other metal.
• Visible condensation inside walls particularly on plastic sheeting.
• Puckered or swollen drywall, particularly at the bottoms of walls. ( I use a moisture meter to “see” the moisture before it has time to damage drywall. )
• Condensation and mildew around windows and in corners.
• Bulging in stucco and other wall coverings.
• Discoloration visible from the outside particularly at wall bottoms.