Water Damaged Brick Wall in Cloverdale – Featured Home Inspection

We inspected this home in the Cloverdale area of Surrey, BC.

Like many homes built in the 1980’s in this areas, the front of the home featured a brick veneer wall. Brick veneer walls are excellent, if they are installed well. Generally, the design sheds water through a drainage cavity behind the brick, and out through weep holes along the bottom course. However, this wall had a few problems which were causing leakage.

This particular wall had been damaged mechanically and was cracked in multiple areas. Cracks and damage almost always lead to water intrusion.

Several bricks were loose and falling off the wall.

The soldier course window sill was poorly flashed and directing water into the wall cavity. Sealant should have been installed here to prevent water damage.

The front garden bed soil was piled above the bottom weep holes. A blocked weep hole can cause moisture to be held in the wall cavity, and contribute to rot and decay of the wall sheathing or framing.

Inspecting from the crawlspace, we removed some insulation from the back of the wall. Here we can see rot of the OSB (oriented strand board) sheathing. Moisture damage was evident from both the top and bottom of the wall.

Call us today for your next Home Inspection – 604 395-2795