Mysterious Water Leak?! Why having the layers right is important

On this addition of Forever Home, Drew Cope (Dad-preneur) uncovers the root cause of this exterior water leak and shares what happens when you don't get the flashing layers correct. We got called here today to figure out and solve the source of a water leak these Forever Homeowners noticed on one of their bedroom ceilings. We discovered that the leak was related to a window which had incorrect flashing layers. To solve this issue, we had to remove the scalloped siding, take out the window, fix the water damage, address the flashing errors, and then reassemble in the correct manner.
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COPE Construction and Renovation
3114 Limestone Rd, STE 1C
Cochranville, PA 19330

[@ryanhansen8312]

God bless you for your videos, details and information!

[@CopeBUILT]

Hey Ryan... Thank you! And He has... in many ways... While we only presently serve southern chester county PA, and New Castle County DE... but we are in the process of developing our Home Field Advantage video coaching program for homeowners to help level the playing field for you against the crooked con-artists who call themselves contractors. Some details are posted now, but we should have the new website setup in the next week or two... www.HomeFieldAdvantage.pro - perhaps we can provide you more personalized guidance on your next project.

[@farmthestars3962]

Great video. Underrated quality, not wasting time, doing amazing work. New subscriber.

[@CopeBUILT]

Welcome aboard! Thank you for supporting our channels and all the work our editors do to bring you great content!

[@highqualityhomemaintenance7565]

I'm always interested in how other "real" pros like you do the water mitigation work. Everything you did was perfect..... except ..... And correct me if I'm wrong: where the wall meets the roof on the right side of the window, the step flashing should be behind the new 'up leg' of your drip cap flashing. Possibly even a mini or modified kickout flashing could/ should have been installed at the roof - wall connection where the azek - belly band is going to be installed. Either way, this video gets an A+.

[@CopeBUILT]

This project was a while ago, but if I remember correctly, we were fairly happy with the look of the step flashing as it was and did not have any qualms about allowing the water to run below our PVC board, on down to where it would meet the next roof. Technically, yes, we probably could have kicked out around the PVC board... And I suspect the next set of people who roof this will do that because they aren't going to be able to access what's behind the PVC freeze board... But at the end of the day, either way, I'm very confident that we have this watertight. Thanks for jumping into the conversation. We love having other pros on our channel!

[@AlloyedFrequencies]

Very good, thank you

[@CopeBUILT]

Our pleasure!

[@KentHenry8]

How many of these customers pursue a remedy from the siding and window installers that assembled things out of order - or is your cost low enough that they just bite the bullet to get it corrected?

[@CopeBUILT]

Rare! If they got a 1 year warranty, that is long since past. If they had a Certificate of Insurance showing their name and address, and they called to verify it was in-force before paying the guy, AND they have a written contract signed from the installer, then they might have fairly easy recourse. Most homeowners insurance policies don't cover long slow degradation over time... but rather, only sudden and accidental events. You could try to sue the installer, IF they are still in business. We could be $1500 to $5000 per window to make repairs with a lot of these coming in around $2200 to $2500 assuming we don't have to remove the window or mess with extension jambs and other trimwork inside. If we have to remove drywall inside, the cost goes up. "Window Companies" go out of business and change names every few years to avoid lawsuits. When you see on TV or the radio "windows installed for $250" RUN the other way. We have a buyer-beware video that talks about these scams... kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWHVeX59hNR_nKc

[@ricardom.2687]

Is that foam mat the only means holding that ladder section on the roof? I’ve never tried this with a ladder. Always tied it over the peak. Good idea

[@CopeBUILT]

Great question!! I don't specifically remember. I believe at the 16:00 mark, you can kinda see that the side of the ladder closest to the house is hitting the next roof section... AND.. there may be "wings" that hang off that ladder section, where the fly section was once attached... and those wings may be opposite the ridge. YES... we use 6 inch foam couch cushions on almost every roof I'm on that is over a 5/12 pitch. Makes working more comfortable... helps protect your knees, and gives great grip and traction to sit and work on a repair. They are also useful for protecting a shingle roof from damage from the ladders. Alternatively, we've used 3 foot wide rolls of old carpet. I prefer carpet side down to the roof... gives good traction to walk on... AND protects the roof while working on the siding, or wall, or window above. Thanks for your question!

[@brittanybanter_]

Isnt that dark wood molded?

[@CopeBUILT]

That dark wood is a lot of things... the glue is probably not as tight as it once was... there was probably some form of microbial growth when it got wet... But it wasn't so wet that it was soft and required replacement.... I can hear someone now... "But MOLD!!!" I don't buy into the fearmongering around "mold" - what is mold exactly? Which species qualify as dangerous mold and which ones don't? That conversation is probably above my pay grade, but every homeowner has to weigh the cost/benefit ratio for themselves. "Do I want to spend the money to replace some discolored OSB sheathing, on the exterior of my home, in the attic level, way outside the living space?" Most folks say no, if the wood is still solid. Mold needs a couple of things to grow. (1) a substrate... like the wood. (2) a dark warm environment (3) Moisture. We just took away #3. There is a product called IAQ6000 which is a white paint to lock in mold... they also have a clear version that is IAQ6001. The mold is still there, but the product encapsulates it so it can't spread. I share that because there are LOTS of ways to deal with mold. Now, if a client has a child with a respiratory issue, asthma, bad allergies... then yes, we take a more aggressive approach to deal with mold. This is exterior on the 3rd floor... we can spray it with a mold treatment product from the box store and move on with life without charging the client for expensive remediation they don't need. We get plenty of phone calls... i don't need to pad our invoices with extra unnecessary repairs in the name of fear.

[@highqualityhomemaintenance7565]

Your explanation here is another example of professionalism. Hot dahm white boy.... that's Country for ... I agree with you. 😅

[@MrTC-rv3jo]

I might have the same issue only for me its with a front door of the house. I replaced the door and the siding but I still have water coming in the basement ( under the front door). Any idea what to do? I thought installing a portico as I only get water in when the rain comes with an angle that hits the siding/door (Rain directly and not with an angle - the water does not enter)

[@CopeBUILT]

There are too many variables to try to cover in a chat reply... I would encourage you to review our "exterior water leaks" playlist, as well as our "Door" playlist... Or give us another week or two to get the new website up, and you'll soon be able to visit www.HomeFieldAdvantage.pro and purchase a zoom video session and we can work on it with you together, so that you can get your questions answered and solve this once and for all.