I've been living in my house, built in 1949, for over a decade. Recently, I did a complete renovation with a new interior, windows, and roof. However, I'm now facing a frustrating problem: during hurricanes and heavy storms, I'm noticing leaks on one side of the house. Before the renovations, I suspected the windows contributed to the leaks, but after the work was done, the issue got worse. During a recent hurricane, water started seeping in along the walls of that side of the house, especially underneath the baseboard. Interestingly, there's no visible damage to the sheetrock on the ceiling or walls, which complicates things.
The garage is a little lower than the main part of the house, and I'm not seeing any leaks there, so I'm ruling out foundation issues. Last hurricane, we weren't close to flooding, so I'm wondering if the problem is related to the gutters or bricks instead. I've attached some pictures of the affected area for reference. Any ideas on how to track down this leak? I'm really desperate for help!
2 Answers
Have you checked the actual leaks? Photos would help, but from your description, it sounds like water might be flooding in through the perimeter, especially with heavy winds. It's worth examining whether your gutters might be malfunctioning or if there are any obvious gaps in your brickwork that could let water in.
It sounds like you're really dealing with a major issue there! Given the driving rain, it could mean there's a hole in the weather barrier behind your brickwork, allowing water in. Also, if your foundation wasn't properly sealed, groundwater could seep up during storms. Since your interior is all new drywall, you might want to consider cutting some exploratory holes to investigate before tackling the outside.
Yeah, I was thinking about that too! I wish the contractor would have flagged any issues with the weather barrier during the renovation, but they didn't. I'm definitely considering getting in there and taking a look.
Unfortunately, I don't have photos of the leaks right now, but it's flooding in at multiple points along those walls.