December 31, 2010
The following pages contain captioned pictures of the problems I observed at my visit to the residence in Granger, IA on December 30, 2010.
I started with some non-invasive moisture measurements and moved to invasive methods, opening up the wall. At all points of measurement, confirmation of moisture intrusion into the interstitial wall cavity existed. Upon opening up the wall, wet insulation was discovered. The smell of a microbial action was present. The exterior wall sheathing is saturated with moisture.
I advise removing all of the stone on this front wall, removing the exterior wall sheathing, replacing the insulation, and anything else observed to be affected. I Think this can be done from the outside so disruption to the interior of this room can be kept to a minimum. The drywall is isolated from the wall cavity with a sheet of plastic that was installed to act as a vapor barrier. This may have protected the drywall from exposure to moisture, making replacement minimal or unnecessary. This can be further assessed at the time of correction and repair. There are quite a few installation details regarding the exterior cladding of this home that are deficient when compared to the manufacturers’ specifications for the various materials used. These will lead to less than satisfactory performance and premature failure unless corrected. I have called out a few of these details but am not exhaustive in this report.
