Officials, Scientists Team To Prevent Leaks In Homes

For more information Renters and homeowners interested in obtaining a copy of the brochure "Leaky Buildings and Moisture Damage" can call the Department of Design, Construction and Land Use at 206-684-8880 or council member Jan Drago's office at 206-684-8801.

Adobe Acrobat version: http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/dclu/news/leakbldg.htm

To try to solve an epidemic of leaky condominiums and apartment buildings, Seattle construction officials plan to join with the Oak Ridge National Laboratories to study which materials and building techniques work best in the city's wet, windy weather.

The move is one of several under way to stanch the flow of water into the region's multifamily dwellings, scores of which have cost owners and insurance companies an estimated $100 million to repair. City workers are distributing a buyers' and owners' guide on leaky buildings, and state Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle, is proposing legislation to bolster the warranties on new construction.

"It's unfair for people to purchase a new house or condominium or apartment building and find out later on that there are problems with how it was constructed," Kohl-Welles said. "We don't have adequate provisions in our statutes to protect the owner."

The Oak Ridge work would use computer models to analyze building materials, construction techniques, climate and other factors to see how a wall will respond to moisture, said Michael Aoki-Kramer, code development analyst for the Department of Design, Construction and Land Use.

Eventually, the department could use what it learns from the Tennessee-based labs to set a new standard for designing exterior walls that deals with prevailing weather conditions.

The $120,000 cost of the Oak Ridge research will be split between Oak Ridge and the DCLU. The city department could add another $60,000 in staff time and other in-kind contributions, Aoki-Kramer said.

The research effort comes more than a year after city officials began looking at the leaky condo problem in earnest. Consultants and architects have said the leaks stem from shoddy workmanship, poor materials, inadequate inspections and the pressures of the regional building boom. Homeowner associations say they are left to navigate a maze of insurance claims and court cases that implicate developers, contractors, subcontractors and manufacturers.

A subsequent DCLU survey of 74 buildings thought to have problems found that nearly two-thirds had moderate to severe damage. The biggest sources of leaks were decks, followed by cladding, windows and roofs. Three out of four leak problems were blamed in part on poor quality construction; a third was blamed in part on poor design.

Eric Sorensen's phone message number is 206-464-8253.