New Construction Windows and Doors

Water leaks around windows and doors cause significant harm to homes and create an environment by which mold can grow. A water leak can go undetected for years requiring costly mold remediation and repair. Media reports about water leak problems along with a thriving water damage repair service industry are clear signs that water control is a very common problem. Time to deal with water control is during construction. Some time, effort, and money allocated to proper flashing along with other water control measures can prevent major problems later.

Note the use of the term water control as opposed to the utilization of a term like leak prevention. The reason is that a strategy based on preventing water leaks around windows and doors will most likely fail. Materials and installation are rarely perfect and water is relentless; it will find any opening. The more realistic technique is to visualize imperfect materials and installation, then design something to empty water from the structure before it will damage.

If proper water control measures are so important and so rare, why don’t all doors and windows leak? Many do leak, but the cycle of wetting and drying is really that there’s no significant damage. Regular upkeep of caulk can control many leaks. Other leaks and damage are controlled by simply luck.

Some doors and windows are more susceptible to leaking. One of the most vulnerable are those facing prevailing storm winds (usually east or west), those facing long open areas without trees or buildings to divert the wind, those put through water in the roof, and people about the second story or above. You should not depend on insufficient vulnerability or on luck to control water leaks.

The key to water control would be to install a drainage plane. A drainage plane is really a system of water shedding materials, such as flashing and water-resistant paper, arranged in a manner that directs water on the plane and away from the structure.

Roof coverings, for example shingles, would be the most common example of a drainage plane. Because water flows down hill, each layer of roofing material overlaps the layer below by enough to restrict wind-driven water from flowing up and under the drainage plane.

A wall drainage plane is similar with each layer of water-resistant material and flashing overlapping the layer below. Properly installed, this technique will control almost all water intrusion in to the home and will operate without degrading and without resorting to most maintenance within the lifetime of the structure.

How about we contractors use a functional drainage plane? There are at least 3 good reasons. One, water control is more expensive and contractors in many cases are reluctant to put money into systems that are not required. Two, there isn’t any demand from homebuyers for this important feature. Three, building codes require flashing, but they’re not specific about how exactly to install flashing.

Water control is important during new construction, remodeling, and during window replacement. How in the event you address this issue together with your contractor? The best time is before you sign anything. It is now time once the contractor is most open to discussing such issues. When the contractor won’t discuss this problem or provides an unreasonable price increase to supply water control, discover another contractor. If you’re currently building, formally request on paper the contractor install an approved water control system. Whether or not the contractor refuses, you may be in as stronger position to request repairs if water intrusion causes damage despite the warranty period.