As provided by: Timothy C. Johnson

Ballard Condos Site Visit for Work Proposal by Belltown Coatings

Membrane Damage

We looked at one location where

water has worked its way beneath

the membrane at the second level

outer concrete deck. Following

picture is between drain and outer

wall.

27 September 2012

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Water Blister

It appears water became trapped

under the membrane between the

drain and the deck-to-wall

transition, and eventually cracked

the membrane open. Water was

present under membrane at time of

site visit.

27 September 2012

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Probable Source

Wrought iron planter support near

water blister appears to have

punctured through membrane,

creating path for introduction of

water beneath membrane.

27 September 2012

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Closer View

Manager said there were 3 or 4

similar locations of membrane

damage at other parts of the

second level outer concrete deck,

but we only looked at this one,

because other locations would

require going through occupied

units, and we had not made prior

arrangements. Other locations

could have similar causes, or

something else. We could propose

limited scope repairs at these

damaged locations, and we could

make arrangements to view the

other locations to see the nature of

the problem at those locations.

27 September 2012

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Cracked Membrane

Water appears to have followed

unprotected vertical cold joint cast

into parapet wall at inside corner

down to structural and likely

additional over-cast sloped or

cricketed topping slab, behind and

under waterproofing membrane.

27 September 2012

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Substantial Crack

Membrane has cracked open along

ridge line or screeded high point of

probable topping slab cast over

structural slab. If this location

marks cold joint of two separate

pours of topping slab to screed from

this line to nearby drains, then

differential movement between

these two separately poured

sections of the topping slab could

easily crack open the membrane at

this location, and allow water to

travel down through the topping

slab sections, and eventually to the

drains in the structural slab, causing

efflorescence around them, etc.

27 September 2012

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Closer View

This crack through the membrane

along the ridge line of the topping

slab is immediately adjacent to the

unprotected vertical cold joint in

the outer parapet wall, and the

latter has almost undoubtedly

contributed to the severity of this

situation. Scope of repair should

address both problems. Last phots

in this report depict the parapet

wall cold joint, which should be

capped and protected.

27 September 2012

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Additional Cracks

Other smaller cracks spin off the

main one at the crest of the

screeded high point or ridge line in

the topping slab. These tend to be

less severe, but should be

addressed as well. Affected area is

therefore potentially several feet

wide, and eight or ten feet across

the deck width.

27 September 2012

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Parapet Blown Out

This crack in the parapet is not the

actual unprotected cold joint, but

likely marks where water has

followed rebar down into the

concrete and then with freeze-thaw

cycles has blown out the concrete

vertically on this face. This damage

aligns exactly with the long, main

crack in the concrete deck

waterproofing previously depicted

in the above photos. This vertical

area could also be sealed with a

PMMA patch, etc.

27 September 2012

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Conditions Below Crack

As expected, water has worked its

way down through the topping slab,

travelled along the structural slab,

and then worked its way around the

drain bodies nearby, particularly

this one, nearest the unprotected

parapet cold joint above.

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Efflorescence on Walls

Evidence of water travel also

appears at cold joint between rising

vertical cast concrete wall and

structural concrete deck above,

possibly from same source. Or

water stop could be missing at this

part of this cold joint, etc.

27 September 2012

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Water around Drain

Another view of evidence of water

attacking drain body from the

outside, i.e., from the upper surface

of the structural slab, beneath the

topping slab.

27 September 2012

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Inside Corner

This location aligns with the open

cold joint in the cast parapet wall

one floor above, and this type of

water presence reportedly carries

down another level at the same

location, to the interior of the main

electrical vault. Hence some of the

interest in shutting down the source

or sources of this water travel.

27 September 2012

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Same Location

Evidence of water travel carries

pretty much all the way down the

wall, at this level. It would seem

that in order for water to get from

the parapet cold joint to here, or

from the nearby drain bodies to

here, it would have to travel along

the underside of the structural slab,

or through cracks in same, which, if

they exist, could be concealed by

the rigid insulation covering the

underside of the slab at this location

(see above photo). If such cracks

exist, they could comprise a serious

structural issue.

27 September 2012

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Upper Wood Decks

We then looked at one of the

southern exposure upper wood

decks. Cracks have developed in the

coatings on many of these decks, as

well. The manager was thinking

that as many as 50 decks could be

affected by this condition.

27 September 2012

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Closer View

Cracks through the coatings appear

to be somewhat random in size and

direction, and no likely cause for

most of them was readily apparent,

at the time of this site visit.

27 September 2012

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Midpoint Lateral Crack

Many of these southern decks

appear to have a larger crack

running from the center of the glass

slider to the outer edge of the deck,

which could correspond to a seam

in the underlying plywood. Deck

also appears to be crowned at this

location, so that water will flow left

and right from this line, as well as

out to outer edge.

27 September 2012

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Overview of Main Crack

Here is an example of such a crack

through the membrane. These

decks were all recently coated, a

few years back (2007 or 2008, if I

remember correctly), but those

taking the most weather seem to be

failing systemically, usually with

cracks like this one.

27 September 2012

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Another View

I had suggested that repairs only at

the cracked areas might not be

possible or productive, nor likely

aesthetically pleasing, and that

therefore affected decks would

most likely need to be completely

recoated, likely with new

reinforcement at cracked areas.

27 September 2012

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Similar

Decks vary in size and configuration,

but probably average about 8 x 12

or 8 x 15, sometimes with extra jogs

or bends around vertical rising

columns, etc.

27 September 2012

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Crack at slider

As mentioned above, main center

crack seems to follow possible high

joist beneath sheathing, or possibly

seam in plywood, and returns

basically all the way back to the

deck slider.

27 September 2012

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Scope

Manager wasn’t sure exactly how

many decks are affected, and I

believe he was thinking about

putting out an inquiry flyer to get

feedback from the homeowners

about their individual deck

conditions, etc. He may have more

exact info, by now, regarding scope,

number and size and shape of decks

needing repair coatings, etc. We

were only able to look at one deck

closely, because again we did not

have prior arranged permission to

enter other units, but we could see

several others from this deck that

seemed to evidence similar

problems.

27 September 2012

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Concrete Deck

Here is an overview shot of the

concrete deck area above the

drains with all the efflorescence

down in the parking garage, where

the crack through the membrane

runs across the deck from left to

right on this side of the depicted

drain.

27 September 2012

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Concrete Damage

Closer view shows overview of

vertical concrete damage probably

related to water following rebar or

other path down into wall and then

blowing the wall out by freezing,

etc.

27 September 2012

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Closer View

Note that this damage seems to

provide the most likely path behind

the installed membrane below

(fluid-applied deck-to-wall flashing

has blown off wall and has air or

water behind it, at this location),

and as indicated earlier in this

report, aligns with main lateral

crack through membrane at this

concrete deck level.

27 September 2012

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Actual Cold Joint

On the other face of this same cast

inside corner you can see the actual

cold joint between successive pours

in the constructed concrete parapet

wall.

27 September 2012

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Plan View

Same unprotected cold joint, as

viewed from directly above. It

seems likely that water entering

here has helped to create blowout

to the right, below.

27 September 2012

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Repair Scope

Scope of repair should include a

well bonded cap over this area,

possibly extending out onto either

leg of the top of this wall about a

foot, and turned down the sides,

probably utilizing an excellent

primer and a PMMA fabric-

reinforced field constructed boot or

saddle over the entire area.

27 September 2012

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Cold Joint

This construction joint also extends

down the outside face of this angle

change in the cast concrete parapet

wall. This vertical area could also be

sealed, and definitely ought to be,

even though the top face is

obviously the most critical.

27 September 2012

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Cost Saving Options

I mentioned PMMA, as a possible

excellent long-term fix for this

problem, but I thought if well

primed, a high quality peel-and-

stick flexible flashing material or

self-adhering membrane like Ice and

Water Shield or Vycor could also

work, if covered by a one-piece

soldered or welded stainless steel or

galvanized coping metal saddle or

boot. The manager was also

thinking about attempting repairs at

this location himself. I believe this is

the key, or lynch-pin, for all of the

problems below it, all the way down

two levels to the electrical vault

below.