The City of Raleigh Municipal Building had a history of water leaks for many years. Numerous contractors had performed various sealant repairs to no avail. It was evident that the structure would require a more thorough investigation into the root cause of the leaks.      

Exterior Diagnostic Services (EDS) was awarded the contract to waterproof the exterior of the City of Raleigh Municipal Building. EDS would replace the joint sealant, perform tuckpointing, and apply a clear, water-repellent sealer to the building exterior. The combination of these services would restore structural integrity to Raleigh's Municipal Building.

True to their commitment to provide exceptional service, EDS began by installing mockup repairs and conducting water spray testing. These actions would predict the effectiveness of the planned maintenance prior to proceeding with the full-scale repairs. The mockup sealant and mortar repairs were completed and allowed to cure. Mortar and brick were cleaned and the sealer was applied. The water spray testing produced several leaks that were similar to the leaks that tenants had been reporting for years. After conducting the test, EDS investigated further to determine if new windows would correct the problem, or if the through wall flashing needed to be repaired.

"It's never pleasant to have bricks repaired or to have elevations of your building covered by scaffolding; however, EDS' experienced tradesmen and professional management team combined to make this job as seamless as could be expected under the circumstances. Their primary goal, from beginning to end, was to satisfy our needs. The quality of the work performed and responsiveness to any concerns conveyed allowed for the project to be completed in a satisfactory manner, and as a result, I have sought their assistance with subsequent projects." -David Watson, Project Engineer II, City of Raleigh 

EDS worked with designer Jason Byrd of Philips Architecture to conduct destructive testing, which would determine the condition of the through wall flashing. The team removed several bricks to expose the shelf angle and through wall flashing. Their investigation revealed that the window frames were missing end dams at their shelf angle terminations, which was the root cause of the leak. The water had migrated through the brick masonry and followed the path of least resistance, taking it to the end of the shelf angle and flashing, behind the sealant, and into the building.

EDS designed a customized repair plan to eradicate the leak. They removed four courses of brick from above the shelf angle at each floor level, from the third floor and above. Flashing that had been improperly installed was removed and the shelf angles were restored. New through wall flashing was installed with end dams at the terminations. To finish, EDS installed new brick, matching it to the existing brick to create a seamless exterior. These repairs provided the dry solution to a building with a history of leaks.