Water Intrusion Assessments

Water intrusion destroys assets quietly. We trace moisture to its source — roofing, flashing, façade, glazing, below-grade — document conditions, and deliver a prioritized repair plan with real budget numbers.

Our team includes a licensed structural engineer, and our principal managed building-envelope rehabilitation programs for federal facilities including stone façade and repointing work at national landmark buildings.

Found the problem and need it fixed? Our Commercial Waterproofing division designs and installs the repair — one team from diagnosis through water-tested fix.

What's included

• Moisture source investigation & documentation
• Façade, roofing, flashing & below-grade assessment
• Prioritized repair recommendations with budgets
• Repair execution by our own crews
• Post-repair verification

Where the water is actually getting in

A stain on a ceiling tile rarely sits under the leak. Water rides along slab edges, down mullions and across the top of a foundation wall before it shows up, often a floor or two away from where it entered. That is why so many repairs fail: someone patches the spot they can see, the next storm comes, and the stain comes back.

Our assessments are built to find the entry point first and price the repair second. We look at the whole path the water could take, test the likely suspects one at a time, and only then recommend a fix.

How an OAK water intrusion assessment works

1. Intake and history. We review drawings if you have them, past repair records, leak logs and photos, and talk with the building engineer or manager about when the leak appears: wind-driven rain, long soaks, snowmelt or every storm.
2. Visual survey. Roof edges, parapets and copings, flashings, façade joints and sealants, windows and storefront, plaza decks, balconies, drains and below-grade walls, from the outside in.
3. Moisture mapping. Thermal imaging and moisture meter readings across the affected areas to trace wet materials back toward the source and to find damage that is not visible yet.
4. Isolated water testing. Where the source is still unclear, we wet one component at a time, starting low and working up, and watch the interior until the leak reproduces. This is the step that separates a diagnosis from a guess.
5. Engineering review. Where water has reached structure, such as corroded reinforcing, deteriorated lintels, saturated masonry or post-tensioned slabs, our licensed structural engineer reviews the findings before any repair is specified.
6. Report and repair plan. You get a written report with photos, thermal images and readings, the confirmed or most likely entry points, and a prioritized repair plan with budget numbers you can take to a board or an owner.

What we typically find

• Failed sealant joints on precast, brick and EIFS façades, often on their second or third service life.
• Missing or failed through-wall flashing at lintels, shelf angles and window heads in masonry buildings.
• Window and storefront perimeter leaks where the frame meets the wall, not through the glass.
• Roof-to-wall transitions, copings and parapets, where most so-called roof leaks actually start.
• Plaza deck and balcony membranes leaking over lobbies, garages and occupied units.
• Below-grade walls and slabs taking on water under hydrostatic pressure, often with clogged or missing drainage.

Who calls us

Condo and HOA boards that have paid for the same leak repair more than once and need a documented answer, and a scope their reserve plan can rely on. Property managers with tenant complaints and a ceiling that keeps staining. Facility directors at offices, medical buildings and institutional properties who need findings and a budget before capital planning. Owners and buyers who want the envelope risk understood before a renovation, conversion or purchase.

One team from diagnosis to a water-tested fix

Most leak problems drag on because the investigator, the designer and the installer are three different companies. At OAK they can be one. After the assessment you can take the report to any contractor, or have our commercial waterproofing division carry out the repair and water-test it before we call it done. Where moisture has already damaged structure, our structural assessment and repair team is the same phone call.

If the leak is coming from a plaza or terrace, read why plaza decks leak every spring. For a capital project where the board wants an independent advocate rather than a contractor, see our owner's representation service.

Where we work

We assess commercial, institutional, condominium and HOA buildings across Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia, with dedicated waterproofing pages for Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Tysons, Bethesda and Silver Spring, and for building envelope work in Washington DC.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a water intrusion assessment take?

A focused assessment of one leak area is usually a single site visit, with the report to follow. Whole-building surveys and assessments that need water testing take longer, and testing depends on access and weather. We give you the schedule with the proposal.

Do you have to open walls or ceilings?

Usually not at first. Thermal imaging, moisture readings and water testing narrow things down without demolition. If a small inspection opening is needed to confirm a condition, we tell you where and why before we cut anything.

Can you work in an occupied building?

Yes. We coordinate access with management, schedule around tenants and residents, and keep disruption low. Our principal spent years running work inside occupied federal buildings, and we plan every assessment the same way.

Will the report help with our reserve study or insurance claim?

The report documents conditions with photos, readings and findings, and gives a prioritized repair budget. Boards use it for reserve and capital planning. We do not make coverage determinations, but the documentation is the kind adjusters and engineers ask for.

Do we have to hire OAK for the repair?

No. The report is yours and is written so any qualified contractor can price from it. You can also have us carry out the repair, so one team is accountable from diagnosis to the final water test.

Do you handle roofs?

We assess roof edges, flashings, copings and roof-to-wall transitions, where a large share of leaks actually start. Where a roof membrane itself needs full replacement, we say so plainly in the report.