Last updated by Don Kennedy at .
To read the full article and view the video: Window Leaks .
Window Leaking During Rain?
If you suspect or witness a window leak, there are several things you can do to assist your home repair professional with diagnosing and resolving the problem. During the next rain event, ask yourself the following questions and note your observations:
- Does the window always leak when it rains? Or does it only leak during a heavy rain shower?
- Does the window leak when the rain is being driven by wind from a particular direction?
- How long has the window been leaking? Can you identify any event associated with the first time you noticed the window leak? (i.e. significant storm, ice event, extreme winds, etc.)
- Has the window leak worsened? Or has it remained consistent over time?
- Have you attempted to stop the leak? If so, what has been done? Has that helped?
- If you can obtain this information, find out who built your home and when it was constructed.
Watch Video on How to Fix Window Leaks
Help For Solving Window Leaks
As always, if you are in the Cincinnati area and need help resolving a problem with your windows, ProMaster Home Repair of Cincinnati is here to help!
Call (513) 724-0539
The key aspects of any house are that they are safe, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. One area in the home that almost always fails in at least one of these aspects is the basement. Many people these days have finished basements that are comfortable and pleasant looking. However, is it truly safe for you and your family?
For a demonstration on all the benefits of an egress window, view the video below!
Scroll below to see pictures and a step-by-step view of how an egress window is installed:
Ensure a Safe Exit Route with an Egress Window
An egress window can address all of these issues in a basement, but most importantly is safety. Now, this next scenario is a situation I pray never occurs to anyone, but like a boy scout, you should always be prepared. If a fire were to break out upstairs in your home while you are in the basement, what is your current exit strategy? Do you have a stairwell leading to the garage? Will you try to squeeze through the tiny windows that are already there? An egress window can be customized to your specifications, making it easy for kids, adults and the elderly to escape if trapped in the basement.
What are All the Benefits of an Egress Window?
Now, there are multiple benefits to an egress window, and not all require a scary scenario to understand. In order to assure you that I’m not aiming to scare you, here is a full list of benefits of an egress window:
- Safety
- Legally market a basement room as a bedroom (more on that below)
- Increased lighting
- Increased air flow
- Can be added anywhere in your basement
Increase Home Value with an Egress Window!
Egress windows also add substantial value to your home and are one of the only projects that you will fully recoup your cost in resale value. The total cost of installation of an egress window is about $6000 dollars. However, if you have all the other qualifications for a bedroom (closet and at least 10 ft by 10 ft area) then you can market that as a bedroom when it comes time to sell your house. The current average for value per livable space in Cincinnati is $75 per square feet. That means a 12×12 room will be worth roughly $10,000 for only $6,000 worth of installation.
Egress Window Installation Process
Is an Egress Window Worth it?
An egress window is a great way to make your home safe and comfortable and an excellent way to add instant value to your home. It is a fairly affordable project and one of the few that will fully recoup your costs in resale value. Plus, it only takes a few days to complete! The project is a handful for even the most experienced DIYers and can cause quite a mess, which is why hiring a professional home repair company, like ProMaster, is always a good idea. We will leave your yard and home clean and mess free after the project is finished.
Does an Egress Window Sound Appealing to You?
If you would like to make your home safer, increase the ambiance of your basement and add value to your home, consider installing an egress window to your home. For help on tackling this (or any) project, contact ProMaster Home Repair and Handyman at 513-724-0539, visit us on the web at www.MasterMyList.com and as always we’d love to be your friend on Facebook, keyword “ProMaster Craftsmen”.
Call (513) 724-0539
If you have skylights on your roof and have been noticing any leaks or water damage, this post is for you because those skylights are likely the cause of your problems. We find that skylights are the root of a lot of ceiling and drywall problems because water seeps in through the cracks and down your ceiling and walls.
Signs That You Need a Skylight Repair
There are many warning signs that you to repair or replace your skylights. If you are unable to get up on your roof (please be careful if you do!) you won’t be able to tell until the problem has begun to appear in your home. These signs include:
- Discoloration of the window
- Water stains on your ceiling
- Drywall damage
- Mold growth
- Drops of water from the skylight
Mold Growth Caused by Skylight Leak
Why Get Your Skylights Repaired
A leaky skylight can end up costing you thousands of dollars in repairs to the interior of your home and potentially ruin some household items if the leak is near a TV, computer, piano or anything that you wouldn’t want to get wet. Some homeowners insist that they can fix the leaks themselves by placing caulk or some other sealant in the cracks. That may work for a few weeks, but after that the seal will break again and you will be back on the roof continuing to waste your time, energy and money. If your skylight is leaking, it needs to be professionally repaired or replaced to ensure that your problem is solved for years down the road.
How You Will Know that You Need a Skylight Repair
When you get any work done on your roof, you should always ask the craftsman to take pictures of what he finds to show you before the work begins. Obviously we can’t have you go up on the roof with the craftsmen, but he would be more than happy to take pictures and explain to you what your problem is and what the course of action should be.
ProMaster Installed Skylights
When You Should Get Your Skylights Fixed
If you have been experiencing any of the problems mentioned in this blog or the video, the time to get your skylights repaired is now! With spring fast approaching (temporarily at least, this is Ohio) now is the time to get your skylights fixed. Get a professional up on your roof before we get any more rain! To get your skylight repaired by one of our master craftsmen call ProMaster Home Repair and Handyman at 513-724-0593, visit us on the web at www.MasterMyList.com and as always, we’d love to be your friend on Facebook, keyword “ProMaster Craftsmen.”
Here at ProMaster Home Repair & Handyman of Cincinnati, we’ve seen an alarming trend of homeowners reporting window leaks. These leaks often result from improperly installed windows or poor home construction techniques that prompt the need for expensive, premature repairs. The following article reveals the warning signs that every homeowner can use to determine if they have a serious window leak.
Watch Video on Window Leaks
Tell Tale Signs of a Leaking Window
Visible moisture on the interior of your home in the vicinity of a window is a rather obvious sign of a window leak. But often there are more insidious window leaks who symptoms take far longer to spot. Unfortunately, these symptoms arise after significant damage has occurred. The following pictures and description will help you spot those problems before they can cost your thousands of dollars in preventable home repairs.
Do These Window Leak Symptoms Look Familiar?
If any of these pictures look familiar, don’t panic. A good home repair professional can isolate and eliminate the source of the leak and repair the resulting water damage. But time is of the essence! Mold growth, wood rot, drywall and insulation damage as well as structural problems may result by delaying the repair.
Window Sill with Peeling Paint
Window Leak with Peeling Wall Paint
Water Causing Major Window Frame Rot
Case Study on the Damage from a Window Leak
To illustrate how a small, insidious window leak can cause enormous frustration for a homeowner, let’s examine a case study from a recent client that we helped in Amelia, Ohio—a suburb of Cincinnati. This home was about 8 years old, and like many tract homes built in the Cincinnati area, have 2-story great rooms with windows composing much of the exterior wall. While this is a wonderful architectural feature, the vinyl siding and construction techniques used in these homes do not generally prevent a large wall of windows like this from leaking.
Click thumbnail for a larger image
The homeowner reports fighting window leaks in this part of the home since shortly after purchase, and indicates that the builder could not resolve the problem. In addition, her neighbors are experiencing similar problems. While one can’t automatically conclude that there is a common building defect in these homes, it is a clue that should lead any home repair professional toward examining the flashing or window installation quality.
Window Leaks Often the Result of Inferior Construction
In the case of this homeowner, her window leaks are the result of improperly flashed windows and the absence of house wrap. Flashing is simply material used to shed water away from areas particularly vulnerable to water intrusion. House wrap is just what it sounds like—a material that covers the wood sheeting and prevents any water that sneaks in behind the brick or siding from soaking the wood it “wraps.”
From the pictures you can see how the absence of proper window flashing and house wrap has allowed the water to penetrate and rot out the wood around the windows while causing significant drywall and insulation damage. More alarming is the mold growth on the wood framing and drywall around the windows inside the home. Aside from the annoyance of water coming in the home during a rain storm, mold growth presents an unacceptable health concern to the family living inside.
If You Suspect a Window Leak
If you suspect or witness a window leak, there are several things you can do to assist your home repair professional with diagnosing and resolving the problem. During the next rain event, ask yourself the following questions and note your observations:
- Does the window always leak when it rains? Or does it only leak during a heavy rain shower?
- Does the window leak when the rain is being driven by wind from a particular direction?
- How long has the window been leaking? Can you identify any event associated with the first time you noticed the window leak? (i.e. significant storm, ice event, extreme winds, etc.)
- Has the window leak worsened? Or has it remained consistent over time?
- Have you attempted to stop the leak? If so, what has been done? Has that helped?
- If you can obtain this information, find out who built your home and when it was constructed.
Help With Window Leaks
If you live in the Cincinnati area and need help troubleshooting, repairing or resolving a window leak, feel free to call us at (513) 724-0539 or visit us at www.MasterMyList.com. ProMaster Home Repair & Handyman of Cincinnati stands ready to resolve all your home repair and handyman projects in a timely and safe manner.
