Condo Renovation - Water Proofing Inside Of Vapor Barrier???

LennyV-NHSNOLA

I am starting a post-Katrina condo renovation at Fountain Court Condominiums in Metairie, Louisiana, which is completely gutted down to the studs. The rear wall of the condo which is also the rear wall for two bedrooms and the kitchen has rotting vapor barrier and leak issues. The condo association is dragging their feet about repairing this obvious common element problem since the outside walls and vapor barrier are considered common elements in this multi-unit building.

This is a common problem with most brick veneer walls, where the original brick veneer wall was put up sloppily and the excess mortar between the brick wall and the vapor barrier was not scraped off with each layers of bricks and small globs of mortar fell down into the weep trough and basically filled up the bottom 12" of space between the vapor barrier and the brick veneer so any rain penetrating the brick veneer cannot get to the weep holes so it stays in the wall and has caused the 50 year old vapor barrier to deteriorate and crumble in some areas so now, some of the rain water seeps into the condo along this back wall. This has been going on for years in this and other units of this complex but the boards have played ostrich with this problem.

While the unit is gutted, I could remove the bottom two feet of vapor barrier from the inside, hammer chisel away the excess mortar and retrofit a new vapor barrier and I have submitted an estimate to them. They are dragging their feet for several months now and I have had to skip over and put this project on the back burner a few times. The owner is getting antsy but does not want to sue the board to make them fix this obvious construction defect in the common elements (outside walls).

Now the Board is thinking about using one of the newer polymer brick and mortar sealers and using this as a way to "fix" the water penetration problem since it would be much cheaper than repointing the brick wall. The problem is this could take a couple of more months.

The owner and I are wondering if there is some kind of spray on vapor barrier that I could apply to the inside of the existing vapor barrier and studs so that I could at least begin installing the insulation, drywall, etc.... something that would at least temporarily "fix" the problem until the board does their repair from the outside. I've told them that the best way to fix this is to remove the construction defect but they worry that if they do it to this unit, the other 40 owners who live on downstairs units would want it done to their units as well. Their units are not gutted so the cost would be much higher on theirs. In the past, they have basically put people off for months and years till the people quit complaining about the water seapage into their units during heavy wind driven rains. It only really affects about 8 of the 94 units where they get water seapage on a regular basis.

Anyhow, any suggestions of a product that could be sprayed on the inside of the 50 year old black board vapor barrier, tar paper and studs that would stop some or all of this seapage from the inside?

I've read dozens of websites about waterproofing the bricks and fixing the weep trough issue but none have had a suggestion for waterproofing from the inside. I guess this is the same kind of issue people with basements have and I've read the "fixes" for them so I'm guessing there isn't an easy fix for this either.

EDIT - I've found this product from Benjamin Moore, Super Spec Latex Vapor Barrier Primer Sealer 260, and I was wondering if you think this would help also.

The owner has also given me permission to do the repair to the bottom two feet of the vapor barrier so I plan to remove the old vapor barrier and power chisel out the excess mortar. Then I plan to replace the old vapor barrier with some new flashing.. probably PermaWrap or a similar product at the base, with 1/2" foam board insulation to replace the old deteriorated black board vapor barrier that I removed. I will have to use construction adhesive to hold the foam board to the studs since I won't be able to nail them like normal installation since the brick veneer wall is already in place on the outside. I plan to use eye bolts and toggle "nuts" through the foam board to give me something to pull the foam board back against the studs for the few minutes need for the construction adhesive to begin to hold this very light weight foam board. Then, once the foam boards are secure, I will seal the gap between the foam board and old black board vapor barrier with some more PermaWrap type product. After that is complete, I'll spray the entire vapor barrier from the inside with the BM product above to reinforce the water repellancy of the old blackboard.

So... do you all think this will work? Or any other suggestions/caveats?
Super Spec
®
Latex Vapor Barrier
Primer Sealer 260

LennyV-NHSNOLA

Bump... I never did get any replies but I added more information and hope for some replies now.

kgphoto

There is a product called Dry-Lock that is supposed to stop water coming through masonary surfaces. I would document all that you do and take pictures and send the HOA a bill. You will have to sue them to collect, but dot the i's and cross the t's. Correction: The homeowner will have to sue them, not you. The Homeower pays you right when you do the work.

Don't forget the real problem is the lack of adequate drainage outside.