With some of the heavy rains we have had the past couple of months, I've noticed paint starting to peel around certain windows in our house (pics linked below). I'm guessing the seal around the windows is failing and therefore moisture is creeping into the surrounding drywall which is causing the paint to start peeling. My initial questions are these:

1. What type of repair am I realistically looking at? Given the apparent spread of the damage around/below the window, am I basically going to have to start over (rip out drywall, reset/seal the windows, etc.) or is there an easier/cheaper way to salvage this situation?
2. If this is basically a start-over scenario and the costs are significant, is there any chance this would be covered under a normal homeowner's insurance policy? It is definitely not a result of flooding.
3. What is the risk of mold? I can't see/smell any signs currently, and the surface doesn't feel damp; however, just trying to be cautious.

TIA!

https://imgur.com/D5vq2fk

https://imgur.com/ON5IVv7

https://imgur.com/wSAII0n

Ouch. Prepare your wallet!

i would do a few exploratory cuts inside and see how bad the damage is. if it's been leaking for awhile you might have some mold.

how is the caulking around the outside?

How old are the windows ?

Are they caulked on the entire perimeter where the brick meets the window frame ?

Can you post a picture of the outside of the windows epsoecialy where they come into contact with the brick ?

Appreciate the input/responses thus far. Was hoping to hear something different, but was expecting the worst. For reference, our townhouse is ~13 years old and this is occurring in the kitchen and utility room areas on the second floor. We are not the original owners, but the sellers did not disclose and the inspector did not identify any sort of issues in this area. Link below includes some shots from outside.

https://imgur.com/a/XeRaI

The glass block window has a semi-rusted metal bar across the top and there is a small gap between the top of it and the bottom of the brick above it. I can easily see water slipping in there and causing problems. The other larger window isn't as obvious to me though. It seems like most of the caulk is okay from what I can tell. There is a repeating layer of metal strips which I assume is designed to whisk the water away from the window and onto the sill. I can post more/closer pics if needed.

there is supposed to be a gap between the lintel and the brick, it's like that so water can drain out from behind the brick.



from your picture it looks like the white brick insert is flush with the house. are there any cracks in the mortar you can see? it looks like a heck of a lot of water has been getting in the block window. this problem appeared suddenly?

for the other window, i would get a ladder and have a look at the top of the brick arch. see what it looks like up there.

Seal the bricks with this: https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/okon/penetrating-silane-siloxane-sealers/sealers-%20s-20

My theory was that the windows were not properly installed. Mine leaked when the wind blew the rain hard against that side of the house. It worked.

Larger window has gotten worse over time, but the glass block window seemed to be more sudden. Both were probably exacerbated by the hurricane. I will get the ladder back out and try to take some better pictures/inspect more closely tomorrow.

I'd check all over that brickwork for any gaps or cracks in the mortar and fill those. I've also seen damage like that come from flashing issues following a reroofing.

Brick is just a rain screen, waterproofing point is at the sheathing. There is probably some issue with the flashing around the windows that will probably take removal and reinstallation of the window to correct, unfortunately.

JP76 said:

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How old are the windows ?

Are they caulked on the entire perimeter where the brick meets the window frame ?

Can you post a picture of the outside of the windows epsoecialy where they come into contact with the brick ?

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Are you really supposed to caulk the window frame at the brick? My house has never had caulk where the front of the window frame meets the brick. I thought the seal was further back (not really in view).

I've got some of the same issue on large living room windows that took the wind and rain from Harvey for 2 days (we had 31".) Looks like caulk is dry & cracked in my case, so I'm just recaulking and see how it holds up...

Looks like wind blown water damage. Apply new caulk.

You can always cut some of the sheet rock to explore and see if it is more serious. If it is, remove the brick and seal the windows correctly. And prepare your wallet.

I just had to peel off the bottom 3 ft of brick around a two story house because no mortar net was used. That led to the build up of so much mortar that it covered the weep holes and redirected water inside the house instead our outside. It took 20 years, but all the plywood sheathing had rotted away about 6 inches high, the base boards were soft and wood floor had cupped/rotted.

Didn't get home from work until after dark so closer pictures will have to wait until tomorrow.

For those who are saying to prepare the wallet and/or have encountered similar issues, is there a snowball's chance in hell that I can get insurance to cover this? I don't know how standard insurance policies are across the state, but my exclusions section says the following:

Water Damage is excluded. Water Damage means:

a. Flood, surface water, waves, tidal water, overflow of a body of water, or spray from any of these, whether or not driven by wind
b. Water or waterborne material which backs up through sewers or drains or which overflows or is discharged from a sump, sump pump, or related equipment
c. Water or waterborne material below the surface of the ground, including water which exerts pressure on or seeps or leaks through a building, sidewalk, driveway, foundation, swimming pool or other structure

caused by or resulting from human or animal forces or any act of nature.

I'm obviously biased, but I don't see how a "normal" rain is considered Water Damage as defined (unless there is a different exclusion these things typically fall under). Then again, I've never tried to make an insurance claim before and I know insurance companies don't stay in business by paying out money freely...

I just fixed a similar situation and their insurance covered it. Well, some of it.

I have a much similar situation...we have never had any water penetration of any kind, no matter how much rain we got, until Harvey. The front of the house faces NE, and rain never comes in from that direction until Harvey, along with the driving wind that pelted the front of the house (we live in W. Austin, so we just got heavy wind and rain).

As soon as the wind and rain started, we got bubbling paint inside the window, at the top. I tore the paint and there was a steady drip. I rigged a funnel and some tubing to catch it all and let it drain into buckets. This occurred on two window, one up stairs, one down, and in both corners of each.

https://imgur.com/a/aZ4Ug

Looking at the pics in the link...that metal plate that runs across the top of the window is rusted and there is a gap where I think the water was penetrating in. Looking at the images in previous posts about that metal plate, it should be running up behind the bricks, but who know - house is 1990 build. Could it be just a flat plate for support of the course of bricks and it not run up behind? If this is true, then I totally get why water was coming in - that gap is about 1/2".

I was planning on just caulking/sealing that gap and being done with the outside, then just remove, patch, texture and paint the inside and not worry about it anymore. Had someone tell me not to seal that gap, as I might trap water in, but that doesn't sound right since I wouldn't think that gap is a weeping system.

i wouldn't fill that gap with caulking. you might cause more problems.

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/discussions/topic/missing-mortar-immediately-above-lintel-top-side-window

http://www.helpfulhomeinspectors.com/2013/09/26/best-kept-secrets-of-home-maintenance-ii-2/

Quote:

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Could it be just a flat plate for support of the course of bricks and it not run up behind? If this is true, then I totally get why water was coming in - that gap is about 1/2".

I was planning on just caulking/sealing that gap and being done with the outside, then just remove, patch, texture and paint the inside and not worry about it anymore. Had someone tell me not to seal that gap, as I might trap water in, but that doesn't sound right since I wouldn't think that gap is a weeping system.

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I don't have the arch, but my lintels do have weep holes spaced between a few of the bricks. The lintel is angle iron, not flat bar, so it does drain/weep towards the exterior.

One more time.
Seal the bricks with this: https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/okon/penetrating-silane-siloxane-sealers/sealers-%20s-20

right, but I do not have weep holes along the metal plate. So are you saying that the space between the plate and the course of brick is the weeping system and not to cover it up? If so, then how is water coming into the house, and why only at the corners? Possibly a rusted out/cracked metal plate?

How do I fix this? I don't understand how a brick sealer is gonna fill a gap.

The Brick sealer seals the brick and mortar surfaces, preventing moisture from going through the bricks wall (porous surface) and getting into the air gap and this into any leaks in the building envelope. The sealer makes the walls, small gaps, etc hydrophobic and helps the wall to shed the water quicker. We've used it on sandy Brick that absorbed a lot of moisture and it's worked in the past.

Guaranteed that glass block window in the first post has little to no flashing around it. Not too sure of a good fix for that. If you don't see any cracks above the windows, the Brick sealer is the best bet. You can caulk around the window between the Brick and window frame, but if the window is flashed and sealed correctly, water getting behind the brick should shed to the bottom of the air gap and out the weep holes at the slab, not get around the window frame into the structure.

If you have Sheetrock returns and see moisture issues right at the window frame, it could be the metal window frame is sweating where the warm frame (from the exterior heat transferred through the metal frame) meets the cool air inside. Thus condensation forms and the drywall just absorbs it and is damaged over time. Best bet is to repair the drywall and leave a gap that you can fill with caulk so the drywall isn't touching the metal frame. Or build wood returns.