Tag Archives: Bill Leys

SB 326 Balcony Inspections

Our Promise To Our Clients-No Conflicts of Interest When it Comes To SB-326 Balcony Inspections Under Civil Code 5551

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We Find the Leaks Because Our Experience Tells Us Where the Leaks Are

We know that there are companies out there, owned by a waterproofing company or a general contractor, that suddenly opened up a “deck inspection company” after the balcony bill became law, in order to feed their real business-contracting. I won’t name names, however I invite you to copy and paste the following into a word document, print it out and ask any competing bidders to sign this No Conflicts of Interest pledge.

if you are my customer, you get this pledge from me. Ethical inspectors should only be working for their client and not have any hidden agenda’s. To that end, all of our proposals will have this signed certification and promise from us.

AFFIDAVIT OF NO CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

On the HOA/Apartment Community property being inspected at: ____________________________________________________________

I, _______William Leys__________ affirm and attest that I and others associated with my firm:

  1. Shall not provide a bid to repair any adverse conditions noted in our report
  2. Have no direct or indirect financial interest in the building materials that may be specified
  3. Do not receive financial benefits from contractors that may perform any work specified by us; and
  4. Will not accept compensation or benefits from any party except you my client for services pertaining to this inspection.

As an ethical professional I certify in writing that:

Our Only Obligation Is to You,  the Client

Inspectors shall conduct themselves in a fashion which brings credit to themselves, their employers and their profession. In addition to upholding the behavioral standards described above, an inspector/consultant

  1. Shall preserve the confidence of his/her client or employer and serve each in a professional and competent manner.
  1. Shall exercise unprejudiced and unbiased judgment and conduct when performing all professional services and inspections;
  1. Shall practice only in his/her area of competence;

IV. Shall decline any activity or employment, avoid any significant financial or other interest, and decline any contribution if it would reasonably appear that such activity, employment, interest,     or contribution could compromise his or her professional judgment or conduct, or prevent him/her from serving the best interest of his/her client or employer, without making full disclosure to the client and obtaining the client’s consent thereto;

  1. Shall neither offer nor make any payment or gift to any public official, private client or industry representative with the intent of influencing that person’s judgment or decision in connection with an existing or prospective inspection/consultation I am interested in; and

By submission of this Affidavit, I affirm the above are true and accurate statements.

William Leys

Signature

Does your SB 326 deck inspector measure up? If they won’t sign this Declaration of No Conflicts of Interest, that might be a warning sign. Other warning signs are their contract has a clause that has a $10,000 penalty if anyone in the HOA writes a negative review, or if you see an ad that says “free with mail in rebate”.

I invite you to experience William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC’s personal service, expertise and guarantee of no conflicts of interest. I’m Bill Leys and I put my name on the company and it’s my reputation. I’ve partnered with a top rated structural engineer and can provide you with a balcony inspection report that is better than my worthy competitors and far far better than the wanna be inspectors.

Remember, there’s no such thing as a “free inspection if you contract with us to fix your decks”. It’s called a ruse. They lure you in with BS that is designed to make you feel like you are getting a deal and pack on the costs on the other side.

With William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC, your SB 326 balcony inspection under Civil Code 5551 is guaranteed to be free of conflicts of interest-you as the HOA are our only client. Call me now at 805-801-2380.

Thank you, Bill Leys

Deck Inspections, SB 326 Balcony Inspections

How Does an SB-326 Balcony Inspection Report Benefit Your Association?

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THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS DECK, SOMEONE HAS “SISTERED” NEW JOISTS ONTO THE CANTILEVERED JOISTS THAT WERE CUT BACK.

There are many benefits for your Association by performing a balcony inspection under SB-326, Civil Code 5551. In this post I’ll list a few of the most important benefits.

1.) Our SB-326 reports can help you in showing that your Association is Fannie Mae compliant which assure banks they aren’t making risky loans where deferred maintenance is a problem. Fannie Mae is looking at halting funding on high risk buildings with significant deferred maintenance.

2.) Our reports are preferred by Reserve Study companies as they contain detailed information on the decks and contiguous building materials condition. This allows your reserve study provider to be far more accurate in predicting remaining useable life and replacement costs. We are recommended regularly by Reserve Advisors Inc and other well known reserve study companies.

3.) Your insurance carrier is going to be happier knowing that your Associations decks, balconies, stairs and walkways are safe, waterproof and performing as expected. We’re seeing carriers doing their own inspections, and sometimes refusing to write a policy or the new premium is significantly higher because of increased risk. Our report can help you assure your carrier that the EEE’s are structurally sound.

4.) Your residents will be happier knowing that their balconies are safe and ready for enjoying.

When it comes to selecting a company that performs SB-326 balcony inspections under Civil Code 5551, there are a lot of choices. I hope that you’ll consider William Leys Waterproofing Consultants, as your SB-326 balcony inspection experts to perform your inspection. You can start by giving me a call at 805-801-2380 and asking me to do a free no obligation EEE evaluation of your HOA. (EEE stands for Exterior Elevated Elements. ) Or fill in the contact box to the left and fill in your info and hit send.

With William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC as your balcony inspection expert, you’ll be in good hands, I promise. I have 20 years experience as a contractor, inspector and technical rep in the waterproofing industry. My structural engineer has 20+ years experience performing inspections and designing structural elements on multi-family housing. Together we make the best team working for your Association.

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SB 326 Balcony Inspections

William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC Is Now Performing SB 326 Balcony Inspections In Accordance With Civil Code 5551

As the principal for William Leys Waterproofing Consultants LLC I’m pleased to announce we are now performing Balcony Inspections under SB-326 Civil Code 5551 in partnership with a structural engineering firm. This strategic partnership allows us to meet all the requirements under the Bill and provides your HOA with the confidence that the balconies are inspected thoroughly and with due diligence.

Destructive Testing Reveals Improper Balcony Support and Decaying Weather Resistant Building Paper

Our comprehensive inspections provides the data your Reserve Study Specialist needs to input into your Reserve Study to give a complete and accurate overview of expected life spans, condition of balconies and contiguous building materials adjacent to the decks, balconies, stairs and walkways. We are recommended by top Reserve Study firms such as Facilities Advisors Inc.

As a contractor and a consultant, I’ve installed, repaired and inspected thousands of decks. My experience as a contractor and quality assurance observer as well as being a former credentialed CMCA HOA manager provides me with a unique skill set that exceeds our competitors.

To assist your understanding of the balcony bill and what needs to be inspected, please read on…

Elevated Structures Defined. Required inspections apply to load-bearing components and associated waterproofing systems. Load bearing means those components that extend beyond the exterior walls of the building to deliver structural loads to the building from decks, balconies, stairways, walkways, and their railings, that have a walking surface more than six feet above ground level, that are designed for human occupancy or use, and that are supported in whole or in substantial part by wood or wood-based products. (Civ. Code §5551(a)(3).)

#1. Cantilevered balconies constructed of wood must be inspected.


#2. Balconies supported by wood posts require inspection.

#3. Balconies supported by the main structure do not require inspection since they cannot collapse.

#4. Balconies partly supported by the structure and partly cantilevered require inspection.

#5. Exterior stairs and landings attached to wood require inspection.

#6. Elevated walkways supported by wood structures must be inspected.

#7. Balconies made entirely of concrete and steel do not require inspection.

NOTE: Elevated structures that do not require inspection under Civil Code §5551 still require a diligent visual inspection for purposes of an associations 3-year cycle of inspections for their reserve study. This includes concrete balconies.

Wood post has decay beginning on the top

Is your Association ready for a balcony inspection? Reach out to us today for a free quote. Call Bill Leys at 805-801-2380 to get started or fill out the contact form on the left side.

Deck Inspections, Quality Assurance Observations

Shell Beach Home Destroyed By Water Intrusion, What Happened?

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  • No evidence of what lies beneath…
  • Happy fungi living La Vida Loca inside the wall next to the drain.
  • After stucco and WRB is removed, problems appear….
  • It gets worse! After stucco is removed, we see severe degradation of the home’s exterior sheathing and framing.
  • Peel n stick membrane with a hole in it destroys the notion that the membrane is “self-healing”. This was under a tile and mortar cap on top of the parapet wall.
  • Balloon framing on ocean facing wall.

Although this posts origins come from a job I did as a waterproofing contractor in 2013, it serves as an important lesson and example of why construction monitoring of the WRB and waterproofing is critical to ensure your building is waterproofed right.

This job started as a basic repair job; a new owner had purchased this Shell Beach home after having a home inspection. There was no specialized inspections done of the roof deck and roofing, which serves as an example of why you should have an inspection done by a specialist.

I was called because the home inspector did call out a problem with a roof deck drain. The area around the drain had soft spots in the plywood. My firm contracted with the new owner to replace the damaged plywood at the drain area only, install a new drain and waterproof it back. The owner liked the price and our plan because it was less than the credit back he got from the seller for doing the work. Note to buyers-have all repairs done before closing! The seller would have had to pay for what is coming next in this story.

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