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Daddy, Why does that house have bags under its' eyes?

By
Home Inspector with Aspect Inspection

Daddy,  Why does that house have bags under its' eyes?    ........Sill'yness

window sill seepage and brick mortar damage.

 

If windows are the eyes of a house then damaged or stained zones under the windows are 'bags' under the eyes.

So the 'bag' that you see here is simply wet masonry. It is wet from melting snow that has been sitting on the window  sill. The water from the snow (or rains at other times of the year) slowly soaks into and seeps through to wet the bricks and mortar joints below. Sometimes it just runs down the surface. But the mortar soaks in the water and holds it. the brick and stone sill faces absorb less, have less initial penetration and the surface will evaporate water and dry out faster. Hence the lighter colour of the wet brick compared to the surrounding mortar.

Now what happens when the sun goes down and the temperature drops. That water freezes. The mortar begins to break down. Eventually it crumbles and falls out. At some point the mortar is repointed. Rarely is the colour matched perfectly and some times there is no match at all.

Now the 'bags' are permanent.

The shame of it that a slightly better sill installation would have kept it all dry and looking like new.

 

 

Posted by

bolg signature 

Arleen Montford
KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY GULF COAST - Pace, FL
Selling NW Florida Homes in Pace/Milton/Pensacola FL

Hi Robert, Great wqy to get the point across. Have a great weekend.

May 13, 2011 02:49 PM
Phil Hillerman
Crye-Leike Realtors® - Rogers, AR
Crye-Leike Realtors®

Great title, brought me right in and I read your post.  Water is an amazing thing.  We love it and need it to survive but put it in the wrong place and it become the enemy! Have a great day!

May 13, 2011 02:50 PM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Hi Arleen & Tracy. Some mornings I might look like I'm had some 're-pointing' done myself.

Phil controlling water is home maintenance in a nutshell.

May 13, 2011 04:59 PM
Peg Barcelo
Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc. 250.486.6369 - Summerland, BC
The FlufftasticStager from Summerland, BC

Robert, those bags need some Oil of Delay!

May 13, 2011 07:52 PM
Donald Hester
NCW Home Inspections, LLC - Wenatchee, WA
NCW Home Inspections, LLC

Robert,

Amazing how water in all forms can have such effects on things. Since it can take down mountains a building is child's play ; )

May 14, 2011 02:18 AM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Hi Peg. A coating of Thompsons Water Seal for masonry applied to the top of the sill and the joint between the two pieces would have done the trick.

That's right Don. Shoring up the mountain is what maintenance is all about.

May 14, 2011 03:10 AM
Dan Edward Phillips
Dan Edward Phillips - Eureka, CA
Realtor and Broker/Owner

Good morning Robert, sill maintenance and sill replacement is a critical item in this area of year around rain. Great photo and input!

May 14, 2011 03:17 AM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Hi Dan. Yes it's all about water control.

May 14, 2011 04:04 AM
Judy Klem
Transition Stage LLC - Shelton, CT
Home Staging, Senior Move Management, Fairfield/New Haven counties

Hi Robert - Love the title! And these are really good points (pun intended!). I hit Suggest.

May 14, 2011 05:46 AM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Thanks Judy. You mean really good re-points right?

May 14, 2011 02:17 PM
Not a real person
San Diego, CA

Melting snow, rains, what are all these strange words you use in your post? JJJJ

May 14, 2011 04:16 PM
Robert Butler
Aspect Inspection - Montreal West Island, QC
Montreal Home Inspector | Aspect Inspection

Well if you live in a desert you get desert weather.

May 15, 2011 06:54 AM