Leaking Window Vs. Child with Leukemia

[aviram]

We have a badly constructed wall that leaks water into the house when it rains.

My guess is that the tar paper was not applied correctly under the stucco, and/or around the windows.

It has been like that since we did the remodel four winters ago, and until now, we just placed plastic containers and cotton diapers on the carpet, as it does not rain hard that much around here, about three to four times a winter.

I tried caulking around the windows, and spraying a cement sealer (do not remember the name) to no avail.

What would you recommend short of tearing down the wall and rebuilding it?

My daughter is being treated for leukemia, and doctors say we cannot do any sort of construction in/near the house, on the other hand, we need to repair the leak and resolve any fungi/mold issues which might kill her now that she has highly compromised immune system due to the chemo.


are there any sealers that might work better in this situation?

is it possible to do another layer of tar paper/chicken wire/stucco on top of existing stucco? if so, how do you seal around the existing window?

whatever we do, had to be done externally, no dust, and has to be very affordable, as we are all out of money.


thanks,

-avi

[HayZee518]

try this site and tell me what you think. go to [www.mcmaster.com] and look for item #76395A11. This is an adhesive backed rubber with an aluminum face. The item number is for a 2" wide product but as you'll see, it comes in wider tapes. when the release paper is removed you can form it to seal irregular surfaces which is what you'll encounter with the stucco.

[aviram]

try this site and tell me what you think. go to www dot mcmaster dot com and look for item #76395A11. This is an adhesive backed rubber with an aluminum face. The item number is for a 2" wide product but as you'll see, it comes in wider tapes. when the release paper is removed you can form it to seal irregular surfaces which is what you'll encounter with the stucco.

I am not sure that this will work.

the wall is about 14ft wide and 18ft tall with two 12ft wide by 6ft tall windows, and I have no idea where it is leaking from.

I think that it is somewhere above the second window, which is 18ft above the ground, might be at the area that the window meets the frame/stucco.

this could be useful maybe to put around the window frame, half on the window frame, and half on the surrounding stucco, but what would I do if the leak is from way above the window? i.e. water soaks into the stucco and finds its way into the house because the tar paper under the stucco was not installed properly?

[HayZee518]

Sir, I believe you will be up the proverbial creek without a paddle! Stucco is applied over a 1/4 inch hardware cloth stapled to the sheathing - sometimes directly to the studs - a mix of portland, sand, horsehair (or fiberglass shards) is next applied roughly to the hardware cloth. Next a coarser mix of portland and sand is applied to the sub layer. before it's totally cured it is swept off with a brush, exposing some of the coarser sand then let to fully cure. if there are visible cracks then this is where your water is coming from and I don't think there is a way of repairing this to your satisfaction. I'm sorry I couldn't help you further.